Survivor fan pitches exemption necklace twist that sounds amazing

One fan’s idea to make Survivor more dramatic, strategic and gameplay-fluid is the Exemption Necklace; an item that replaces the Immunity Necklace.

What Jeff Probst has made clear to everyone in the press he talks to is that he loves to make Survivor a game with twists to keep players on their toes. The man’s getting closer to becoming a sexagenarian by the day, but every dynamic play, idol used or Secret Advantage un-secreted fuels his life force and keeps him going as if he were a man in his late-30s.

Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers saw a record number of idols and advantages played across its 15 Tribal Councils, resulting in less than half being a traditional vote with no monkey wrenches thrown into play. One way to make gameplay more dynamic without throwing all the advantages into play comes in a brand-new twist made by a Survivor fan, with the approval of the idea given by a former winner.

JustJaking on Reddit offered up the proposal of the Exemption Necklace entering the game of Survivor, possibly in a season twist. The way it works is that it replaces the Immunity Necklace while guaranteeing safety at Tribal Council. However, the winner of the necklace cannot vote at Tribal Council, but can also assign the necklace to somebody else, and they must accept it.

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This is the perfect twist for Survivor for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, it means that the person winning exemption is put into the position of power, forcing them to make a public choice. That will allow a player on the bottom to work their social game to form new alliances, create a voting block or simply stay in the game for another week. Not only does it have short-term effects of staying safe for another round, but the way it can take down partnerships gives long-term effects to tribal dynamics.

Furthermore, with the inclusion of Hidden Immunity Idols, the assignment of the exemption necklace becomes even more complicated. If a minority alliance of four versus seven has an exemption necklace, splitting votes becomes a complicated guessing game that could be negated by an idol and exemption play, blocking seven split votes and splitting three votes from the minority across two players. Think about the 3D chess-level moves that can be made by this necklace!

There are a ton of different examples that make the Exemption Necklace an interesting twist in Survivor, including making it a theme for a season and seeing if it sticks. Adam Klein, superfan and winner of Millennials vs. Gen X, thinks it’s a “really cool idea,” too, and is certainly in agreement that it’s worth looking at.

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Some of the best Tribal Council moments come in the small moments where players make a rousing speech, while other great Tribal Council moments happen when a player uses two idols on their friends or gives their Immunity Necklace away and gets voted out immediately. The Exemption Necklace idea sounds dynamic, strategic and rousing of drama for people who don’t want to be forced exemption, mixing personality and gameplay for a perfect idea.