This is 100% what survivor bias sounds like.
Every party is what you make of it. Every job. Every business. Every interaction.
Except, you know, when this other thing is overhyped and one hopes getting there helps and it turns out... it's not any different than anything else?
Absolutely. Except, YC is designed to maximize your odds of "surviving"
It really is like college/university. You can skip class every day and no one cares. You can also attend every class, leverage every resource, and work really hard to be successful.
YC absolutely does not guarantee success (speaking from experience. my YC company failed). It absolutely increases your chances of success, particularly if (or perhaps only if) you don't have a strong professional network and/or network of advisors.