That risk is “Survivor Do or Die,” a new twist in which a contestant can choose not to participate in the challenge and therefore relinquish their shot at winning immunity. It all made sense when Danny won his first immunity challenge a few minutes later.īut before we get into that, Jeff precedes the challenge with an ominous little monologue about “a potential deadly risk” that he is about to unveil.
I say unusual because Danny hasn’t opened up about his personal life at all until now, but come to think of it, almost none of the other contestants have either. With that, let’s get into Episode 11: the drastic inversion of power dynamics, this season’s riskiest twist yet, and who ultimately went home. With four more outs until tribal council, I’m starting to accept the fact that there may not be another Shan this season. I assumed that by the end of this week’s episode, a new Shan would rise to the top. But I’d be lying – and the casting department wouldn’t exist – if I didn’t admit that the wild range of personalities “Survivor” attracts is half the fun. I love “Survivor” for the unique ways that it forces ordinary people to exercise their strengths and weaknesses, to discover new parts of themselves as only high-pressure situations can.
Here’s the problem: what’s good for the world rarely makes for good television, especially when it comes to the reality genre. It’s the fact that this is the most level-headed, well-mannered and respectful group of people that have participated in this show for as long as I’ve been watching. All season long, I’ve been observing that something is different – and it’s not because of the welcomed emphasis on diverse casting, or the boatload of new twists, or all of the idols and advantages that have been introduced so far.