Survivor SA: Island of Secrets introduces a cool new advantage!

The producers behind the latest South African Survivor season came up with a neat advantage that should be used more often.

An exciting element of international versions of Survivor is seeing what unique twists and advantages they have up their sleeves. Besides idols, Extra Votes and Vote Steals that we see often in US Survivor, international iterations like to add in some of their own flavor. Survivor SA (South Africa): Island of Secrets, created a new advantage called a Vote Nullifier.

After a castaway was sent to the titular Island of Secrets, they came across this interesting tool. A Vote Nullifier can do exactly what its name implies: prevent a player from casting a vote. When the host says it’s time to vote, the holder of the advantage will stand up and play the Vote Nullifier for the person they want to block.

It’s a simple idea but it’s powerful enough to make a huge impact when there isn’t a lot of people at a Tribal Council. When you think of it, this advantage is basically a scaled-down version of a Vote Steal. Both require the power to prevent a castaway from voting, and they both have to be played before the players put pen to parchment.

The big difference between these two tools is that a Vote Nullifier causes a one-vote swing, while the Vote Steal allows for a huge two-vote swing. I like the idea of having an advantage that isn’t too powerful and is the opposite of an Extra Vote. Plus, nullifying someone’s vote is bound to cause more excitement than simply having an extra piece of parchment.

I’m quite surprised that we haven’t seen this advantage in US Survivor more often. In Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, production did plant a Vote Blocker, which works in a similar way except it was only eligible for one Tribal Council. Jessica Johnston found the Vote Blocker but had to will it someone else since her tribe won Immunity. It ended up preventing Devon Pinto from voting, however, it didn’t impact the final result and this advantage became quickly forgotten.

So although the Vote Nullifier isn’t an entirely new idea, Survivor SA handled it in a much better way than in Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers. First of all, it was implemented at a more meaningful point in the game, when there were only a few castaways left. Imagine how epic it would be for someone’s vote to get nullified and completely shake up a Final Seven or Final Six Tribal Council.

Survivor SA also gave this advantage a proper lifespan instead of being forced to use it in one night. The Vote Nullifier may not be an earthshaking idea, but it’s a simple and practical advantage that could easily create memorable moments if it gets the attention it deserves.