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A philosopher, an actor, and a sci-fi writer talk about media and how we consume it.

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PMP#225: Survivor the Constant (with Wes!)

July 12, 2026 by Mark

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Survivor has remained a top-rated show since its debut in 2000, and some of us (Sarahlyn and our guest Wes Alwan) have stuck with it throughout, Mark just watched when it came out and had to catch up, and some of us (Lawrence and Al) had not previously been on board at all.

We talk through the evolution of the show, from torture exhibitionism to now lore-drenched soap-operatic beach games. Is this show designed to be watched in the background? What makes for a good player? What criteria to the jury members use to vote for a winner? What is the target audience for the show? Are the games well designed? How does the show deal with racism in society (and given that it’s a “social experiment,” should this be artificially corrected)?

Follow us @law_writes, @sarahlynbruck, @MarkLinsenmayer. Al and Wes have no social media on their island.

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Filed Under: Reality TV, TV

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What is Pretty Much Pop?

Pretty Much Pop brings together philosophers, artists, comedians, and other smart folks to talk about media and how we consume it: TV, film, music, novels, games, comics, comedy, theater, podcasts, and more. Most of what (other) people like is pretty weird when you think about it, so thinking about it is what we do.

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