Survivor has always prided itself on giving each season its own feel, theme or narrative idea, and David vs. Goliath’s Tribal Council set fits the bill.
One of the biggest challenges facing Survivor production has to be surrounding making each season look different. It’s a hard task when the tribes start out on the same beaches and islands season after season, use the same areas for challenges and even dig up old clues or fake idols from past seasons. Besides logo insignias, Tribal Council remains paramount in bringing a season’s theme home.
As presented in The Hollywood Reporter, the new Tribal Council setting fits David vs. Goliath perfectly by marrying Fijian tokens with gladiatorial from other cultures, such as the Mayans or even Polynesians. The result; a gathering place that feels more like a confrontational arena than a place where a tribe can air out their grievances.
As previously mentioned in a discussion about this season’s new idol nullifier advantage, there are practical purposes for building Tribal Council the way they did. The multi-layered structure of stone and pathways blocked off from the other players allow those with the idol nullifier to bring it up to the booth, play it on a person, leave it in the voting urn alongside their vote and return none the wiser.
Besides that function, there are also tinges of Greek theater in the implementation of this Tribal Council. All of the stones in the main area circle inward towards the fire (which, as we know, represents life), reflecting that of a theater-in-the-round style. Paired with stone benches and columns behind the stone seats, it looks like an ancient theater geared for both combat and a war of words.
As it’s a THR feature, you should check out all the Survivor: David vs. Goliath Tribal Council pictures over there. The season will premiere on Wednesday, September 26 from 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. ET. Not too long now!