Spoilers ahead of Season 42 of Survivor!
The SurvivorThe game was given a new lease of life by the additions made in Season 41 and 42. There’s the prisoner’s dilemma, the Shot in the Dark, the three-tribe immunity idol, the hourglass twist, and the Do-or-Die gamble. But this new era of various advantages has also created a lack of the traditional duplicity – because it is very hard for contestants to keep these things secret. After her ousting, Survivor 42’s Swati Goel reflected on this emerging dynamic and “how quickly chaos spirals”Out of control.
In the most recent episode, the way this all manifested was with Drea Wheeler’s extra vote advantage that she received from the prisoner’s dilemma. According to Zach Wurtenburger, the game’s first eliminated player, the entire tribe already knew that she had Something. Wheeler confirmed the information with a few people, including SwatiGoel, who in turn shared it with others, until everyone was in agreement. The lack of secrecy caused chaos that did not make it easy to identify a large target/advantage. However, Goel was the most notable victim. The Survivor 42Star reacted to how things turned out Entertainment Weekly, saying,
Yes, information did not circulate as fast as I expected. I knew this because I was so secretive about certain things. Although I didn’t know everything, I was very careful about what I was being told. That was an interesting shift. It was amazing how quickly chaos spirals. Rocks then said something about Tori. Drea then said something about Drea. It was incredible how quickly this information spread.
Some may argue that the concept we’re speaking about here is just “loose lips, sink ships,”This is what actually happens. Survivor. It is more. In the past, most of the advantages would have been found, known about and disclosed by one person. However, Seasons 41-42 show multiple public productions. And what that’s doing is generating a layer of chaos, as Swati Goel describes, that can put everyone on edge and take out someone who probably isn’t the most formidable target.
It’s also leading to some very wild pre-merge tribe councils, especially in Survivor 42The unseen benefits become the linchpin in this episode. In last week’s episode, all the known advantages allowed Hai Giang to sneakily change his vote last minute – prompting everyone to almost go to rocks! Chaos! This holds true for the March 30 episode. SwatiGoel is the third person to use Shot in the Dark in recent weeks. (Another trend that has me Survivor 41’s winner wondering some things about that particular advantage.) Goel will still be held responsible for her loss. She said:
You may have been in a situation that wasn’t favorable to your game or helped you win. However, ultimately you were responsible for your actions. In that regard, I can’t really fault anyone. I made a number of choices that led to a particular outcome. [Laughs] Like, it’s fine.
As difficult as it may seem, there are still many games to play. Survivor 42. And if this is how pre-merge is going, then the post-merge (much like in Season 41) is sure to be… chaos. New episodes will air on CBS on Wednesdays, at 8 p.m. ET in the 2022 TV Schedule!