Friends vs. Survivor: Africa

The battle over one of the hottest prime time slots on Thursday night began last week when Survivor: Africa aired against the sitcom Friends. Survivor ranked as the second most watched show that week with 23.8 million viewers, trailing slightly behind Friends' 29.2 million viewers. Last season’s Survivor: The Australian Outback consistently beat Friends in the coveted prime time slot ratings. For those that couldn’t resist seeing Ross react to the news that Rachel is pregnant with his baby, CBS will re-run the season opener of Survivor in the near future.

Faithful Friends viewers tuned in last week to see Ross find out that he is the father of Rachel’s baby. The much-publicized three-part opener earned an average of 30.3 million viewers, the strongest ratings since the season opener of 1995. CBS’ Survivor pits 16 contestants against each other to compete for a prize of $1 million. Over 39 days, members of the Samburu and Boran tribes will vie to be the last Survivor.

The pitting of reality TV versus the half-hour sitcom can be a problem for fans with a desire to watch both shows. Maybe they could combine the two into Friends Survive in New York on their actual salaries. Place six beautiful people in two luxurious apartments and give them only their actual salaries on which to live, making them pay actual New York rents in addition to all other living expenses. The crossover would be obvious in several areas...the eating of large amounts of rice, dramatic weight loss, and bickering over the cherries and the can of beans. Just a thought as to how to let Friends and Survivor fans watch their shows simultaneously.