Worst twists in Survivor history

Worst Twists in Survivor History – Number 13: Idol Nullifier

• First Appearance: David vs Goliath (Season 37, 2018)

The Hidden Immunity Idol is supposed to guarantee a player safety should they play it correctly at tribal council. That’s the reward of finding the idol – It keeps your game alive.

Well, Survivor decided that that shouldn’t be enough for contestants. David vs Goliath introduced a new twist – the Idol Nullifier – that would now have players worrying about an added element to their game should they find an idol – Would it even matter if they played it correctly?

Whoever had the nullifier had to specify who they were playing it on at tribal council, which does make it trickier. If that person they chose did indeed play an idol, the nullifier would make it useless and any votes cast for that individual would indeed count.

Survivor isn’t a fair game, but finding a Hidden Immunity Idol is supposed to ensure a player’s safety at whatever tribal council they play it at. Finding idols is no easy feat, so if a player finds out and is able to play it correctly, they should be rewarded by remaining in the game.

The nullifier has been used twice – once in David vs Goliath when Carl Boudreaux played it successfully on Dan Rengering and again in Island of the Idols when Dean Kowalski successfully played it on Janet Corbin.

It’s an unfair twist that takes what’s supposed to be one player’s guaranteed safety and turning it potentially into a game ending decision.

If a player finds an idol, they should be safe (assuming they play it correctly) no matter what.