Vote Advantages in Survivor; are they here to stay?

The extra vote was a unique twist first introduced in Survivor: Worlds Apart. It seems like a massive advantage, but it is rarely successful when used.

In the auction of Survivor: Worlds Apart, a new type of advantage entered the game. The infamous Dan Foley purchased the first-ever extra vote in the history of the game. While plans are always developed to counter Hidden Immunity Idols, no one was supposed to be ready for the unpredictable extra vote.

The extra vote meant that the numbers could be changed in a way never seen before. Dan Foley held a brand new power in the game of Survivor. This did not stop his fellow tribe members from growing curious, with Tyler Fredrickson finding the advantage in the bag belonging to Dan.

Dan would use his advantage at Final Seven, using both of his votes on Carolyn. The use of the atypical advantage scared Mama C., resulting in an idol play. This negated five votes against her, sending Dan packing. The advantage backfired epically, with Dan not even needing the advantage in the first place to be in the majority. The extra vote was essentially why Dan went home.

The curse of the extra vote continued with Stephen Fischbach in Cambodia. The goal was to split the votes on Joe Anglim and Abi-Maria. Stephen could not account for Spencer flipping on his alliance, nullifying the advantage. Stephen would be the victim of the flip, with the extra voter failing tragically once again.

The beloved Tai Trang would be next in Survivor: Kaoh Rong. Tai went against the wishes of his alliances and tried to vote eventual winner Michele Fitzgerald out with both of his votes. No one else would follow his lead, the rest of his alliance voting for Kyle Jason. Tai was not sent packing like Dan and Stephen, but the advantage was unsuccessful once again.

Survivor: Game Changers saw Debbie Wanner receive an extra vote thanks to Cochran and the not-so-exile island. She would use the advantage to vote out Ozzy, but once again the advantage was not necessary to achieve the goal. While the advantage protected the alliance from one member flipping, at the end of the day the extra vote did not have an impact on the results at Tribal Council.

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The same season featured a more powerful version of the extra vote; the vote steal. At a very confusing Tribal Council, Sarah Lacina would steal a vote from Tai. She would vote for Michaela twice, sending her home in a 4-2-1 vote. This seemed like the first time the advantage was truly successful, but once again it would not have directly changed the result. The two votes were for Tai, so Tai obviously does not vote for himself, and Michaela still goes home. However, this play seemed very justified with all of the uncertainty at tribal.

Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers saw Laura Rimmer receive the extra vote. She had to forfeit a vote to gain an extra one down the road. The loose lips of the castaways caused the advantage to become common knowledge, increase her threat level exponentially. After a Tribal Council full of mayhem, everyone would eventually vote for Ben. Ben would play his idol, sending Lauren home with one sole vote. Lauren was the obvious target for Ben because of her extra vote. Her failure may have been the greatest of them all, with her half-idol thrown into the fire as well, which could have countered the idol play from Ben.

The extra vote has been used in five of the last six seasons but has seen a minimal positive impact on the user. The real purpose of the extra vote is for great television moments, with more advantages needed for more viewers.

Next: Survivor Winners: Ranking All 34 Sole Survivors By Season

Is the extra vote worth staying in Survivor? Probably not; it does not pay off. Will the extra vote stay in Survivor? It almost certainly will, keeping the audience entertained with as many variables as possible.