We all knew a big twist was coming in Survivor 47 episode 5! The show teased a twist was coming multiple times in the lead-up to the new episode on Wednesday, Oct. 16. At this point, it's safe to say the Sanctuary twist was a success so far!
In the episode, the Gata, Lavo, and Tuku tribes arrive at the reward challenge to compete for a reward. Probst broke the news that there would be a twist. Instead of three tribes competing, the players would draw rocks to separate into two tribes. The winners would move on to the Survivor Social at the Sanctuary for hot dogs and drinks. They would get to interact with the other players from the other tribes to get a leg up in the game.
Well, Jeff Probst just revealed on the new episode of the On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast some of the ideas behind the Survivor Social twist. Probst also told cohosts Jay Wolff and Charlie Davis why it was important to mix up the tribes for a reward challenge and then allow the winners to have a Happy Hour before returning to their tribes.
"The idea is a temporary switch -- key on temporary -- for the reward challenge only," Probst said. "So, really, it is a chance to go mingle with the opposition. And, the question you're posing is what will each player do with this opportunity? Because, as Charlie can speak to, you can enhance or injure your game with every single decision you make."
I love this twist. I think allowing the players to interact pre-merge and get to know each other is the perfect way to give the show a little shot of drama right before the merge. It's similar to the Journeys, right? Like, the more the players know, the more information they have to use to their advantage. It might be a disadvantage for some players, but it could also be the beginning of something really awesome. When the game is only 26 days, the more chances to build connection, the better!
"Survivor cornhole was always part of the idea," Probst continued. "We always tried to imagine it as Survivor's version of a 'Happy Hour' with hot dogs and beer."
And, why did they settle on "Survivor Social?"
"And, about the name, 'Survivor Social' was the working title," Probst said. "It was the sort of placeholder, and we started an email chain with 5 or 10 of us, and we were like, 'throw out everything we can think of.' And, we couldn't find anything better."
I don't love the name, but I did like the idea that there is some type of place on the beach where the players can go to chill out, relax, and grab a bite to eat. It definitely ramps up the drama, for sure.
So, in the episode, seven players won and went on to the Sanctuary. From Tuku, Tiyana Hallums, Caroline Vidmar, Kyle Ostwald, and Sue Smey went to the Sanctuary, along with Sam Phalen and Rachel LaMont from Gata. From Lavo, Teeny Chirichillo was the only player to go.
As you saw, the players got to eat, play some games, and most importantly, gossip. Tiyana spills some stuff about Gabe, who freaks out later. It's glorious. It's exactly what we all want out of Survivor. Now, we have a little rivalry between Tiyana and Gabe to watch until one of them gets the upper hand.
Probst also shared why that was so important to make the Sanctuary an actual physical location in Survivor 47 and where they go from here.
"I don't know if we have the full vision, but I can tell you where it organically was birthed," Probst said. "The Sanctuary came up during the new era when we had to reduce our shoot days, and that meant we were going to have to combine or eliminate some things. One of the things we used to is we would have the rewards at different spots to have some variety. Some spots would be really cool, really nice. Other spots, you might get rained on, and it always varied, but it takes a lot of crew resources to set up those rewards. And, with the shorter shooting schedule, we didn't have the time. So, Zach Jensen said, 'Why don't we have all the rewards at one spot?' Brilliant producing idea. Once he said it, I had a really clear vision of what it could be: the ultimate reward destination."
Well, there you have it! That is how the Survivor Social and Sanctuary came to be. I think it also means that this is not the only time we'll be seeing the players hang out at the Sanctuary. Perhaps, that's where they will be spending the rest of the rewards, especially later in the game when more food is introduced and players have to choose the others who they bring on the rewards.
Will we see some more meltdowns like Liz Wilcox did in Survivor 46 after she was left out of the Applebee's reward? We'll just have to wait and see!