The Snake: A New Reality Survival Show

FOX

Well, Fox decided to remind us that reality isn’t just about TikTok cats and endless remakes of old sitcoms. Dropping on screens June 10, The Snake looks like a mashup of Survivor, The Mole, and your most toxic office team-building exercise. And you know what? I’m already here for the trainwreck.

The Rules of the Game: Save or Lose

Fifteen contestants, all masters of persuasion: lawyers, headhunters, pastors (yes, even them), content creators, and other folks whose job it is to earn trust and talk their way out of any situation. The prize is $100,000, but to get it, you don’t just have to outwit everyone else—you have to make them… save you.

Here’s the twist: there’s no classic "who to vote off" here. Instead, each round is a Saving Ceremony, where players take turns deciding who to keep. The last person left unsaved gets eliminated. Genius? Cruel? Yesssss. Essentially, it’s like a game of hot potato, but instead of a potato, it’s human fates, and instead of kids, it’s professional manipulators.

Plus, there’s the title of The Snake—the most influential player of the week, who controls the ceremony. So, if you win a challenge, you’re not just safe—you decide who else is safe. The rest can just squirm nervously.

Social Experiment or Just Good TV?

If Survivor showed us that people would do anything for immunity (including eating bugs and allying with those they couldn’t stand), The Snake banks on pure psychology. You don’t need to dig holes or build fires here—just talk, persuade, and strategically throw "friends" under the bus at the right time.

The show promises everything: alliances, betrayals, romantic storylines (which, of course, will turn out to be tactical moves), and possibly even a couple of genuine emotional breakdowns. Because when money’s on the line and the rules allow you to formally betray no one (just… not save them), moral boundaries blur instantly.

Jim Jefferies: The Perfect Host for This Circus

The Australian satirist, who has long proven he can joke about everything from politics to his personal life, will now comment on a pastor flirting with an HR manager to survive. His quote about "pretending to be friends" is already practically the show’s anthem.

Jefferies isn’t one of those hosts who just reads rules with a stone face. He’ll definitely add scathing remarks, and I hope the producers give him enough freedom to improvise. Because watching people squirm is fun, but watching Jim dissect them is twice as good.

Nostalgia for the Good Old Days

Remember the first seasons of Survivor? When strategy was just emerging, and contestants didn’t know all the clichés yet, so they acted like normal (well, almost) people? The Snake could offer that same effect. While there are no pre-set moves, while everyone is playing "by feel"—that’s the most interesting part.

Of course, after a couple of seasons, there will be learned tactics, fans will argue on forums about who violated the "spirit of the game," and contestants will come in with pre-planned strategies. But the first season is pure chaos magic. And as a fan of the genre, I’m genuinely looking forward to it.

Is It Worth Watching?

If you like social experiments where the cunningest wins, not the strongest—this is your pick. If you love Big Brother but want less shower drama and more strategy—even better.

And if you just want to watch an HR manager try to outmaneuver a lawyer, and a pastor suddenly turn out to be the most unscrupulous player… Well, welcome to The Snake. Premieres June 10 on Fox (the day after it airs on TV, it drops on Hulu).