Even though the name Edge of Extinction feels more geared to a twist as opposed to a theme, the Tribal Council set creates a uniquely haunting Survivor environment.
Over the past few seasons, production has concentrated on differentiating the appearances of Tribal Council. This task has become more necessary since Survivor: Edge of Extinction is the sixth straight season set in Fiji. The effort put into making the Tribal Council this season helped to create one of the most unique appearances in the show’s history.
We got our first look at the set when Jeff Probst gave ET Canada a behind-the-scenes tour. The first thing that strikes us is the massive shipwreck that serves as a backsplash to the Tribal Council area. It does a good job of combining the spookiness of Ghost Island and the epicness of David vs. Goliath’s Tribal Council set. Edge of Extinction also does a terrific job with the little details.
This setting is reminiscent of the pirate-themed seasons including Pearl Islands and Cook Islands. In fact, the Tribal Council in Cook Islands actually took place inside of a massive shipwrecked boat. So you definitely feel the similarities in terms of the set with Edge Of Extinction. Let’s hope that the gameplay will be just as entertaining as those two other Elite seasons.
While the earlier seasons of Survivor focused on building epic sets that look spectacular from a bird’s-eye view, this new season is filled with little props that surround the area. As Jeff mentioned in his Tribal Council tour, it’s awesome that there’s a story behind the set. Scattered across Tribal Council are several items that realistically look like they come from that ship. Even the benches that the castaways will sit on are replaced by stylized boxes.
Even though the buzz around Edge of Extinction feels more geared to the Redemption Island-style twist than an actual theme, the atmosphere developed by this Tribal Council brings the season to life. Let’s hope that the creativity behind this beautiful backdrop will be rewarded by entertaining Tribal Councils.