At its core, Survivor is a game of, well...survival. Players compete physically and socially with the goal of lasting until the very end and earning enough good favor to win them a $1 million prize.
But fans will tell you it's so much more than that. The reason Survivor has been successful for more than twenty years—nearly 50 seasons—is because no two seasons are alike. A huge part of that is due to the castaways and how they play, but the foundation of each season relies on the production team and the unexpected obstacles awaiting us on the island.
We've seen some really phenomenal Survivor twists over the years
From major season themes like Blood vs. Water, Redemption Island, and Edge of Extinction to more sneaky gameplay moments like the first hidden immunity idol, extra votes advantages, and safety without power, the team behind our favorite show always finds a way to keep us on our toes.
With the introduction of the new era, castaways and viewers were surprised with an entire new format: fewer days, less food, smaller tribes, more advantages, more disadvantages. Since season 41 we've gotten a few new twists here and there—mostly different takes on hidden idols and journeys—but overall, with no themed seasons, overall gameplay has felt fairly similar across the last few years.
As Jeff Probst and the Survivor team continue to tease the upcoming fiftieth celebratory season, also known as Survivor 50, we're hoping we might get something very big that will once again turn the game on its head.
We shared three twist ideas (plus a few more from Survivor fans on Reddit) that we would love to see in future seasons of Survivor.
The Ally Advantage
Similar to the legacy advantage, this is set to be found early in the game, but rather than willing it to someone only if you're eliminated, it must exchange hands after every tribal council (whether the person in possession attends or not) cannot go back to the person who last had it. The advantage would immediately create both alliances and targets, especially having to be passed amongst a minimum of three players.
Season of Legends
In a revamped version of Survivor: Island of the Idols (season 39), a full cast of new players are each secretly assigned a legendary returning player to mentor them. Castaways won't know who is mentoring who and with occasional mentor shakeups, eventually the players won't even know if they can trust the person supposedly guiding them.
100% Blind Auction
Survivor auction, but all items up for bid are noted in sealed scrolls. Players bid on whatever they want and can afford, without knowing anything they're buying until after the auction is over. Everyone is then separated to discover what they've won (anyone without a winning bid will return to camp) which could be anything from the standard food items to hygiene to advantages. The only way your tribemates know what you got is if you tell them (and they believe you...).
(Probst, I'm free if you wanna chat more about these!)
Fans have been dreaming up ways Survivor can once again shake things up:
Commentu/Two-Words007survivorCommentu/IjustwishIhadaboatsurvivorCommentu/LilfireworksurvivorCommentu/SteamAndRebellionsurvivorCommentu/AugustSchroedersurvivorCommentu/bobbob6291survivorDo you think Survivor 48 will introduce any game-changing new advantages, rewards, challenges, or other surprises? We can't wait to find out during the two-hour season premiere this Wednesday, Feb. 26th on CBS and Paramount+.