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 cover Steven’s strenuous journey, the Block-a-Vote advantage, and more. Plus, Probst reveals if some Survivor challenges are off-limits for “adapting,” and he shares his idea for a Survivor app.
First, they discuss what the jury values most in a person’s gameplay, especially when choosing between revenge and strategy. Jeremy says the jury will always eat up a revenge move, but it also has to be justified when it comes to advancing that person’s game.
Then, they comment on the “Strenuous Journey” and how it came to be. Probst reveals they emphasised the word ‘strenuous’ in the note the players read, as when it comes to Survivor, production always reveals enough information to the players so they can make informed decisions, but not so much that it takes away the surprise element.
Probst is later asked about the Block-a-Vote advantage and how it can be played before a Tribal Council. Probst explains that the player must play their advantage, in this case, Steven, before players leave for Tribal Council. It is intentionally set up so that Steven plays it on the information he has at that point, regardless of what happens at TC.
Wolfe asks Jeremy if it’s the right move to say you have an advantage, just not which one. Jeremy responds that it depends on who is saying it and how others perceive them, as this has worked for Rizo but didn’t pan out for Stephen Fishbach on Survivor: Cambodia, for example.
Afterwards, Probst is asked if any classic Survivor challenges aren’t up for being reinvented or adapted, to which he replies, “No. Even though we have classic Survivor challenges, if you can find a way to reinvent them that works, that’s great. We have failed a couple of times, in that we have messed up a great challenge… but the only way you know that is by trying.”
Probst then discloses that he would like to invent an app that would allow fans to be more involved in these situations and to suggest ideas or tweaks to challenges. (I suggest reading the comment sections on the already existing Survivor accounts across social media, but that may be my take.) Probst also added that he prefers the original version of the individual immunity challenge we saw on the latest Survivor 49 episode.
As for reward challenges, Jeremy says they are always a double-edged sword to win, especially at this point in the game, as there are always going to be hurt feelings involved. Jeremy’s take is that a great player wouldn’t personally win them (to avoid alienating anyone), but would ensure they were taken to them to have enough fuel for the future.
Lastly, Probst answers some fan questions. When asked what the Ponderosa protocols were for Survivor 50, Probst said they were even tougher than a regular season, since most of the players already knew each other. In addition, the Survivor host explains that production specifically designed this season to account for players’ previous bonds, making it a psychological battle between production and the players.
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Great. Hopefully he will finally hear that the fans want/ need 2 returnee seasons every 10 seasons minimum. In addition, he will find out we want themes back, a live reunion, change of location (if in Fiji just please find another beach), and hotter casts…
And that a certain subset of fans are still obsessed with the word “guys” after 5 years.