In 2016, fans saw Adam Klein win Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, which is widely regarded as one of the reality show's best seasons ever. After prevailing the first time he played, Klein returned for Survivor: Winners at War and became one of that season's most memorable players. On top of finding success on reality TV, Klein has repeatedly proven that he is a true reality show fan with an almost encyclopedic level of knowledge.
Thanks to his experiences and current knowledge, it was fascinating when Klein was interviewed by Surviving Tribal about Jeff Probst's show in October 2025. During that conversation, Klein had a lot to say, including when he defended his reality show audition coaching business and explained why Angelina Keeley is a threat to win Survivor 50. On top of that, Klein explained during the same interview why he believed a controversial punishment Probst imposes on players "doesn't matter at all."
Why Adam Klein thinks Survivor's flint punishment is meaningless
Since Survivor's so-called "new era" began, many of the show's biggest fans have complained about the fact that many seasons have featured a disaster tribe. After seeing several tribes go on a spree of losing challenges, some viewers have advocated against a specific punishment that has been a consistent presence throughout Survivor's "new era."
During the early stages of "new era" Survivor seasons, whichever tribe came in last place during immunity challenges has had their flint taken away by Jeff Probst. After noticing that many "new era" tribes who lose the first challenge go on to continue flopping during subsequent challenges, many fans have grown to believe that the flint punishment has caused their downfalls. However, when Adam Klein spoke to Surviving Tribal, he explained why he feels that the flint punishment isn't nearly as impactful as many viewers think.
“Flint being taken away, it doesn't matter, doesn't matter at all because the number of times we had to relight the fire after we got it going, one, two [times] in 39 days. It doesn't need that much as long as there's still embers, and there will be embers by the time you come back from a challenge, unless it's like absolutely pouring rain. Even if there's a little bit of drizzle there's still a layer underneath that's really hot embers, right, and so you should be able to get a fire going again without flint so long as you have had one already.”
In response to those comments, Klein was asked about the "new era" tribes who have immediately gone on a losing streak since they wouldn't have been able to start a fire that they could keep going. In response, Klein spoke about why, even in those instances, he feels that the flint punishment isn't as impactful as many fans think. As Klein explained, fire isn't as necessary during the "new era" because current players are told that they don't need to boil the water before drinking it. Additionally, Klein pointed out that fire isn't as necessary to eat since current players aren't provided with rice.
"I do think that the flint is less important in new era Survivor because people at the beginning of Millennials vs. Gen X, we were boiling the water to drink it… You used to think that you needed to boil the water and, obviously, you needed to cook rice in order to be able to eat the rice that was provided. It's nice at night to have the warmth right from a fire, but they're not boiling the water, they're drinking it straight out of the well now, and they are not cooking rice. So, what's really the need for fire besides comfort?"
Even as someone who has argued that losing their flint could be a domino that leads to the creation of Survivor's disaster tribe, I have to admit that Klein's arguments make a lot of sense. That is exactly why listening to a highly knowledgeable Survivor veteran like Klein can be such a revealing and informative thing for fans of the reality show.