You Must See Parvati Shallow on 'Survivor: Australia V The World'

Shallow's busy year means that, at least in America, many are not realizing that that Shallow is playing possibly the best game of her Survivor life right now across the globe on Survivor: Australia v The World.

It takes a bit of know how and sleuthing to watch the over seas show, but Survivor fans and Parvati devotees: you have no excuse. You simply must watch this piece of television.

Warning: The following article has light spoilers from the first six episodes of Survivor: Australia V The World.

The whole season so far is reality TV perfection, but, for fans of Survivor, Shallow's performance is unmatched. As she said in a recent episode, Shallow "invented the flirtation strategy," and nearly 20 years after first going on the show on Survivor: Cook Islands, she still has it and more. The players she's up against in this season — both fellow American contestants, Australian survivors, and a few from other international franchises — all know of Shallow and her "black widow" ways, but she's still somehow able to woo them.

Many longtime fans of the show have been dismayed by recent seasons of American Survivor. The game used to focus on the brutality of social strategy and the raw experience of surviving in the elements. Now, the American version of the show is much more heartwarming and the constants, who used to come from a vast array of backgrounds, are all united by their status as "super fans." With the American show's uplifting ethos and the contestants' encyclopedic knowledge, it's become mired by its own self awareness and obvious desire to portray the contestants as lovable people on a journey of self discovery and improvement.

Survivor: Australia V The World, made by a different production team and network, and involving OG's of the American game's brutal era, is literally a world away from its American counterpart's drudgery. The contestants here are fully in the game; they are there not to live out their super fan dream, but to compete, conquer and win. Watching them do so with such joy and intensity is a reminder of why so many longtime fans found themselves enthralled by the show to begin with. Through these superstar humans, viewers are able to imagine how they too navigate the complex and often heartless reality of social politics.

As always, Shallow is a masterclass at navigating the topsy turvy game, displaying a rare know how and humor in how she performs the necessary acts of lying, sleuthing and backstabbing. And seeing her do so with her former cast mate from Survivor: Micronesia, Cirie Fields, is deeply satisfying and the perfect bookend to nearly two decades of reality TV lore.

Interestingly, Shallow reflected on her relationship with Fields in her 2024 interview with PAPER, before she even filmed this international season of Australian Survivor. Shallow shared, "Cirie has this ability to be perceived as a non-threat. She's really warm and motherly and people gravitate towards her. She's super cunning and strategic, but people tend to overlook that because she makes them feel held, included and loved." Later, she added this comparison between herself and Fields: "I think Cirie is more of a covert threat, and I'm more of an overt threat. People see me, and they're like, 'Gotta watch out for her. Don't trust her.'"

Only time will tell whether the two Survivor icons' differing personas will help or hinder them in the game. But for now, Survivor fans, Parvati girls: please, watch this show.

Photos via Getty/Instagram