Survivor Maryland All-Stars has been fantastic ever since the beginning, and the partner twist definitely set the stage for a truly great season.
Coming into returnee seasons in Survivor, pretty much everyone knows each other. This sets up pre-game alliances, which are legal, but often frowned upon by fans. Since they all obviously go to the same college, this could have been an even larger issue for Survivor Maryland, but the fan-made show was able to find a way to shake up the pre-gaming strategies.
The season began with the 20 contestants split into tribes based on gender. After this, the partner twist was introduced. The women were given the information on who their partner was; it was up to them to alert their partner. The last pair standing would receive a sufficient advantage in the game.
The earlier you achieve the twist, the better the advantage. Winning it at the Final Nine Tribal Council or earlier gives you and your partner two rounds of immunity. The rewards get incrementally smaller up until the Final Six Tribal Council, which is an advantage in the next Immunity Challenge.
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The high stakes meant that the twist was going to play a major role in the game. As you would expect, everyone was then attempting to find out all of the other pairs. Others would try to pretend to have different partners, creating a web of lies. Because of the high reward, being in a pair as the numbers start to dwindle is risky. If your partner is taken out, then you may no longer be on the chopping block.
This twist would be perfect for a returnee season of actual Survivor. It is not a twist that ruins the game in any way, it simply changes and shifts the strategy. The partner twist is able to alter those polarizing pregame alliances.
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I would highly recommend beginning to watch this season of Survivor Maryland if you have not already. Not only is the partner twist great, but everyone is playing so hard, and without the motivation of a cash prize like you see on television.