5 Interesting Things From Survivor Game Changers Episode 1

It was quite an eventful night on Wednesday. Here are the biggest things that caught our eye in Survivor Game Changers Episode 1, “The Stakes Have Been Raised.”

In a season filled with dynamic players who know how to outwit, outplay, and outlast others, Survivor Game Changers proved its namesake after Episode 1. As Andrea put it bluntly, “the stakes have been raised” this season, with plenty of players making alliances, earning friends, and placing targets on others at a rapid pace.

On the other side of the coin, those who make the first move are often responded to in quick succession, as players have been more reactive than active. Everyone wants to hide away in the shadows, as it will take the right move at the right time in order to propel your game further beyond the merge.

There was a lot of information to unpack in 85 minutes of non-stop action. After repeat viewings, here are some interesting things you may not have noticed while watching Survivor Game Changers Episode 1, “The Stakes Have Been Raised.”

The Legacy Advantage Offers Hidden Bonuses

In pre-season interviews, Jeff Probst noted that the reason he removed the re-vote in Survivor Game Changers was to disincentivize vote-splitting by giving an immediate consequence for that risk. He remarked that smart players in minority alliances could very well use this maneuver to force a rock draw and use the element of luck to possibly even out the odds with the hope someone from the majority goes home.

How does this relate to the Legacy Advantage? As Sierra read off the note, it says that the immunity advantage must be used at either thirteen players left or six players left. If she gets voted out before she can use it, she can will it to a player on any tribe. This gives her a very tall leg up on the competition in a number of ways.

First, it tells her exactly when the merge will happen, as it wouldn’t make sense that she could have a power of immunity and not be able to use it. She can use this information to create partnerships with whoever’s on her current tribe with 14 players left and try to get out a huge strategic or athletic threat should her tribe fail the immunity challenge right before the merge.

Second, she can use this as the ultimate trump card, should she be considered a possible vote-out. She hasn’t given off that impression yet, but if she does, she can proclaim the legacy advantage’s existence and threaten to give it to the other tribe if she’s voted out. That may paint a huge target on her back for the second half, but at the least, it would let her show she came to change the game and make a compelling argument that she wasn’t riding coattails should she make the final tribal council.

There are plenty of ways to play off this Legacy Advantage that isn’t written on parchment.