The On Fire podcast is back for Survivor 49, with Survivor host Jeff Probst, producer Jeff Wolfe, and Survivor: Cambodia winner Jeremy Collins. In the latest episode, they comment on how the weather affected this season, the Beware Advantage debacle that Jawan faced, the challenge penalty, and more. Plus, Probst answers some fan questions, including whether Redemption Island or the Edge of Extinction could make a comeback.
First, Probst mentions that during this particular season, Fiji was unbearably hot, and both players and even the crew had a hard time enduring it. Besides Cambodia, Probst says he can’t recall any other time when the weather was so stifling that even he struggled to remember people’s names and catch his breath.
Probst asks Jeremy what advice he would give to future players as a “three-time old era” Survivor player. Jeremy talks about how he practised fasting before playing. Probst brings up how Boston Rob prepared himself, which involved gaining weight, and Jeremy says the “Survivor prep” depends on each person’s body type.
Wolfe then points out that the Kele tribe is similar to other New Era tribes, where, once they’re stuck in a losing streak, it seems they can’t get out of it, especially since they don’t have a flint. Wolfe asks Probst if the “no flint, no pot, and no machete” is too harsh, to which Probst immediately responds with a no.
Probst then said, “It’s exactly as designed, because it forces adaptability… what I think Survivor shows is that we can adapt much more than what we think.” In addition, Probst exemplifies his statement with the rice negotiations in the New Era, as players struggled to come up with enough participants to attend these talks, and later even stated that they didn’t need rice if it came at the price of losing their shot at immunity. “It’s adaptation in real time,” Probst noted.
When talking about Jawan’s dilemma between choosing personal or collective reward, Probst explains that it’s an expansion of the “Risk vs Reward” mechanic on behalf of Team Flint. Jeremy comments on Jawan’s decision to pursue the group reward, saying that on Survivor, individual progress must be every player’s primary objective. However, due to Jawan’s position in the game and the fact that it’s still early, Jeremy believes it was the right choice for Jawan.
Later, Probst is asked if the challenge disadvantage was too extreme, as it was a considerable hindrance to the overall challenge performance of the unlucky tribe that got it. Probst clarifies that the production team took their time to tweak this disadvantage to create a sufficient level of disadvantage that would elicit a reaction from the audience, but not to the point of going overboard. He adds that the years of challenge-making, the Dream Tribe test runs, and production’s ingenuity were key to achieving the right balance.
Interestingly, the issue of “production interference” arises when discussing how, despite the Hina tribe having the disadvantage, they still won immunity in the end, as Kele lost their composure at the puzzle. Probst clarifies that production won’t intervene even if a tribe continues to dwindle, and if the consequences are that a tribe is reduced to one member, then that’s what will happen, as that was the natural course.
Probst is also clear about the future of the beware advantages and says they’re here to stay. He also warns future smart players that they should assume they will continue to grow “like a monster, and that they’re coming for them,” but they should still accept the risk if they want a chance to win.
Afterwards, Jeremy shares his personal insights on sharing information when it comes to idols or advantages. Jeremy says he personally dislikes doing so. Still, since players now almost have to do so in the New Era to earn an advantage in most cases, Jeremy says he personally disclosed this type of information to two close allies, but who, in turn, didn’t trust each other, to ensure they wouldn’t work against him.
Lastly, Probst answers some fan questions. When asked if twists like Redemption Island or Edge of Extinction could return to the New Era, Probst says these ideas aren’t off the table. However, from a production standpoint, and given the limited 26-day timeframe, some concessions would be necessary, for instance, no journeys.
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