Is ‘Survivor’ really in its ‘Renaissance era?’ The season 45 claim, explained

Survivor is back, baby!

That’s what many in the reality competition show’s community are echoing as Survivor 45 episodes continue dropping on CBS. The gameplay, characters, twists, and blindsides have been on point, and it doesn’t seem like the season is slowing down anytime soon.

We’re five additions into the series’ “new era” which kicked off after season 40’s Winners at War. But, according to two-time castaway Rob Cesternino, we might’ve just shifted into Survivor’s “Renaissance.”

“It’s the feel-good era of Survivor,” he said on a recent episode of Rob Has a Podcast’s Survivor Know-It-Alls with fellow Survivor alum, Stephen Fishbach. “I can’t believe how much I’ve been very high on this season. But, across social media for the most part, people are thoroughly enjoying Survivor 45. We’re back!”

Seasons 41 through 44 didn’t feel like the same products longtime fans clamored for during its first 40 seasons. A lot of emphasis was placed on individual castaways’ unique and traumatic backstories instead of focusing on the happenings of the social strategy game, something Stephen pointed to.

But, the season 18 Tocanatins runner-up and season 31 Cambodia contestant said Survivor 45 has restored the “epicness” that had been missing.

Like years ago, every episode is now kicked off by an opening title sequence that shows off brief moments of every castaway while classic Survivor music jams in the background. “I’ve gotten chills both times I’ve watched the intro now,” Stephen said.

But, perhaps the biggest reason why it rebounded in such a big way is its longer run time. Every week, Survivor 45 plays out in a 90-minute timeslot opposed to as 60. We’re getting way more content this season, which means there’s more opportunity for game-related storylines and nuances to be explored and explained.

“That extra airtime, it just gives you that personal sense that’s been missing so acutely in the last few seasons, where I feel like I know where everybody stands, you know?” Stephen said. “It used to be on a tribe you’d see a vague hint of one alliance. But, now we see all of the interplay.”

“I really feel like this is giving so much more of the sense of what the adventure is like to experience,” he continued.

Rob, who placed third on season 6’s The Amazon and appeared on season 8’s All-Stars, shared a poll on Oct. 12 via X asking, “At this moment, do you feel like US #Survivor is currently on the…” with two options available, “Right track” and “Wrong track.”

After the poll closed, more than 6,300 users weighed in, and an overwhelming 83.8 percent declared the series was on the right track. And if someone checks out Survivor pages across social media, there’s a general feeling in the air that Survivor is the best it’s been since 20 former winners descended onto Fiji for the 2020 champion-of-champions season.

And all we can hope for is that Survivor 45 continues to deliver every week, and this truly is the start of Survivor’s Renaissance era.