By now I’m sure you’ve read the news that came out yesterday, Jeff Probst would love if Survivor stayed on the beaches of Fiji for eternity. That’s the spot they’ve laid anchor on since season 33 and will remain at least until season 36. As it sounds, the show will be on those lands for even longer than that because it sounds like Probst and the crew have found a spot that they really like.

It’s been reported that the place that Probst and the production team stay in has been reserved for most of 2018 and early 2019. That would mean that common logic dictates the crew plans on spending at least season 37 and 38 in the same Fiji waters. That would mean an unprecedented six straight seasons in the same location. That sounds a lot like the permanent location Jeff seems to be wanting.

Plus, make no mistake. While Mark Burnett’s name is still associated with Survivor and he still has a say, this has long become Jeff Probst’s baby. He is the executive producer and he makes a lot of the calls. If he’s saying he would like Survivor to remain in a permanent spot, and that spot is Fiji, it should have some weight. Don’t take it as gospel yet but those words out of Jeff’s mouth definitely isn’t just hot air.

There are some obvious benefits to staying in one place instead of changing locations. The crew has established trust with the Fijian workforce as well as those allowing the team to film on their land. They have gotten to know the beaches and surrounding area really well, making it easier to set-up where they want to film from. Staying in one place allows the crew to have some kind of familiarity and comfort that may otherwise be stripped every time they travel out to a new location.

In terms of esthetics, Fiji is unquestionably beautiful. The water is almost sky-blue and crystal clear. The beaches are mostly sandy and clean, with very little debris or pollution getting in the way. There is ample forestry behind the beaches where idols can be hidden and secret conversations can be had. The weather has been mostly cooperative and doesn’t get too cold or too hot for the crew. As a Survivor location, Fiji is about as perfect as can be.

Cost-wise, staying in Fiji also proves to be a lot cheaper. They can build permanent sets and not have to worry about moving everything to a new spot every two seasons. They don’t have to broker deals with governments to film on new land. By staying put, they save a lot of money which in the long run, may keep the show on longer than it would be otherwise.

Looking at all that, there is a lot of logic in making Fiji THE Survivor location. I can totally understand why Jeff would want it that way. It doesn’t mean that I agree with it.

I’m a Survivor purist in a lot of ways. That doesn’t mean I don’t accept changes they make to the show, changes are necessary to keep it fresh. Still, to me Survivor’s core concept has always involved a new location where players are going to encounter climates or environments they’ve never seen on the show before.

Besides, some of the greatest moments in the show’s history have been directly tied into its location. The most obvious example that comes to my mind is in Survivor: Africa and involves its winner, Ethan Zohn. I have said it a million times and I will say it many times more, Ethan is one of my idols and this moment and its eventual long-term outcome is a perfect example why. And no, I am not Survivor: Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers contestant Mike Zahalsky.

Having won a reward, Ethan and fellow contestant Lex Van de Berghe got to bring two goats to an African village where they would barter them for money. They could use that money in the village to buy food and things to bring back to their tribemates. After some negotiations, they sell their goats, buy some food, and get some things for the tribe.

That’s all well and good but the moment that changes Ethan forever is when he meets some of the village’s kids. He plays hackey sack with them, as well as soccer off-camera, and when he leaves, he gives them his hackey sack. On his way back to camp, he speaks on the powerful experience he just had with those kids.

The smiles on their [the kids’] faces were amazing. I think I made their day. It’s hard to describe in words everything that was going on in my head. It was an experience I’ll never forget. As a life experience, it was a day I’ll never ever forget for the rest of my life.

As we know, Ethan went on to win the season and become the third sole Survivor. After the show had wrapped, that moment stuck in his mind and it motivated him to help create the Grassroot Soccer charity that focuses on providing school material and education to African children. His experience in that African village was directly the cause to the creation of a charity that exists to this day and changes kids’ lives on a routine basis. All of that because Survivor happened to be in Africa that season.

Think about Peih Gee Law getting to experience Survivor: China and feeling more connected to her past than she had ever felt before. Especially because her grandfather had just passed, a grandfather who had lived in China and would have been amazed to know that Peih Gee was getting to go through this experience. That had to be a powerful experience for her, stepping into the temple to start the game and it’s never going to happen to anybody again if they stay in Fiji.

There are so many more examples I could point to. Matty Whitmore having life epiphanies while watching Gabonese elephants in the wild. The cast of Survivor: Guatemala making a trek through a massive jungle, fighting to get the chance to set up camp at a legitimate Mayan pyramid. Coach breaking records in a kayak on the Amazonian rivers and escaping the ass-eating Pygmies… wait that wasn’t what Survivor: the Amazon was about?

But I digress, all of those amazing moments happened because of the location these Survivors were in. These can’t be re-created through manipulation or by forcing the issue, they just happened because of the synergy between the players and their new location. Without that, we get to watch the same beach host the same players, season after season. And eventually, it’s going to get stale.

Take into account the season themes for a minute. For the last few seasons, these have been derided as unnecessary and a little ridiculous. Very few people care about Millennials vs Gen X or Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers and simply want a good cast playing Survivor. Consider that themes have only recently become necessary because the show stopped changing locations. It used to be Survivor: the Australian Outback or Survivor: Vanuatu. They can’t use that formula nowadays because it would be Survivor: Fiji 5 and Survivor: Fiji 6 and we would start sounding like an installment for the Fast and the Furious movie franchise.

If by miracle, anybody even remotely associated with Survivor happens to read these words, I beg of you, reconsider this permanent location idea. I understand it might save some costs and give the crew some comfort. Is that worth sacrificing some naturally beautiful moments that we may never see again? If the name of the game is making the most entertaining television product possible, a new location needs to be part of that equation. Think back to the show’s roots for a second and start traveling some more. Us fans would all appreciate it.