Survivor: 7 reasons why Edge of Extinction twist is an institutional failure

Someone who plays 14 days of Survivor and wins doesn’t truly play Survivor

Chris Underwood played the best game of anyone at the Final Tribal Council. With the exception of Reem, he spent the most time on the Edge of Extinction getting to know the jury, and that social bond that unites their struggle together means he becomes a huge threat. Not nearly as big of a threat as Rick Devens at the time, but someone you want to get rid of as the second biggest threat.

Chris Underwood played the cards that were dealt to him as well as anybody else could. However, playing 12 days out of 39 total en route to becoming the Sole Survivor of Edge of Extinction is akin to being handed a straight flush and being congratulated for not folding your hand.

Chris never had to play the true game of Survivor. He spent the first six days in a majority alliance voting out the weak then, for the second time in as many rounds, tried to loop Wardog in a plan to blindside Wardog’s closest ally, Wentworth, despite being told by David and Rick not to do so. His desire to please everyone was what got him voted out.

He never had to make a tough strategic decision. Living on meager supplies and worse living conditions with no chance of comfort reward is tough, and is more “outlast” than anything the show has done before, but Chris has never had to pull off a blindside that made the jury bitter. Unlike Gavin and Julie, he wasn’t responsible for close to a dozen people losing a million dollars.

He’s never been in the “know” of a vote that wasn’t decided by idols, as his and Rick’s votes for Victoria at Final Six and Lauren at the Final Five came after two idol plays in each round. The toughest decision he had to make was to decide whether or not to keep Keith around because he promised to be loyal to him; an empty platitude considering he would have been voted out and Chris would still be right behind him as the third boot.

The Edge of Extinction returnee did not outwit anybody, he outplayed people only because of the unfair levels of advantages given to him through Day 35 and outlasted 10 members of the jury but was originally voted out in 16th place on the eighth day out of thirty-nine.

Chris Underwood was awarded the title of Sole Survivor, but the way he won makes him less deserving than everyone else who held that title before him. The Edge of Extinction twist might be the most unfair twist the game has ever seen, and it makes Survivor a worse product because of it.