Should new-era Survivor players look for idols? (The answer is no longer clear-cut)

In the new era of Survivor, idol searches don't seem to be in fashion for most players. On top of that, players are often judged for their aggressiveness in trying to find hidden immunity idols. And, that's just what happened in the premiere of Survivor 47.

Survivor 47 launched with a bang this week, and two players jumped to the forefront in the hunt for hidden immunity idols. Rome Cooney from the Lavo tribe and Gabe Ortis from the Tuku tribe searched for an idol as soon as possible.

Of course, each player raised suspicions immediately, although Gabe was much more cautious in his search. Being in the new era and all, their search wasn't as simple as wandering into the jungle, poking around in a few trees or rocks, and pulling out an idol. This isn't like the old days when Russell Hantz could stub his toe on an idol on his way to the water well.

That's an exaggeration and not fair. It wasn't easy for Hantz to find idols, and the edit doesn't show how long he searched. He just had a knack for finding them, and when he found them, they were just idols. In Survivor 47, there is always a caveat to the idol, which Rome and Gabe quickly realize in the season premiere.

This season, Rome and Gabe find a clue to where to find the box that holds the idol. When they find the box, there is a clue as to where to find the key that unlocks the box. Once they find the key and open the treasure chest, they have a choice: take the idol, which is good for one tribal only, or search for another key that will open an inner box. They have to make the decision immediately.

If they look for another key and find it, then they have another choice: take this new idol, which is good for three tribals, or search for yet another key to unlock an idol, which will be good until each tribal council before the final five. That's a lot of running through the jungle, arousing suspicions.

To search for idols or not to search for idols? That is the question

Since returning from the COVID-19 break and shortening the game to 26 days, the game seems to move a bit faster. One of the other significant changes is that idols come with danger. They are actually called beware idols because the player who has the idol loses a vote at tribal until another task has been completed, and those tasks are seldom easy. In the first episode of Survivor 47, if Rome or Gabe choose to keep looking for keys, they lose their vote until they find them.

For many new-era players, the idols do not seem to carry as much importance as they did in the past. In season 46, five players went home in their pockets, unplayed. Players noticed Rome disappearing from camp this week, and he immediately put a target on himself.

In this new era of Survivor, the question is this: is it worth putting a target on your back by going off by yourself to look for an idol? Considering all of the unknowns that come along with idols and their lack of impact on the game lately, it seems as if most players are willing to let someone else find the idols and let them deal with the repercussions and become targets.

Of course, there are always those players who are going to search. They do not seem aware or care about the "beware" danger that each idol now seems to carry. They always feel the benefits will outweigh the risks. It is no longer that clear-cut.

Idols have become an integral part of Survivor. However, with the game's evolution, having an idol may not be as big of an advantage as it once was. Recently, players' inability to use idols to genuinely impact the game has also diminished.

"Beware" is right! Players might just be better off leaving the idols to others.