(TL;DR below)
Australian Survivor is so much more enjoyable than US Survivor, mostly thanks to the longer run-time. More time lets viewers immerse and connect with the participants more deeply. Plus, conversations and conflicts are fully played-out so that you can easily understand the context and weight of each situation; much unlike its American counterpart where everything is shoddily spliced together with jarring cuts to maximize drama while cramming as much into standard programming time as possible.
The contestants themselves seem to be much more likeable versus those on the American version because they truly demonstrate decency and comradery toward one another throughout the competition. Don't get me wrong, cutthroat subversion and betrayals keep it interesting, but the contestants on this version of the show openly display remorse in having to do those things, and you can tell that they genuinely care for one another. That creates a particularly satisfying payoff toward the end of each season when, as a viewer, you can tell that those remaining have developed an incredible bond through shared experiences.
The music can be a hair over-the-top at times, but the show doesn't rely on bombastic sound effects and heavy edits to artificially enhance the tension. A lot can even be said about the show's cinematography. There are plenty of really stunning and creative shots that artistically remind viewers of nature's beauty (and terror).
HOWEVER.
One major issue is that the producers interfere with the show to an extreme degree. Look at Season 6 as the case and point. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but there are several instances where producers randomly break fundamental rules of Survivor; so much so that it completely detracts from the quality of the show.
Oftentimes, it leaves the audience wondering how permanent any given decision is and has probably made contestants frustrated that, no matter how masterful their strategy may be, it is subject to random producer interference at any moment. The whole point of Survivor is that it emulates the very basics of human society and provides a miniature case study of how people naturally arrange themselves into groups and hierarchies. This concept is fascinating because viewers get to watch as a group of "survivors" essentially reconstruct civilization at micro-scale while fighting for supremacy as the dynamic of power evolves from physical in nature to social. Producers trying to force drama into the show with gimmicks and arbitrary rule changes seem to be out-of-touch with what makes Survivor so gripping in the first place.
This aspect alone brings the show down from a 9/10 star to a 5/10 star... that's how disappointing and egregious the producer interference is.
TL;DR: Australian Survivor is better than American Survivor because it is enjoyably presented as more of a creative documentary following a group of "survivors" attempting to weave through complex social, physical, and psychological dilemmas until only the best remains. Whereas, the American show is just a flashy game show that happens to follow a group of people on an island who are desperately vying for screen time. It needs to work out kinks in the mechanics of the game itself, but once it does, it will be the best version of Survivor on TV.
Australian Survivor is so much more enjoyable than US Survivor, mostly thanks to the longer run-time. More time lets viewers immerse and connect with the participants more deeply. Plus, conversations and conflicts are fully played-out so that you can easily understand the context and weight of each situation; much unlike its American counterpart where everything is shoddily spliced together with jarring cuts to maximize drama while cramming as much into standard programming time as possible.
The contestants themselves seem to be much more likeable versus those on the American version because they truly demonstrate decency and comradery toward one another throughout the competition. Don't get me wrong, cutthroat subversion and betrayals keep it interesting, but the contestants on this version of the show openly display remorse in having to do those things, and you can tell that they genuinely care for one another. That creates a particularly satisfying payoff toward the end of each season when, as a viewer, you can tell that those remaining have developed an incredible bond through shared experiences.
The music can be a hair over-the-top at times, but the show doesn't rely on bombastic sound effects and heavy edits to artificially enhance the tension. A lot can even be said about the show's cinematography. There are plenty of really stunning and creative shots that artistically remind viewers of nature's beauty (and terror).
HOWEVER.
One major issue is that the producers interfere with the show to an extreme degree. Look at Season 6 as the case and point. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but there are several instances where producers randomly break fundamental rules of Survivor; so much so that it completely detracts from the quality of the show.
Oftentimes, it leaves the audience wondering how permanent any given decision is and has probably made contestants frustrated that, no matter how masterful their strategy may be, it is subject to random producer interference at any moment. The whole point of Survivor is that it emulates the very basics of human society and provides a miniature case study of how people naturally arrange themselves into groups and hierarchies. This concept is fascinating because viewers get to watch as a group of "survivors" essentially reconstruct civilization at micro-scale while fighting for supremacy as the dynamic of power evolves from physical in nature to social. Producers trying to force drama into the show with gimmicks and arbitrary rule changes seem to be out-of-touch with what makes Survivor so gripping in the first place.
This aspect alone brings the show down from a 9/10 star to a 5/10 star... that's how disappointing and egregious the producer interference is.
TL;DR: Australian Survivor is better than American Survivor because it is enjoyably presented as more of a creative documentary following a group of "survivors" attempting to weave through complex social, physical, and psychological dilemmas until only the best remains. Whereas, the American show is just a flashy game show that happens to follow a group of people on an island who are desperately vying for screen time. It needs to work out kinks in the mechanics of the game itself, but once it does, it will be the best version of Survivor on TV.