Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violent, disturbing survival game has bleeped cursing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Fight to Survive
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 4 parent reviews
What's the Story?
Hosted by Akbar Gbajabiamila, FIGHT TO SURVIVE is a reality competition featuring experienced survivalists competing in a 25-day experiment on a remote island in Fiji. Seventeen contestants on Taveuni Island are given the chance to choose a random survival tool and to claim one of the four prime resources (water, shelter fire, and food) made available. Those who claim one of the resources ‘own' them and can do with them as they wish. The catch? Another contestant can challenge the holder of a tool or owner of a resource to a physical fight in order to forcibly take it away and claim it as their own. Challengers who win in the fight arena stay in the game and keep the item or resource they were battling for. Those who fail are banished from the island. At the end of 25 days, survivalists remaining on the island get to split $100K. But if one person manages to out-survive everyone, s/he/they wins $250K.
Is It Any Good?
The disturbing social experiment combines elements from Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games to determine if individuals in primitive survival mode will work together to improve their chances of success, or attempt to ‘survive' by taking and protecting resources over other people. The cast, many of whom were previously featured on t.v. series like Naked and Afraid, American Ninja Warrior, Alone, and Survivor, often use their previous experience as reality personalities to stir up conflict. But it is the way Fight to Survive explicitly uses violence to demonstrate how primordial one must be willing to become in order to stay in the game that is the most problematic. All of this is shrouded in clichéd rituals to exoticize the experience, but it's not enough to hide the fact that it's showcasing a mild version of the worst of humanity for the purpose of entertainment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about teamwork when in difficult situations. Why is it important for people to work together when trying to survive in the wild?
Fight to Survive sends the message that primitive life is violent by having people fight each other for limited resources. Is this the best way to characterize what it's like to live in a natural habitat? What other ways can this be expressed while maintaining the entertainment value of the series?
TV Details
- Premiere date: August 10, 2023
- Cast: Akbar Gbajabiamila
- Network: CW
- Genre: Game Shows
- TV rating: TV-PG
- Last updated: August 15, 2023
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