The On Fire podcast is back for Survivor 48, with Survivor host Jeff Probst, producer Jeff Wolfe, and Survivor 47 winner Rachel LaMont. In the latest episode, the trio discusses the alliance between Kyle and Kamilla, the failed rice negotiation, possible future consequences, and more. Plus, Probst answers some fan questions.
Firstly, Rachel comments on Kyle and Kamilla’s impressive ability to keep their alliance a secret from everyone else, especially at this point in the game. Regarding Kyle’s gameplay of ‘giving Kamilla the bullet, but not pulling the trigger’ that we saw on episode 10, Rachel says, “That requires a whole new level of trust, and it shouldn’t really work.” For his part, Probst says he’s been enjoying this season as a fan, as the strategic gameplay has been interesting.
Later, the rice negotiation is brought up, and Probst admits he wasn’t surprised his offer was rejected, as it was expected to happen at some point. As the New Era progressed, players anticipated certain circumstances, for instance, no rice, and therefore, were prepared to face hunger for longer without risking their shot at immunity. Rachel adds that she loved Shauhin’s comment on how players will throw back curveballs at production, as during Survivor 47, players offered their Shots in the Dark rather than sitting out at the immunity challenge.
As for future rice negotiations, Probst remarks that this event will impact them, if there is one at all. Probst advises people to see the show from their POV instead of fans/players, as production will question what the show needs and act accordingly. Probst states, “There’s no masterplan for producing Survivor… we just try things, and if they work, we do them again, and if they don’t, we try something else.”
Afterwards, the trio commented on how Mitch failed to make a big move. Rachel says that while she understands why Mitch hesitated, she adds that Mitch still should’ve gambled. When asked about his thoughts regarding Star, Probst replies that he first wondered if Star was always as energetic as she seemed to be and later realised she was, as it’s part of her personality. Plus, Probst said he thought Star was magnetic, incredible, and potentially a great storyteller.
Lastly, Probst was asked if players drew for spots in challenges to demonstrate they were fair, to which he replied they did. Then, when asked how long tribal councils lasted, Probst answered they used to last longer as he still had to learn how to carry them and for players how they worked, and nowadays, they usually last about an hour unless something happened.
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At a rewards meal this season I noticed for the first time the use of ‘place cards’ to dictate where each player sat.
First, is the use of place cards more common than I recall and second was the advantage Ava discovered in her chip bowl specifically placed at her assigned seat or randomly distributed?