Hartley Jafine

The show Survivor.

It celebrates its 50th season.

It's a program where millions of people watch strangers outwit, outplay, outlast.

And we're here with one super fan who loved it so much,

He now teaches a university course on the show.

So let's ask, how did this show change television?

And maybe us.

I'm here with health sciences professor at McMaster University, Hartley Jaffein.

Hartley, what a pleasure it is having you here.

Thank you so much for having me, David.

So we were young kids when that first fateful season of Survivor dropped.

What do you remember of it?

Season one, Survivor, I don't know, year 2000?

year 2000 in my childhood living room watching, I was channel surfing as we did back then and suddenly across my screen I came across the very first immunity challenge where the two teams, the two tribes were competing to win and that got me hooked right away watching these two teams kind of fight like

going through water, lighting these torches, and suddenly one of the players trips and falls and basically makes her trip and completely biff the challenge.

And you were hooked from just seeing that?

And then what really got me into it was then they went back and the losing tribe basically had to say, okay, who will be voting out tonight?

And for me, sitting there going, oh, it's obvious.

It's Sonya.

She fell.