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When It Was Worth Playing For: My Experiences Writing About the TV Show "Survivor"
"Mario Lanza is one of the most astute students of the show." -Survivor: Fiji contestant Yau-Man Chan
"I've read Mario's works for many years and consider him one of the foremost Survivor experts in the world." -Survivor: Amazon contestant Rob Cesternino
"I think Mario needs to get a life." -Survivor: Micronesia contestant/crazy person Kathy Sleckman
Mario Lanza has been one of the most popular Survivor columnists on the internet for more than fifteen years. His website that counts down the funniest moments in Survivor history, The Funny 115, to this day still has more than half a million readers. He is also the creator and one of the hosts of the popular long running podcast, The Survivor Historians.
In this unique (and often irreverent) set of memoirs, Mario talks about how he got roped into the world of writing about Survivor, and what it is like to live your life as a popular internet writer. He also delves into more than seventy different essays about the history of the show, with an emphasis on the players and the events that made up the first three seasons of the historic Survivor franchise. He also makes his case for who he thinks should be inducted into the "real" Survivor Hall of Fame.
No matter how much you think you know about the show, reading this book will make you into a smarter Survivor fan.
Including a foreword by Rob Cesternino.
"I've read Mario's works for many years and consider him one of the foremost Survivor experts in the world." -Survivor: Amazon contestant Rob Cesternino
"I think Mario needs to get a life." -Survivor: Micronesia contestant/crazy person Kathy Sleckman
Mario Lanza has been one of the most popular Survivor columnists on the internet for more than fifteen years. His website that counts down the funniest moments in Survivor history, The Funny 115, to this day still has more than half a million readers. He is also the creator and one of the hosts of the popular long running podcast, The Survivor Historians.
In this unique (and often irreverent) set of memoirs, Mario talks about how he got roped into the world of writing about Survivor, and what it is like to live your life as a popular internet writer. He also delves into more than seventy different essays about the history of the show, with an emphasis on the players and the events that made up the first three seasons of the historic Survivor franchise. He also makes his case for who he thinks should be inducted into the "real" Survivor Hall of Fame.
No matter how much you think you know about the show, reading this book will make you into a smarter Survivor fan.
Including a foreword by Rob Cesternino.
- GenresNonfiction
466 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2015
27 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 30, 2015
“[It] went from being a mainstream cool hip show to a show that is only followed by dorks… We would be fools if we thought of our Survivor fandom as anything but an embarrassing little niche hobby at this point.”
As a Survivor dork who definitely acknowledges her fandom as embarrassing, this was a great book. Those first three seasons back in 2000-2001 were such a big deal to me that it was embarrassing even back then, so getting some more insight from the hilarious Mario Lanza was fun. It gets a tad repetitive at points, as it’s sometimes more of a collection of essays than a cohesive book, so sometimes things get restated a few times, but overall it’s essential reading for the five other people who still admit they were/are into Survivor.
As a Survivor dork who definitely acknowledges her fandom as embarrassing, this was a great book. Those first three seasons back in 2000-2001 were such a big deal to me that it was embarrassing even back then, so getting some more insight from the hilarious Mario Lanza was fun. It gets a tad repetitive at points, as it’s sometimes more of a collection of essays than a cohesive book, so sometimes things get restated a few times, but overall it’s essential reading for the five other people who still admit they were/are into Survivor.
October 21, 2018
Pared down and juiced up with citations, this could have been a fun read. Lanza’s stories about Survivor dethroning Friends, the Stillman debacle, Ethan’s awesomeness, etc., are pretty fun. But this is a perfect example of the indulgences you expect from self publishing. Lots of words, not a lot of information. Hopefully he hires a professional editor for the sequels he’s threatening to write, because with a bit of tightening this could be a really fun series.
August 10, 2015
Our favorite opera singer does it again!
Fantastic must-read for any Survivor "superfan" Interesting insight on behind the scenes Survivor events. Also my dog's favorite chew toy.
Fantastic must-read for any Survivor "superfan" Interesting insight on behind the scenes Survivor events. Also my dog's favorite chew toy.
December 21, 2024
Important notes to mention before I dive into this review: I am a 32 year old lesbian and watched Survivor when it first aired, meaning the first time I sat down to season one I was only 8. Like many people, my family and I tuned in every week. I was obsessed with certain players, and so I eventually got a few seasons on DVD and rewatched them several times. I lost interest in Survivor when I went off to college (not having a TV for most of my life after 18 was a big contributor), but recently started watching again after my wife got into season 44. We went back and watched several of the old seasons together (1-3, Pearl Islands, All Stars, and HvV being the most memorable). YouTube breakdowns, recaps, and the existence of social media helped bring back my obsession, which has now led me here: having read this 450 page book on Survivor, written not by a producer or player, but by a super-fan. All that to say, I opened this book looking for more insights into content that is nearly 25 years old, and I have a solid foundational understanding of the show. I mean, sure I was only a child when it first aired, but do not underestimate the analysis of an 8 year old going through their gay awakening by watching Jerri Manthey endure the elements in the Australian Outback.
This brings me nicely to my first positive note about this book: the Jerri chapter. I don’t know if I could have enjoyed any part of this book if Lanza had written this chapter from the popular perspective in the 2000’s rather than the perspective that (I would argue) most people have of her today. I remember how deeply she was hated, by seemingly everyone. But I also had a massive crush on her - she was cute and outspoken, and aren’t those generally considered positive qualities? I distinctly remember being the only person in my family to not hate her. Everyone loved that bulky all-American cowboy Colby, and hated the person who seemed to get a lot of his attention. The reality is Jerri was not a villain, and was really done dirty by the editors. Being gay, though I didn’t know it at the time, definitely allowed me to be a Jerri fan before it was popular. I mean, the whole scene of Colby throwing water on her - how horrific to watch! As a woman, it is particularly sad for me to rewatch those moments because it highlights just how badly you could be treated by the general public for being hot, outspoken, and a woman. Jerri was also talented, and that was so underplayed in the season. She knew how to cook food the tribe actually wanted! She knew where to properly dispose of the dead fish! Seasons later, she was the only person to hit the target using a bow and arrow in that one challenge! There are a number of things I didn’t like about this book, but I think Lanza was spot on with not only giving Jerri her own chapter, but for also calling out her strengths and the misperceptions held by the public.
I also appreciate the (relatively few, but still notable) moments Lanza acknowledged the misogyny surrounding Survivor. On page 297 for instance, he writes “The venom directed at female villains over the years has just been completely disproportionate to the venom that the males get…This entire aspect of the Survivor fan base has always been embarrassing to me. Why do we always hate the women so much?” The answer to that is pretty simple actually, and it’s because the general American public hates women. This book review isn’t the place to go into detailed evidence proving that point, but it also isn’t hard to find even in 2024. Look at our laws, the ever present pay gap, and the amount of violent crime committed against women (just to name a few starting points).
On the other hand, Lanza has a lot of work to do as a writer when it comes to writing about gender in general. Now, I know this book was published back in 2015, and as a society there is a lot more public discourse about gender these days. I mention this because I would hope that if Lanza does actually write another book about Survivor one day, he would take these notes into consideration. Lanza mentions being resistant to edits in this first book, but he also seems very open to feedback from readers, so I think there’s a 50/50 chance what I’m about to write will sink in if it ever reaches him.
My biggest note in this area is simply that much of the language is outdated and offensive: so many references to women being “females”, multiple uses of the word “transsexual”, and the overall down playing of work done by women. On page 5 he says Gretchen Cordy is more than a “simple pre-school teacher”, a note made even more bizarre after learning his wife is also a teacher. The teaching profession is dominated by women, and is constantly undermined because of it. Pre school teachers have an incredible toolbox of skills because they work in an incredibly stressful environment- far from “simple.”
In reference to being hired as a writer with no experience, he admits that “it would be really easy to just steal their format” (257), meaning the recap format of the women-led website Television Without Pity. A website “run by a bunch of snarky females” (213) is how Lanza describes it. Although there is some bad blood between Lanza and this site/ the women running it, it is so bold and outlandish to straight up admit to stealing work from a group of women who have been successful in their field. He also calls someone “Ms Feminist Studies Professor” (77) when she tried to point out how women aren’t seen as equals on the show, based on season one. This is a valid point considering the culture we live in and the fact that, at the time, we had only seen season one. To some, these may seem like small notes but I know this type of language is off putting at best (offensive at worst) to many readers, especially women (myself included).
Despite the lack of awareness surrounding gendered language, I did find myself connecting to several of Lanza’s opinions and insights. Tina was an extremely clever player! The crocodile in the Australian Outback opening is definitely one of the best opening moments! Although I didn’t get as many new insightful tidbits as I was hoping for, I also found the writings about Survivor: Arabia (345) and the mystery behind the identity of the Tapewatcher (367) to be interesting. There were a few new-to-me facts sprinkled in this book.
As for the writing itself, this book really reads as an internet blog that has been printed out. There are so many self-serving, self-crediting, “I did/thought/liked this thing before anyone else” moments in this book, I found myself rolling my eyes often. His insights and predictions likely were very good most of the time, but I wouldn’t label his takes as “the best” or most revolutionary. I mean, he got good vibes from Silas (319), who years later turned out to be a rapist. Obviously, Lanza couldn’t have predicted that (although the only reason I know it is because my wife and I got bad vibes from watching him and went on YouTube in search of life updates), but I think it’s a good example of showing how one perspective simply cannot be taken as the be all end all. Lanza notices a lot, but he also misses a lot too.
The changing of the font to bold/italics/writing in all caps for emphasis was also annoying and shows a lack of skill. It feels like there are certain scenes Lanza isn’t able to describe in writing, and so he takes the lazy way out and simply tells readers to “go watch” them for themselves. For example, in chapter 60, we are told repeatedly that the scene of “Clarence and the chickens” is so “funny” and “good”, and yet the moment itself is never actually described. I am not reading a 450 page book for half of those pages to tell me “go watch the show.” It’s a strange writing move.
Of course, beyond the writing there are a few moments of opinions and insights where I think Lanza missed the mark, or didn’t get there fully. For example, in chapter 15 he gives Richard credit for being vulnerable, and a likable gay man to his tribe mates (which I agree with). What I found interesting was that Lanza doesn’t mention how, in addition to his likability, Richard was also a provider. He made fire! Caught fish! That unaired scene referenced in this chapter was likely unaired, in my opinion, because the general public didn’t like gay people all that much, even the “non stereotypically gay” (79) ones like Rich. I think only recently (maybe 2018 onwards) has the media created / showed positively centered gay figures on a mass scale. It just doesn’t seem feasible for CBS to air something like that back in 2000, and what they did show was already a bit risky. Lanza writes about how powerful the relationship between Rich and Rudy was at the time, and I agree that it was notable, but it was also problematic. If you go back and watch the season one finale, Rudy is actually quite rude and mean to Rich, despite Rich being so kind (even giving him a gift). This wasn’t a friendship, Rudy just tolerated a gay man, and that’s not exactly what I would call progressive.
There is so much more I feel like I could comment on about this book, but this review already feels unhinged so I’ll wrap it up. Another hot take by Lanza is that Colby had “dominated this game” better than anyone ever had or would (222). I simply don’t see how winning a million individual immunities is a better play than Richard’s strategy, or any of the other strategic plays made in the many seasons that came after.
Finally, I hate that Lanza calls Sue Hawk dumb, and insults her constantly. The person who wrote and seamlessly delivered the famous Snake vs Rat speech? Please, show some respect.
This brings me nicely to my first positive note about this book: the Jerri chapter. I don’t know if I could have enjoyed any part of this book if Lanza had written this chapter from the popular perspective in the 2000’s rather than the perspective that (I would argue) most people have of her today. I remember how deeply she was hated, by seemingly everyone. But I also had a massive crush on her - she was cute and outspoken, and aren’t those generally considered positive qualities? I distinctly remember being the only person in my family to not hate her. Everyone loved that bulky all-American cowboy Colby, and hated the person who seemed to get a lot of his attention. The reality is Jerri was not a villain, and was really done dirty by the editors. Being gay, though I didn’t know it at the time, definitely allowed me to be a Jerri fan before it was popular. I mean, the whole scene of Colby throwing water on her - how horrific to watch! As a woman, it is particularly sad for me to rewatch those moments because it highlights just how badly you could be treated by the general public for being hot, outspoken, and a woman. Jerri was also talented, and that was so underplayed in the season. She knew how to cook food the tribe actually wanted! She knew where to properly dispose of the dead fish! Seasons later, she was the only person to hit the target using a bow and arrow in that one challenge! There are a number of things I didn’t like about this book, but I think Lanza was spot on with not only giving Jerri her own chapter, but for also calling out her strengths and the misperceptions held by the public.
I also appreciate the (relatively few, but still notable) moments Lanza acknowledged the misogyny surrounding Survivor. On page 297 for instance, he writes “The venom directed at female villains over the years has just been completely disproportionate to the venom that the males get…This entire aspect of the Survivor fan base has always been embarrassing to me. Why do we always hate the women so much?” The answer to that is pretty simple actually, and it’s because the general American public hates women. This book review isn’t the place to go into detailed evidence proving that point, but it also isn’t hard to find even in 2024. Look at our laws, the ever present pay gap, and the amount of violent crime committed against women (just to name a few starting points).
On the other hand, Lanza has a lot of work to do as a writer when it comes to writing about gender in general. Now, I know this book was published back in 2015, and as a society there is a lot more public discourse about gender these days. I mention this because I would hope that if Lanza does actually write another book about Survivor one day, he would take these notes into consideration. Lanza mentions being resistant to edits in this first book, but he also seems very open to feedback from readers, so I think there’s a 50/50 chance what I’m about to write will sink in if it ever reaches him.
My biggest note in this area is simply that much of the language is outdated and offensive: so many references to women being “females”, multiple uses of the word “transsexual”, and the overall down playing of work done by women. On page 5 he says Gretchen Cordy is more than a “simple pre-school teacher”, a note made even more bizarre after learning his wife is also a teacher. The teaching profession is dominated by women, and is constantly undermined because of it. Pre school teachers have an incredible toolbox of skills because they work in an incredibly stressful environment- far from “simple.”
In reference to being hired as a writer with no experience, he admits that “it would be really easy to just steal their format” (257), meaning the recap format of the women-led website Television Without Pity. A website “run by a bunch of snarky females” (213) is how Lanza describes it. Although there is some bad blood between Lanza and this site/ the women running it, it is so bold and outlandish to straight up admit to stealing work from a group of women who have been successful in their field. He also calls someone “Ms Feminist Studies Professor” (77) when she tried to point out how women aren’t seen as equals on the show, based on season one. This is a valid point considering the culture we live in and the fact that, at the time, we had only seen season one. To some, these may seem like small notes but I know this type of language is off putting at best (offensive at worst) to many readers, especially women (myself included).
Despite the lack of awareness surrounding gendered language, I did find myself connecting to several of Lanza’s opinions and insights. Tina was an extremely clever player! The crocodile in the Australian Outback opening is definitely one of the best opening moments! Although I didn’t get as many new insightful tidbits as I was hoping for, I also found the writings about Survivor: Arabia (345) and the mystery behind the identity of the Tapewatcher (367) to be interesting. There were a few new-to-me facts sprinkled in this book.
As for the writing itself, this book really reads as an internet blog that has been printed out. There are so many self-serving, self-crediting, “I did/thought/liked this thing before anyone else” moments in this book, I found myself rolling my eyes often. His insights and predictions likely were very good most of the time, but I wouldn’t label his takes as “the best” or most revolutionary. I mean, he got good vibes from Silas (319), who years later turned out to be a rapist. Obviously, Lanza couldn’t have predicted that (although the only reason I know it is because my wife and I got bad vibes from watching him and went on YouTube in search of life updates), but I think it’s a good example of showing how one perspective simply cannot be taken as the be all end all. Lanza notices a lot, but he also misses a lot too.
The changing of the font to bold/italics/writing in all caps for emphasis was also annoying and shows a lack of skill. It feels like there are certain scenes Lanza isn’t able to describe in writing, and so he takes the lazy way out and simply tells readers to “go watch” them for themselves. For example, in chapter 60, we are told repeatedly that the scene of “Clarence and the chickens” is so “funny” and “good”, and yet the moment itself is never actually described. I am not reading a 450 page book for half of those pages to tell me “go watch the show.” It’s a strange writing move.
Of course, beyond the writing there are a few moments of opinions and insights where I think Lanza missed the mark, or didn’t get there fully. For example, in chapter 15 he gives Richard credit for being vulnerable, and a likable gay man to his tribe mates (which I agree with). What I found interesting was that Lanza doesn’t mention how, in addition to his likability, Richard was also a provider. He made fire! Caught fish! That unaired scene referenced in this chapter was likely unaired, in my opinion, because the general public didn’t like gay people all that much, even the “non stereotypically gay” (79) ones like Rich. I think only recently (maybe 2018 onwards) has the media created / showed positively centered gay figures on a mass scale. It just doesn’t seem feasible for CBS to air something like that back in 2000, and what they did show was already a bit risky. Lanza writes about how powerful the relationship between Rich and Rudy was at the time, and I agree that it was notable, but it was also problematic. If you go back and watch the season one finale, Rudy is actually quite rude and mean to Rich, despite Rich being so kind (even giving him a gift). This wasn’t a friendship, Rudy just tolerated a gay man, and that’s not exactly what I would call progressive.
There is so much more I feel like I could comment on about this book, but this review already feels unhinged so I’ll wrap it up. Another hot take by Lanza is that Colby had “dominated this game” better than anyone ever had or would (222). I simply don’t see how winning a million individual immunities is a better play than Richard’s strategy, or any of the other strategic plays made in the many seasons that came after.
Finally, I hate that Lanza calls Sue Hawk dumb, and insults her constantly. The person who wrote and seamlessly delivered the famous Snake vs Rat speech? Please, show some respect.
September 8, 2015
Excellent in depth analysis on the life of a Survivor fan in the early years. Fantastic trivia on Survivor from behind the scenes.
August 25, 2018
When the first season of Survivor premiered in the summer of 2000, I was 15 years old...the perfect age to be caught up hook, line, and sinker in the spectacle and character drama of the first competition reality TV show. I watched the first few seasons with rapt attention, then my interest (like that of many) faded away. I had absolutely no idea that an entire book could be published about one man's writings about those first three seasons, but that is just what Mario Lanza manages to pull off here in this remarkable tome for fans of those early seasons!
Survivor was truly a television event like no other, and as previously mentioned hit right in the sweet spot of my pop culture nostalgia. As such, this book brought back a lot of great memories for me. It had been a long time since I had recalled watching seasons 1-3, and so many of the iconic moments were described in Lanza's exciting style. The book also delves into some deep analysis of those seasons, much deeper than anything 15-year old me was thinking while watching live, that is for sure! As such, it was interesting to read about all the things I missed since I was not digging into Internet forums or analyzing every speck of every scene.
I will say, however, that Lanza's writing style here may not exactly be for everybody. It is very much in-your-face and upbeat, and he has absolutely no qualms or pulls no punches on either the positive or negative side of the spectrum. His style is perfect for getting clicks and garnering eyeballs on the web forums and sites he populated in the early 2000s. In physical book form? It can, at times, get a little exhausting to read straight through.
Overall, though, I can't drop "When It Was Worth Playing For" down even a single star, because the topic was something that excited me so much and was so on-the-nose for what people were feeling during those early Survivor campaigns. It's encouraging to me (and inspiring, to be completely honest) that a book like this can get published at all, what with the niche topic that largely transpired 15+ years ago. A lot of this credit has to go to Lanza, and I appreciate that doggedness.
In short: you won't find a better look at the beginnings of the Survivor phenomenon than this. Great memories, great information, and just a fun read from beginning to end.
Survivor was truly a television event like no other, and as previously mentioned hit right in the sweet spot of my pop culture nostalgia. As such, this book brought back a lot of great memories for me. It had been a long time since I had recalled watching seasons 1-3, and so many of the iconic moments were described in Lanza's exciting style. The book also delves into some deep analysis of those seasons, much deeper than anything 15-year old me was thinking while watching live, that is for sure! As such, it was interesting to read about all the things I missed since I was not digging into Internet forums or analyzing every speck of every scene.
I will say, however, that Lanza's writing style here may not exactly be for everybody. It is very much in-your-face and upbeat, and he has absolutely no qualms or pulls no punches on either the positive or negative side of the spectrum. His style is perfect for getting clicks and garnering eyeballs on the web forums and sites he populated in the early 2000s. In physical book form? It can, at times, get a little exhausting to read straight through.
Overall, though, I can't drop "When It Was Worth Playing For" down even a single star, because the topic was something that excited me so much and was so on-the-nose for what people were feeling during those early Survivor campaigns. It's encouraging to me (and inspiring, to be completely honest) that a book like this can get published at all, what with the niche topic that largely transpired 15+ years ago. A lot of this credit has to go to Lanza, and I appreciate that doggedness.
In short: you won't find a better look at the beginnings of the Survivor phenomenon than this. Great memories, great information, and just a fun read from beginning to end.
October 16, 2023
Mario is without a doubt the greatest Survivor writer there is. This book is filled with an abundance of knowledge that any survivor fan worth their salt should be desperate to know, and the depth of detail really takes you to a place in time so that it feels as though you are watching along with the rest of the planet when these seasons first aired in 2000-2002.
This book is well worth the purchase for any fan too young to know what a phenomenon Survivor was in the year 2000, any recent convert that would love some historical context to the reason the show has become an institution with no signs of stopping over 2 decades in, or any day one fan nostalgic for the days where the game was new and exciting in its most basic form.
5 stars out of 5
This book is well worth the purchase for any fan too young to know what a phenomenon Survivor was in the year 2000, any recent convert that would love some historical context to the reason the show has become an institution with no signs of stopping over 2 decades in, or any day one fan nostalgic for the days where the game was new and exciting in its most basic form.
5 stars out of 5
October 14, 2019
As a long-time Survivor fan, as well as a big fan of the Survivor Historians podcast, I was stoked to read this book. It contains a ton of fun, useful info and insights — but not 400+ pages’ worth.
That said, I’m looking forward to the next installment, and (no offense to “the temp”), I really hope Mario enlists the trained eye of a professional editor to tighten it up into a lean, mean sequel. (Hit me up, Mario! It’s what I do.)
That said, I’m looking forward to the next installment, and (no offense to “the temp”), I really hope Mario enlists the trained eye of a professional editor to tighten it up into a lean, mean sequel. (Hit me up, Mario! It’s what I do.)
December 2, 2021
If you like old Survivor (the first 3 seasons) then you will like this book, otherwise it's not worth your time to read.
The author talks about his thoughts and opinions a ton in this book, so if you like his writing or his way of thinking you will like this book.
The author talks about his thoughts and opinions a ton in this book, so if you like his writing or his way of thinking you will like this book.
October 12, 2021
It is admittedly difficult to not be biased towards one of my favorite podcasters, but When it Was Worth Playing For was an enjoyable, time passing read
November 18, 2021
I loved this book so much I think I finished it in a week. Really interesting read for Survivor fans as it almost mirrors the Survivor book written by Mark Burnett, only from a fan perspective. This book goes through the first 3 seasons and parts of season 4, but there are little nuggets for any Survivor fan to pick up on. There are some stories in this book that are also mentioned on Survivor Historians, there are also different stories which make for a different experience. I loved it and I would love even more books like this from Mario Lanza. (fingers crossed)
July 6, 2015
I am a huge Survivor fan and will read pretty much anything having to do with the show, the contestants......Jeff Probst. If you are looking for insider information, you won't find it here. There is some interesting perspective on the early days of the Survivor internet-fan community, but not enough content featuring interviews or even first-hand accounts of communication with the contestants.
April 12, 2016
Awesome book! From a fan who wasn't around to watch the early seasons, it's nice to get some proper insight into the game and the events around it, alongside the parallel tale of Marios rise as a survivor author! Waiting for the sequel Mr Lanza! You've worked hard, and played hard, so now work hard again! :P
January 14, 2016
As a full time Survivor nerd who has lived the show from day one I enjoyed this book so much. Shout out to RHAP, where I heard Mario and found out about the book. It will be essential reading for my 9 year old granddaughter who I am grooming to one day bring home the title of Sole Survivor!
February 22, 2016
What a great read whether you are a fan of the TV show Survivor or whether you are interested in the impact reality TV had in the early 2000s. Survivor was such a huge phenomenon in the early 2000s and it's great to have someone document just how important this show was to TV at that time.
February 5, 2016
4.5 Essential reading for fans of the Survivor game, and great to hear some appreciation for the 'old school' seasons. The section on Africa is especially interesting.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews