The first two episodes of Survivor 51 have collectively been the best opening sequence to a newbie season in a long time. The fanbase is in almost universal agreement. Most are pointing to the structural changes (return to two tribes, way less complicated advantages, etc), but a key part of what’s working almost certainly is the cast. There was clearly a change in casting philosophy ahead of 51, and I need to talk about why it has led to what we’re seeing.During the New Era, Jeff Probst gave several interviews in which he talked about wanting to cast all players who he felt like could win the game. I’m not sure the show ever totally followed through on that, but over the last five years or so, it mostly followed through on that. Each season was overwhelmingly filled with superfans, gamebots and really strategic thinkers. That led to some fun showdowns between high level players trying to shift voting blocks and do some creative things, especially post-merge, but it also almost entirely removed dumb, loud chaos and nonsensical moves from the game.Two episodes into 51, however, it’s very clear that not everyone on the island has an encyclopedic knowledge of Survivor, nor are they interested in playing the way that many superfans have decided is best. This season, we’ve got players blurting out who is on the chopping block in casual conversations at Tribal. We’ve got players openly telling the person they’re going to vote for that they’re voting for them. We’ve got castaways saying they’re going to rely on others for strategy because they’re not experts in the game. We’ve got yelling during challenges, reckless behavior at camp and a player who tried to vote for himself, only to find out that’s illegal.I thought the New Era had its moments, but the reason why it was so frustrating wasn’t just because every season started with three tribes and had so many structural similarities. It was because so many of the castaways viewed the game through a similar lens. Build a four person alliance on my original six person tribe. Win immunity challenges against the disaster tribe. Coast to the merge. Engineer one blindside to put on my resume. Figure out who the biggest threats are at the final six or seven and systematically work to eliminate them in order of threat level. It all just became so precise, like we were watching a high level Scrabble tournament.The best Survivor seasons of all-time are not the ones filled with the highest numbers of technically good players. Even Heroes vs Villains, the best all-star season by a mile and maybe the best season ever, is so good because the players are fantastic television personalities who take big, reckless swings. They’re not playing optimally. One player gives his idol away to someone he’s never met based on a hunch. Another player hides the machete. Another burns someone’s hat. Another explains in graphic detail why wearing feathers in your hair at tribal is a bad idea. It’s a mess, and that’s why it’s great.We’re a little early to be saying Survivor 51 is going to go down as an all-time season, but through two episodes, it’s very clear the producers made some great behind the scenes decisions. Many of those are what everyone else has been pointing out: the tribe sizes, the marooning, the reduced complexity. All of those are definitely playing a role, but we also need to shout out the casting process. This season is giving us a range of castaways who aren’t all lifelong superfans desperate to go on Survivor. We have some of those, but we also have just some real human beings who are playing with emotions and intuition, and it’s making all the difference.