It wasn’t Jeff or the mentors who came up with the secret booth to spy on each Tribal Council. Instead, it was Survivor superfan and talk show host Jimmy Fallon.
Every season of Survivor seems to bring on more and more twists. It’s true that as fans, we enjoy picking on the flaws of some of these twists, but when you think of it, it’s amazing how creative production has been over the years. From Idol Nullifiers and other cool advantages to spectacular new challenge ideas and out of the box themes for each season, producers always find a way to come up with something new.
However, there’s one thing production can’t quite claim as their own invention. Jimmy Fallon has been a lifelong Survivor fan and obsesses over thinking about new twists and ideas. He’s continuously emailing Jeff Probst all of his crazy concepts, hoping for a positive response back. Jeff even attributed the Second Chance theme to Jimmy.
Josh Wigler from the Hollywood Reporter got the chance to uncover one of Jimmy’s ideas that actually became reality. He proposed the concept of a hidden spy shack where one player from another tribe can secretly watch the events unfold at Tribal Council. There have been twists in the past that have allowed members from another tribe to watch on, but they never watched on in secret. As a result, the castaways knew they had to be careful with what they talked about.
Jeff Probst thought this idea over, and when they were working on the mentor twist, everything fit into place. Thanks to Jimmy Fallon, Boston Rob and Sandra get to enjoy every single Tribal Council from their hidden spy booth!
Although we only have the premiere to base it on, so far it’s been an interesting twist as we get to hear the two legends share their opinions of each player. It’s really the first time in Survivor history where we get to hear a third party assess the events live. I’m excited to see how this Jimmy Fallon inspired twist continues to develop, and if the mentors will use some of the knowledge they gain at Tribal Council to their advantage.