The biggest problem current Survivor has...

is the tension, misalignment and disconnect between the "game" and the "players". I've felt this for a few seasons now and S38 solidified it for me.

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The problem is, Jeff and co. want to make the "game" more exciting using idols, twists, advantages, etc. BUT the "players" are still playing old school Survivor, in that the social game is still the most important, and jury members still vote for who they like the best. Sure, one can argue that some big moves factor into who wins, but a person who had big moves but was very unlikable still won't win. I personally think that all Survivor winners are deserving winners, and they all did something right to win the million dollars, and all of them made enough people like them enough to win.

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BUT the airtime favors big moves that may be satisfying in the moment, sacrificing the social dynamics that are actually driving the game. That's why Ben's, Mike's, and what could have been a Deven's win are so unsatisfying. These people get to the end because of a combination of idols and challenge wins, but where's the social and strategic gameplay? I can believe that they were good at these too, BUT we didn't even see much of their social and strategic gameplay because the show focused too much on the idols and whatever shenanigans were happening.

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So to me, the stories of the 30 and above seasons have been wonky at best--either we get a male winner who won using twists and advantages without much social game, or we have winners who are overshadowed or at least rivaled by another person who had a bigger, bolder edit (like Michelle and Wendell). Either way, the focus is not on what makes these winners win. And that's why we haven't had a fully satisfying winner in a long while.