Survivor: Should production bring back the Advantage Menu?

One of the new twists of Survivor: Edge of Extinction was the Advantage Menu that Ron Clark found on Day 1. Is this twist worth another try?

Having players re-enter the game by means of the Edge of Extinction wasn’t the only new twist on the latest Survivor season. Production is starting to love advantages that offer multiple choices, and the Advantage Menu fits the script. During the marooning on Day 1, Ron picked up a secret advantage envelope.

After deciphering the clue, Ron became the first castaway to discover the Advantage Menu. It offered three options: an extra vote, Individual Immunity, and the chance to steal a reward. Ron could order any one of the three, but only within the first three Tribal Councils.

It turned out that Joe was on his tribe to win all of the challenges, so Ron never had to worry about the first two options. Instead of using the menu to steal a reward, Ron let it expire, which may have been his best option. He found more use for it as a ploy to reassure Devens. That strategy backfired, but you get the point, Ron’s advantage went unused.

It’s true that this is the first Advantage Menu, but Game Changers introduced a similar twist. After being exiled following a tribe swap, Debbie Wanner was rewarded with an Advantage Option. The difference with Debbie was that she had to select her advantage right away with Cochran as her coach, while Ron could order the option he wanted when the situation arose.

What worked?

I like how this advantage isn’t one that will have a significant impact on the game. It’s a pre-swap toy that can be helpful if someone’s vulnerable. The decision the owner makes also helps us to understand what type of player they are, which isn’t easy to figure out early on in the edit.

What didn’t work?

At some point, you got to question, what really is the point of this advantage? It feels like production is trying to get too cute, tampering with the flow of the game. These small twists tend to detract from what’s really important including the social game and a balanced edit.

The verdict:

There’s nothing terribly wrong with the Advantage Menu other than being another advantage in a twist-filled game. It’s an interesting concept so I wouldn’t be upset if it returned, but I can’t see it adding substantial value to a season.