There are long running reality TV shows, and then there’s Survivor. The CBS megahit has been running since 2000, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Survivor 45 has included extended episodes, which allowed fans to see more of camp life, and also seemingly let the editors utilize some unique choices. While we were previously treated to Survivor’s first flash forward, the most recent episode included a truly bonkers montage, set to a Top Gun track. And host/showrunner Jeff Probst recently explained how it all came about.
The 45th season of Survivor saw the return of the auction, as well as the full theme song. But there’s also plenty of brand new concepts, including the montage that we saw set to Kenny Loggins’ “Playing with the Boys”, which famously played during Top Gun’s volleyball scene (not to be confused with Maverick’s shirtless football scene). This montage occurred when the men of the tribe were left to their own devices as the women had a girl’s night at the Sanctuary. Probst explained how this sequence came together on the latest episode of the On Fire podcast, offering:
They saw an opportunity for a great compare and contrast. You have this really beautiful civilized girls night, they’re drinking sangria and the Sanctuary is gorgeous. And then you've got boys night where they literally are talking about farting. I mean, it's a quintessential boys night. But the key to this on the boys night was the first clever idea that Bill and Ryan had, which is: Let's put it through Drew's point of view. Now you're in the social experiment part of the show. Drew's not used to being a bro, so he's trying to figure out how to do that.
One has to assume that this type of hilarious clip wouldn’t have come to be without the show’s longer episodes. But since Survivor is going to keep 90-minute episodes moving forward, perhaps we’ll see more unconventional editing techniques moving forward. One can only hope, because the Top Gun farting montage was really something to watch.
While “Playing with the Boys” seems like the perfect choice to underscore the men of Survivor 45 bro-ing out, it turns out that other songs were tossed around during the editing process. Later in the same podcast, Jeff Probst spoke about the changes that happened begins the scenes, offering:
They were debating heavy metal or cheesy 80s music. I think originally they cut it to heavy metal and they showed it to [executive producer] Matt Van Wagenen… and Matt said, ‘You know what? I think it's a little more cheesy 80s.’
Most reality TV shows aren’t as popular as Survivor, and that might be because of the way the CBS series is constantly reinventing itself. Each season comes with new twists and rules, which makes for a fascinating viewing experience for the generations of fans out there. That includes some new, bonkers editing for Season 45.
Survivor airs Wednesdays on CBS, and can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
