Jeff Probst has been part of Survivor since the very first season. 48 seasons later, both he and the show are still going strong. Over the years, we have seen countless changes to the game, from twists to format to challenges to final tribal council and even to season locations. The basic premise, though, has always remained the same: a social experiment where players vote out their competition, and the competition chooses the winner.
One of the biggest changes over the years, however, has been the presence of idols and advantages. At first, there were none at all, and then gradually hidden immunity idols, extra votes, steal a vote, idol nullifiers, beware advantages, safety without power, and knowledge is power, among many others, have been built in.
For many fans, the number of advantages is far too numerous. The argument is that, by having so many possibilities in the game, it takes away from the core social aspect. Instead, players rely on luck to get to the end, even if they do not have the social standing in the game to have agency. One would think that Jeff would want the advantages he puts in the game to be played, but apparently, that is not exactly the case.
Jeff Probst has no stake in whether games are played or not
It has always felt like idols and advantages have been a bit like Jeff's babies. It seems like he feeds off the excitement of an advantage play and the unpredictability and chaos that comes with it. However, Jeff took to his podcast this season to clear the air and explain why it does not actually matter to him what advantages are played or not.
On Episode 11 of On Fire with Jeff Probst, the official Survivor podcast, Jeff was asked about Safety Without Power not being played on Survivor 48.
"It's really interesting how you ask that," Jeff said. "We have so many fun advantages right now and twists and things we can do with the format. We don't have a hope that it gets into the game. We just want it in the game as a possibility. I can't say this enough: we want the players to do whatever they want."
"Here are all the elements, and in some seasons, like Game Changers, you see it where there are so many advantages that nobody can be voted out except Cirie because everybody has something," Jeff continued. "In other seasons, not a single idol gets played. That's why it's so fun because it's so unpredictable."
Jeff concluded his explanation with how it impacts the players in the game.
"And it makes it very difficult for the player, because they've seen an example of every kind over the past 24 years. So you don't know what's coming or what isn't. What's in the game? Or what is not. Who really has an idol? Who doesn't? It goes back to the emotional bonds. 'Why didn't you tell me that?' 'Because I'm playing Survivor!'"
He makes a strong point. In the end, it is less about who is playing the advantages and more about the fear of who has advantages. That is what allowed for crazy vote splits, live tribals, and paranoia. Sure, big moves that change the game happen with idol plays, or surprises like Rachel being gifted a way to save herself on Survivor 47 change the entire outlook of the game. But players just having to plan for it at all can make for riveting television and gameplay.
I think most Survivor fans, especially some of the fans who have been watching since the beginning and grew up watching the evolution of the franchise, would like to see fewer advantages in the game. It is funny that Jeff mentions Cirie being taken out of the game during Game Changers, because many fans point to that exact example as production not properly balancing the game and taking all social agency away from the players.
Still, it is cool to hear him explain the logic behind the advantages and why it does not matter whether they are played, and it makes a lot of sense. I, for one, hope fans voted for fewer advantages in Survivor 50, to see how that may play out in a new era season. But the truth remains, if players think something is a possibility, they have to account for it, and the myriad ways that can be done make Survivor quite exciting to watch.