Survivor 50 was put into the hands of the fans. Unbeknownst to us, that group also included celebrity fans, including pop star Billie Eilish, whose introduction into the game could play a huge factor in who ends up as the Sole Survivor.
Through two episodes, two players have found the Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol, and its rules have the chance to completely shake the game up.
How does the Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol work?
The two players who found the idol, Genevieve Mushaluk and Christian Hubicki, had to send the immunity idol to someone on a different tribe. If that person is voted out without playing the idol, it is returned to the person who sent it to them. If it is played before the person is voted out, then it acts like a regular idol.
The other catch is that the person who received the idol cannot give it to anyone else, and they can't play it for anyone else. That poses some interesting decisions for the idol holder, the idol sender, and anyone aligned with the idol sender.
How the Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol could swing Survivor 50
The idol receivers, Ozzy Lusth and Aubry Bracco, are unaware of the boomerang effect and essentially have a regular idol. Any fan of Survivor knows how that has worked out for Ozzy in the past, so he could have even more of an itchy trigger to play it. With that being said, they both now have power that very few people in the game currently have.
Now, Genevieve and Christian could use this to work with Ozzy and Aubry if and when they end up on a tribe together. It is a huge show of faith to give someone an idol, even without any prior teamwork. They could, however, use it to put a target on their backs. If others catch wind of Ozzy and Aubry having idols, they could easily be the next target for their respective tribes. Not only would they be eliminating a threat, but they would also be getting their idol back.
For those aligned with Genevieve and Christian, they have essentially the same decision to make as them. However, they could potentially align with Ozzy and/or Aubry and flip on their original alliance member, gaining more power in the game by making a big move and eliminating another threat. This is where Genevieve and Christian played this differently, albeit not necessarily by choice.
Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick was with Genevieve when she found the idol, so it forced her to reveal the idol to her alliance. Christian, on the other hand, was alone when he found the idol and chose not to tell anyone before sending it to Aubry.
For Genevieve, this makes the path of voting Ozzy out easier because there is a much better chance that someone from her alliance ends up with Ozzy during a tribe swap. It also makes the chance of one of those people flipping on her higher. It's the exact opposite for Christian. He would likely have to be the one who lands with Aubry in a tribe swap, but he is much safer from anyone else using the knowledge of the idol against him.
I think this is an excellent addition to what should already be an amazing strategic season of Survivor. If this is what the fans are bringing to the game, then I'm all for the public being involved in decision-making.
Stay tuned for more news about Survivor 50!