“I was just trying to observe, as carefully as I could, to determine what people were here for and what they were doing.” – Richard Hatch, Winner, Survivor: Borneo
Survivor is back for a new season, and after two years of Redemption Island and the Medallion of Power, we finally have a twist worth getting excited about: One World puts both tribes on the same beach, and opens the door to a whole new evolution of strategic play. I can’t wait!
The twist this season divides the tribes by gender. But, while they will remain distinct tribes, both groups are going to live on the same beach. Note to CBS: shouldn’t this have been called One Beach?
On a normal season of Survivor, tribes feel an intense bond of team loyalty before the merge. Not only are you relying on your new friends to stay warm and find food, but you’re competing against the other tribe for your life in the game. You’ve never even met the other tribe. And unless Jeff Probst talks to them at a challenge, you may not even know their names. In Tocantins, we knew Tyson only as “Man Panties,” so dubbed because of his scandalously sheer underwear choices.
Now, living together, the traditional tribe loyalties get upended. Will flirting with the opposite tribe mean flirting with disaster? Or will the sneakiest sneaksters create cross-tribal alliances to undermine their supposed allies? We could even see a tribe throw a challenge to save a friend on the opposing team.
Moreover, a new rule for the hidden idols means that you must share your idol with a member of the other tribe. That’s a smart move by CBS that guarantees hot inter-tribal action.
By Stephen Fishbach
