Why Does the Internet Love This ‘Survivor’ Player?

The big picture

• The surviving contestants face backlash from toxic social media fans, causing online harassment and trauma.
• Venus Vafa stands out
  survivor 46
  for its refreshing and comical approach to the game.
• Castaways Crossing Venus faced elimination, earning her a growing fan base and respect on social media.

Like all reality shows, the legendary surviving The franchise has worked hard to grow and evolve with the audience that made it so famous over two decades ago. Created by Charlie Parsons for CBS and welcomed by the loved one Jeff Probst, this historic series has endured while others have failed by adapting to modern times and updating its style of competition to ensure viewers and contestants feel seen by the complex rules at play. This has had mixed results, with the show celebrated for its new inclusion, but criticized for its unnecessary need for “twists” every season. Despite this, what surviving has begun to suffer is something that all reality shows know well: the behavior of its cast.

In other words, these players are constantly controlling their expressions and editing their personalities for fear of backlash from social media followers who too often see hardcore gaming as something that warrants an awful amount of online harassment. It's created a generation of contestants who are afraid that typical competitiveness could lead to waves of digital hate, fear of their own individuality… well, mostly. Because there's one player this season who doesn't care what anyone sees or what her teammates think of her, who commits to being completely herself, and the crowd loves her for it. This player, of course, is none other than Venus Vafa, who has taken the Internet by storm and is now part of it survivor 46they are the remaining seven castaways.

While most media projects tend to think that “all press is good press,” surviving and other reality shows understand that, especially when it comes to their contestants, this couldn't be further from the truth. whatever RuPaul's Drag Race or the challengeas social media has become a mainstay of modern culture, it has become a place where Toxic members of each series' fandom choose to spew needless cruelty for actions they don't like by contestants on those shows. It has led to some extremely sad reactions from these contestants to this defamation, often being forced to deactivate their accounts because the constant influx of rudeness becomes too much.

Bullying is never condoned, but these aren't usually even contestants who deserve criticism. In a social landscape where people can say whatever they want, it's often the smallest slights or a person's identity that earns them a deluge of hate online. This is a traumatic experience for anyone who goes through it, and it's one that members of reality TV, sadly, know all too well. survivor players are no strangers to facing backlash against their actions on screen, but for this particular type of game, the self-regulation is two-fold. Not only do they have to worry about the online response, but 46 seasons of this daunting show where players must use strategy and deception to outvote each other have shown that any verbal mistake can that someone has their dream of getting the big prize. $1,000,000, crushed.

That's why the current season has been so refreshing for viewers, because it's one of the first in recent memory that the players navigate with a delicious, competitive energy. Stars like Kenzie Petty i Tiffany Nicole Ervin in particular they have shown a perfect fusion of the candor that defined the early seasons of the series with the social knowledge of today's television: they combine their respect and understanding of the other players with hilariously cruel comments about their inefficient competition in private. They are exceptional strategists and great representations of why the modern show is still so great, though Venus further exemplifies why not caring about other people's opinions makes for truly great television.

'Survivor 46' is lucky to have Venus Vafa

when survivor 46 It started, the audience was immediately intrigued by who Venus was and what her game would be like. One of the youngest players of the season, her introverted nature and struggle to form connections quickly put her out of the Nami tribe. He managed to establish a fragile alliance with Randen Montalvo, but to see her rejected so brazenly by team members as Soda Thompson i Tevin Davis it was a sad sight for those watching at home. Such an explicit sending off led similar players (some in this very season) to take a depressed view of their odds and let that gloom turn their game into one of despair and desperation, but not Venus. Seeing that the people around him ignored his opinions, Venus didn't get sad, rather she got angry. She denied her ignorance and made sure to reiterate how she felt, forcing others to listen to her and consider her as they would anyone else. He vocalized his negative feelings with an infinite amount of wit and in a dry, cutting tone that would surviving legend Courtney Yates, one of the show's most likable and sarcastic characters, proud. While Venus's refusal to sit still may annoy the rest of her tribe, the audience was thrilled to finally see someone ditch decorum and speak what they really felt in a hilariously effortless way.

In a game where any revelation or wrong word can make you a target, players often hide their true emotions in order to connect with those around them. This is a smart strategy for many, but it robs viewers of the gripping drama and conflict that honesty brings to similar shows and takes this new era of the series further away from the captivating seasons that established it so many years ago. . While Venus constantly sharing her thoughts may not be the most strategic decision (one of her best moments is in a recent episode when she openly called a strong player a “meat shield”), she creates a prickly but lovable character unlike any viewer of the show. seen in a long time. Combine that attitude with her inspiring backstory that saw her emigrate from Iran because her parents wanted a life for their daughter freed from societal constraints, and it's clear that she's not only a constant source of sarcasm, but also a stubborn person who refuses to be. silence about what she believes. She's a compelling and biting player, and as the online response to her has clearly demonstrated, the series is lucky to have her.

Castaways who cross Venus on “Survivor 46” are voted off soon after

Fans of this icon, and Venus Vafa herself, have been in for a treat over the past few episodes as the player's time on the show has taken a noticeable upward turn. Not because the contestants have stopped criticizing his every move (even when people are kicked out, they can't seem to keep his name out of their mouths), but because recent episodes I have seen how all the people who degraded the young woman were sent home. First was Soda, who falsely believed that Venus pushed a blind band orchestrated by her closest ally, Tevin. Venus gladly admitted it and even bragged to Tevin as the man laughed behind her back. Tevin didn't laugh for long, though, as the next vote saw him quickly kicked out by all the contestants, plus his ally. Hunter McKnight. Hunter was another vocal opponent of Venus and, continuing her curse, was blinded afterwards, with an unused idol burning a hole in his pocket. She has been deservedly satisfied during each elimination; both she and her fan base are delighted to see those who never considered Venus as real competition punished for their hubris. This season's post-merger era has been a delicious payoff for this player, and the crowd couldn't be happier.

'Survivor's online fans now have their pick

Although Venus cannot win Of the survivors 46th season, he has surely already won the fan's love for his appearance on the show. Social networks, especially the prosperous ones surviving The fan community on Twitter has made it clear from her first moments on screen how they feel about this young player and her refusal to let more dominant personalities make her feel less or that she shouldn't speak her mind. In an era of reality TV where players with her behavior would normally draw immense hatred from the audience, it's a huge help that she is. It was received with a frenzy by viewers desperate to see such a fiery personality on the show again. Since the season entered the post-merger section of the competition, viewers have finally seen the player get some relief as everyone who dared to target her was promptly sent home.

Recent episodes have seen Venus freed from the confines of the Nami tribe and finally able to distance himself from those people who have annoyed him with their thinly veiled vitriol for so long. Will she team up with other fierce players like Kenzie to dominate the game, or will her outspokenness see her torch snuffed out before the final tribal, with the other Castaways putting an end to this fan-favorite character? Only one thing is certain: whatever happens, we know that Venus will do it perfectly.

survivor airs Wednesdays at 8:00 PM EST CBS. All stations of survivor are available for playback Paramount+.

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