Which classic advantages could return for Survivor 51?

Host and showrunnerJeff Probsthas officially announced the beginning of the open era as a new game of “permanent uncertainty.” So much so that it’s literally the title of the premiere episode forSurvivor 51.

But with a wiped-clean slate, there’s an infinite amount of possibilities for both new twists, idols, and advantages to enter the game as well as old ones from throughout the show’s 50 season history to get tossed back onto the table. And just like the viewers at home, the players aren’t going to have any warning as to what their season is going to look like until they’re already in it.

And after nine seasons of standardized new era game formatting—plus one season attempting to combine both modern and old school gameplay—production is digging into the vault and it doesn’t seem like they’re afraid to get their hands dirty. But which past advantages do we think will make the cut in the open era? Let’s talk a walk down memory lane and see what we discover.

Safety Without Power

First introduced onSurvivor: Island of the Idols, the safety without power advantage allows a player to leave Tribal Council before the vote, essentially trading their vote for automatic immunity. We’ve seen the advantage appear a few times in the new era, but it was onlySurvivor 47where the advantage was actually played—and played correctly at that. So it’s definitely an interesting tactic thrown in to shake up the game, if obtained by a player who actually needs it to survive and doesn’t just let it expire like they did inSurvivor 45andSurvivor 48.

Idol Nullifier

The idol nullifier has had a 50% success rate since it was established inSurvivor: David vs. Goliath. Probably the most valuable defensive advantage in the game, the nullifier allows a player to cancel out the power of someone’s immunity idol. Having something that neutralizes advantages always leads to more exciting gameplay because it keepseveryoneon their toes, not just the castaway in possession of an advantage. Adding this back into the game would force players to be much more secretive about their idol possession rather than using it as public leverage.

Juror Removal

Probably one of my favorite advantages ever in the game, yet it’s one we only saw once in the series at the end ofSurvivor: Kaoh Rong. This advantage allowed one of the finalists to remove a player from the jury, better establishing a jury leaning towards them—or at least leaning away from an opponent. We saw Michele Fitzgerald remove Neal Gottlieb (Aubry Bracco’sbiggest ally) from the jury, confirming one less vote for Aubry and giving her a huge power move advantage in the jury’s eyes, leading to her ultimate victory.

Advantages wedon’twant to leave theSurvivorvault…

While there are a few advantages we hope return, there are also the ones wedefinitelyhope production doesn’t even consider. Things likeSurvivor 41andSurvivor 42’s hourglass twist as well as their do-or-die elimination just harm the integrity of the game and put too much emphasis on production-involved gameplay. Another advantage fans weren’t wildly receptive to was the medallion of power back inSurvivor: Nicaragua. It’s another example of a clunky advantage that was mostly forgettable since the tribes almost never used it.

Add us as a preferred source onGoogle

Follow