David vs Goliath is my favourite season of Survivor. It’s also the first season I watched. Am I biased? Yes. But I also just finished rewatching the season, and it’s stupid how good it is. The show is firing on all cylinders for almost every episode. Let’s explore why David vs Goliath is a huge success for Survivor.

The season aired during a time where Survivor was a wasteland of twists, advantages, and general bullshit. It’s literally sandwiched between Ghost Island and Edge of Extinction. But then you watch David vs Goliath and it’s weirdly the most straightforward format Survivor could realistically offer. There’s nothing that distracts from the gameplay. The worst of it was the Idol Nullifier, but the execution of it thankfully worked.

Without the fluff, the season flourishes. I’ve always said Survivor is at its best when the producers trust their cast. I hate when they pick these amazing people and then railroad them with endless journeys and twists. David vs Goliath is peak Survivor letting the players play. The result is a purely fun season. Godfather Carl, Mike White's wine antics, master negotiater Angelina, I'm just grinning ear to ear thinking about this season.

It’s gotta be one of the best newbie casts ever. The only misses I can think of are Jess and Bi. A little shout out to Jeremy and Elizabeth, who were outrageously funnier than I remembered them being. And I would probably have an aneurysm if I didn’t mention Christian in this post. Christian is my GOAT, my bro, and one of my favourites to ever play. Season 50 can’t come sooner.

This cast especially excelled at bringing the drama. David vs Goliath really isn’t regarded as a drama heavy season, but goddamn, they were throwing hands. Every pre-merge tribal people were openly stating who was on the block and throwing shade at each other. Natalie vs Jeremy, Jessica vs Lyrsa, Natalia vs Alec, etc. Tribals feel the most alive they’ve ever been in Season 37. Not because they were “live”, but because nobody was being cagey.

Cagey Survivor is a plague. In the New Era, tribal councils are a competition of who can give the biggest non-answer by drawing out analogies. Nobody feels safe throwing out names. Everyone hides their emotions so they don’t give away their target. And it’s because of one specific reason. Say it with me now: shot in the dark.

I’ve been a fan of SitD for the most part. But rewatching David vs Goliath really made me realize it’s ruined tribal councils. We want every vote to be a blindside these days. Because if someone knows they’re the target, they can save themselves with SitD. I don’t hate giving people this miracle second chance. But I do fucking hate railroading the strategy like this.

Every tribal is now the same because everyone needs to compensate for SitD. The moment of Kaleb saving himself in Survivor 45 is not worth ruining 99% of other tribals. We are creating good TV for one episode and making bad TV for all the others. This is maybe my hottest Survivor take. Maybe if the odds were lower, like 1/10, then we could still have this hail mary but people wouldn't feel the need to always play around it.

Did I just disguise a SitD rant as a Survivor 37 review? I guess so. David vs Goliath is so good. It’s the season I recommend to everyone. A perfect cast, perfect boot order, and a pure Survivor format. Watching this season truly is like a breath of fresh air.