I, too, enjoy Survivor. I don't care for the NCIS type shows and most sitcoms now are just trashy. We watch a lot of Discovery or Natl Geo programs but I do enjoy Shark Tank and Survivor. I'm sure a lot goes on behind the scenes but it is better than a lot of the alternatives that are on. You do get hooked after watching a few episodes.
I agree that there is a lot of time that passes from the time they have final tribal to the live final. I'm sure it is months.