CBS' reality competition series Survivor changed the TV world forever, and is considered one of the best reality shows of all time. The 47th season (which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription) just ended, and while some fans are wondering how much money Survivor contestants make, others are debating some of the modern game mechanics. Case in point: a Survivor 47 cast member has a polarizing take on the final fire challenge I totally agree with.
Fans are divided on Survivor 47's fire making challenge, which saw Teeny get eliminated despite having a roaring fire. While making fire used to be reserved for a tie, it's become a mandatory part of the New Era that occurs after the Final Immunity Challenge. Season 47's winner Rachel LaMont shared her feelings to TV Insider, and I am totally with her hot take. In her words:
I don’t love fire because I think that at this phase in Survivor, probably half the time we’d end up in a two-two [split vote] anyway [in the final four] and go to fire [as a tiebreaker]. So I don’t understand why we just can’t have a normal vote
Points were made. The game of Survivor is ultimately about voting people out, so it's strange this is ignored in the final four Tribal Council. Instead, the winner of Immunity gets to pick one player to join them in the Final Tribal, while the other two compete in that fire-making challenge. And the new fire making format is never something I really enjoyed.
Rachel won the title of Sole Survivor in a near-unanimous vote by the jury. But I have to wonder if things would have shaken up differently if the final four could vote as normal. Later in the same comments, LaMont shared more about her fire-making hot take. In her words:
I get the idea of letting perhaps the favorite, like a Jesse [Lopez, a fan-favorite to win in Survivor 43 who lost the fire challenge] have a shot when everyone’s going to overwhelmingly vote them out. Or if I had lost that immunity, they would’ve overwhelmingly voted me out. And to be able to redeem myself in fire would be cool. But I think that the game is about voting people out, and that is a very crucial vote at the very end of the game.
She's not wrong. This is coming from someone who ultimately won Survivor as a result of the current New Era rules. And as such, she's got a unique POV, and perhaps a bigger reason to defend the fire making challenge. But she still would prefer to vote in the final four instead, and I would have to agree. I'm a hardcore fan who has had trouble adjusting to the New Era, including the shorter game and emphasis on fire-making and the shot-in-the-dark.
Survivor is always changing and adapting, so we'll see if Rachel's wish ever comes true. Fans are eager to see returning players for Survivor 50, so maybe that'll be the time when the rules are altered again. Only time will tell, but smart money says the fans have a strong reaction either way.
Survivor 48 will premiere February 26th. For now, check the 2025 TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.