Survivor is an ever-evolving game that sees some of the most interesting characters trying to prove that they have what it takes to "outwit, outplay, and outlast" the competition. As the players change strategies and evolve over the years, so does the game.
In the new era of Survivor, the Beware Advanage has definitely been one of the most interesting twists to the game, for better and worse.
First introduced in season 41, the Beware Advantage adds a level of risk to the game for each player. They have to give something up to try to obtain an advantage in the game. Having to sacrifice a vote for a chance at an immunity idol or three has truly become the cost of doing business. These advantages have also evolved with the game, as well.
When the Beware Advantage was first introduced, it was an interesting twist. Fans didn't necessarily love the challenge the players had to do in the first two seasons. Everyone appreciated the ingenuity of it all. We also liked that players had to really work to win a hidden immunity idol instead of searching the jungle.
Several seasons into the Beware Advantages, the problem now is that many fans hate the Beware Advantage. Fans appreciate the fact that every season changes things up in terms of the restrictions placed on the players who find this advantage, but having all of these random tasks to find an idol doesn't really excite fans anymore. Maybe it is the fact that we also have journeys that people take that makes it feel like too much happening, but we don't need the Beware Advantage with the Journeys, too.
We wouldn't mind tasks to find idols, but the Beware Advantage is played out. The Journeys add enough to the game in terms of a Survivor disadvantage, especially for people who are not only away from their tribes for a long time, but sometimes, losing the challenge or task costs a player a vote.
It also doesn't help that there have been multiple times when other players know about the Beware Advantage because the player needs help to get their vote back and find or activate the idol. We have seen players struggle to do their secondary tasks in secret, which leads to multiple people knowing what is happening and who has what.
While some of the challenges associated with the Beware Advantage stem from the way people are playing the game, we are also looking at the fact that in some cases the tasks associated with getting the idol and a player's vote back can end up distracting us from the rest of the game. Sure, there has to be downtime on the beach, but there have been episodes of Survivor that are so chaotic because too much is happening, especially in the first few episodes. That early in the game, we don't know who these people are yet and they don't know each other either.
Something needs to change with the Beware Advantage on Survivor. Whether that means ditching it for a few seasons, changing the way it works, or even changing what the advantage really is, we think this particular twist needs to either go away or get a remodel.