If you know me on a surface level, then you know that Survivor (yes, that show is still on) is my favorite show. If you know me on a deeper level, then you know I’m a complete nerd about it. I started watching in spring 2005, and it’s been one of the few constants in my life since. Over the last five years, I’ve gotten more involved with the community. I played in two online games during the pandemic, attended a few watch parties, played online trivia contests, and even played in a fan made game in 2022. Premiere day is one of my favorite days of the year and season 48’s premiere day is no exception. In fact, this is the most excited I’ve been for premiere day since season 41.
Over 700 people have been contestants on the U.S. version of Survivor, but the upcoming season features a first: for the first time, a person who stutters will be on the show!
Stuttering on Survivor and What It Means for Representation
Mitch Guerra will be one of 18 people battling it out on the Fijian beaches for the million-dollar prize. As a 20-year super fan of the show, to say I’m excited to see someone who talks like me on my screen is an understatement. Before we get into my fears and dreams for Mitch’s edit, let me give you a general synopsis of Survivor.
Survivor is a 26-day social strategy game played on the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji. 18 contestants are divided into 3 teams of 6, called Tribes, and compete in an immunity challenge every 2 days. The losing tribe goes to Tribal Council, where they vote out one of their own. At a certain point, the tribes merge into one, where they compete in immunity challenges for safety at Tribal Council. On day 26, the final 3 pitch their case to the jury (the 8 most recently voted-out players) about why they should win the million-dollar prize and the title of Sole Survivor. To get the opportunity to pitch their case, the final 3 must successfully navigate around allies trying to betray them, advantages found in the game, paranoia, starvation, sleep deprivation, losing their vote at Tribal Council, and more.
Knowing the current meta of Survivor, the stereotypes surrounding stuttering, and the lack of knowledge about stuttering, I fear Mitch could be taken out early. One of my fears is him being viewed as a threat because he has a good story. His fellow contestants could think that he “overcame” so much to play this game and, as a result, could win this game based simply on that. Another fear I have for Mitch is that people may view his stuttering as negative, that a moment of stuttering implies lying or being deceitful. That could certainly harm you in a game built on lying and deception. When I played in my fanmade game, I immediately disclosed to my Tribemates that I’m a person who stutters. I wanted my Tribemates to know that my stuttering moments were because of how I talked and not because I was lying. On the flip side, stuttering could be an asset to Mitch. When I disclosed, I also told people I was more than happy to talk about it. This led to people pulling me aside to ask me questions about stuttering and those conversations helped me form alliances with my fellow Tribemates. I believe every time we openly stutter, we are being vulnerable with our audience. This vulnerability could lead to players trusting him and wanting to work with him deep into the game.
As far as his edit goes, I hope Mitch mentions his stutter in his first confessional and that’s it. I hope his stutter is just one part of his story instead of his entire story. As the game progresses, I hope his stutter fades into the background and Mitch’s role takes center stage. I want to see Mitch be the strategic mastermind, the puzzle guy, the glue guy, the final boss, or the challenge beast. I want the audience to see that you can stutter and play a key role on any team.
Regardless of how Mitch does, being on Survivor is a massive victory for the stuttering community. My hope is that his appearance on the show continues the process of normalizing stuttering, that one day, stuttering is seen the same way as needing glasses or using a walker. I also hope his appearance opens more doors for those who stutter to appear on reality TV shows. It shows the world that people who stutter can do anything.
And for the record, I have ZERO desire to be on Survivor.
Season 48 of Survivor premiers on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 8:00 PM EST on CBS.
About the Author
James is a brother, son, friend, and person who stutters from the New Orleans area. He is the author of Dear World, I Stutter: A Series of Open Letters from a Person Who Stutters. His work has been published by numerous outlets and organizations. He’s also presented at numerous universities and conferences. Outside of stuttering advocacy, he enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with loved ones, and consuming way too much Survivor-related content.
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