If you thought the Beware Advantage was tough for Survivor players, just wait until Survivor 50 when the "Super Beware Advantage" is introduced.
That's mostly a joke, but it's possible that Jeff Probst could be swayed to up the ante even more in the next Survivor season that will feature returning players.
On the latest episode of On Fire with Jeff Probst, Probst and cohosts Jay Wolff and Charlie Davis were discussing what the Beware Advantage means for Survivor after watching Sue Smey try to cover up the bomb of red paint that she spilled all over the jungle in Survivor 47 episode 4.
Then, Wolff joked that, maybe, in the future they need to be more clear about the advantage and call it a "Super Beware," which seemed to amuse Probst.
"If you see anything that says 'Super Beware Advantage,' probably don't take it," Wolff said.
"Oh, Survivor 50, the Super Beware," Jeff replied. "It's just such a dumb name that it's really catchy. 'Well, I just found the Super Beware Advantage. This is not like the Beware Advantage. This is the Super Beware Advantage.' We might have that. The Super Beware is really funny."
If there is a Super Beware Advantage in Survivor 50, this is where the kernal of an idea was planted in the mind of Probst.
Probst also explained why he likes the Beware Advantage
Before things went a little off the rails imagining a Super Beware Advantage and how it could impact Survivor 50, Probst had a very thoughtful explanation about the Beware Advantage. He also explained why it's the player's decision to play or not to play when they find a Beware Advantage.
Wolff asked Probst how far they can go with the Beware Advantage before it's too much.
"Well, it's definitely not a science," Probst said. "The Beware Advantage was something that came to me when we were forming the new era, and I was very clear. I knew exactly what I thought it should be, which is big, bold lettering in red, ironically, that says, 'Hey, before you commit to this, read this.'
"And, so the wording is very clear. If you take it, it's yours. If you don't want it, then put it back. And, so, that implied agreement where the player has a decision to make gives us a lot of latitude. You don't have to take it. No one told you to, and I really like that aspect of it. What you're aiming for is a level of danger that makes the outcome truly uncertain, so much so that the player knows there's a risk."
That's so interesting! I definitely appreciate the perspective from Probst about the Beware Advantage and what it means for future seasons of the series. The producers are definitely raising the stakes. I don't think we've seen anything as impressive as the bucket of paint that Sue spilled in the jungle on this season. Rome Cooney and Gabe Ortis also took chances with Beware Advantages, but the tribes knew what they were doing. I think Sue got caught red-handed, literally, and we've yet to see the fallout from her big risk.
Did it pay off? Getting an idol is always a big moment in Survivor, but we've yet to see someone play an idol the right way in a long time. Will Sue be the first? Only time will tell.
Remember, we also saw Andy Rueda turn down the opportunity to use a Beware Advantage. It hasn't hurt his game yet, but it could, right? Allowing time for Sam to get an idol has obviously firmly put Andy on bottom of the Gata tribe. It might not matter, though.
For me, I have a complicated relationship with the Beware Advantage. I miss the old days of Survivor when one could simply find an idol on a walk in the jungle. It's always been harder than that, but I would argue the idol-hunting, the Beware Advantages, and all the little twists are taking away from the game more than adding something.
I would much rather the Beware Advantage become a thing of the past with fewer idols introduced. I think we'd definitely see more Shot in the Darks played. And, that's a more interesting wrinkle than an immunity idol that's only good for one vote or whatever.
It sounds like Beware Advantages aren't going away anytime soon, though! We'll probably see them through at least Survivor 50, but again, time will tell!
Survivor 47 returns for episode 5 on Wednesday, Oct. 16, only on CBS and Paramount+!