Survivor: David vs. Goliath will continue Final Four fire-making twist

It may not ever be worth winning the Final Four Immunity Challenge ever again now that the fire-making twist will be in Survivor: David vs. Goliath and more.

I don’t like the idea of forcing players to make fire at the Final Four in Survivor. It was a terrible idea in Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers due to just how much it changes the dynamic of the game, as you can now idol your way to the end and still have a shot at making fire and earning a spot at the Final Tribal Council. It allowed Wendell to look like a hero by earning his spot into the finals, whereas he would never have been allowed by Dom, Angela and Laurel were it not for the twist.

Unfortunately, you would have thought Jeff Probst and production would have gotten rid of it after seeing the backlash back in December, but according to an interview with Entertainment Weekly, that’s not the case. In a discussion primarily focusing on Jeff Probst’s reactions to the tie and the season at large, he was asked about if the Final Four fire-making challenge will be in future seasons like Survivor: David vs. Goliath.

Here’s what host Jeff Probst had to say about it:

"It’s here to stay. We do have back ups in case of bad weather, but this is a tiebreaker that we feel is appropriate. It works on a thematic level — “fire represents your life” — and it also speaks to the community element of the game. Fire is the single most important thing at camp. Everybody has the same opportunity to try and make fire. And furthermore, if you don’t ever contribute to trying to make fire, are you really doing your part? Shouldn’t everybody know how to make fire? So until we think of a better and equally fair tie-breaker, this is it."

While I agree with the idea of everyone should being able to make fire (hell, it’s the first thing you should learn how to do when cast for the show), it’s been rebuked in the fact that both times it’s been played, people who couldn’t make fire as well were taken to the Final Three.

It guarantees a player the opportunity to take a goat with them to the end while making the other player have a shot at unearned heroics. Furthermore, there was a “better and equally fair” thing to do at the Final Four; vote out the player you don’t want to see make it to the end. If it goes to a 2-2 tie, then make fire; that’s completely fair. You can also win the Final Immunity Challenge.

Next: Survivor Winners: Ranking All 35 Sole Survivors By Season

What isn’t fair is that someone can use three, four, five, however many idols until the Final Four and sneak into the Final Three without playing into the social dynamics of the game. Survivor is continuously billed as a game of social politics, but this move will make David vs. Goliath and future seasons more like tributes to twists, advantages and trinkets than tribal politics.

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