‘Survivor’: Should CBS Retire the Knowledge Is Power Advantage?
Survivor entered a “new era” when season 41 premiered on CBS in 2021. Host Jeff Probst explained that the castaways and the audience should “drop the four, keep the one” when referring to Survivor Season 41. It was a brand-new game that featured a shortened day span, fewer resources, intense challenges, and new twists. However, one of the advantages has been less than successful — Knowledge Is Power.
What is the Knowledge Is Power advantage in ‘Survivor’ on CBS?
Survivor introduced the Knowledge Is Power advantage during season 41 on CBS. By obtaining it, a player can ask another castaway at Tribal Council if they have an immunity idol or advantage. They have to answer truthfully, and if they have an idol or advantage, they have to give it to the castaway who has Knowledge Is Power.
The castaway must utilize Knowledge Is Power before the votes are cast at Tribal Council. And if they don’t use it correctly, the advantage becomes void.
In the last three seasons of Survivor, not one person has successfully used Knowledge Is Power.
In season 41, Liana Wallace obtained the advantage during a summit. But she spilled the beans to Tiffany Seely after the merge, and Tiffany shared the information with Evvie Jagoda and Xander Hastings. Knowing that Liana wanted to use Knowledge Is Power to take Xander’s immunity idol, Xander gave it to Tiffany before Tribal Council. And when Liana tried to take it from him, he truthfully relayed that he didn’t have an idol.
In season 42, Drea Wheeler found the Knowledge Is Power advantage. And sadly, the same thing happened. She told Omar Zaheer about her power, and he utilized the information to vote her out. Omar knew she would try to take Mike Turner’s idol, so he convinced Mike to give it to him prior to Tribal Council. There, Drea asked Mike if he had an idol. He said no, and they sent her packing.
In season 43, Geo Bustamante and James Jones acquired separate Knowledge Is Power advantages. Neither was secretive about it, and their tribemates voted them out before they could use the advantage.
Why the new advantage has a 0-percent success rate
After three Survivor seasons on CBS, the Knowledge Is Power advantage has a zero-percent success rate. Not once has a castaway utilized it correctly, and it has always led to them getting voted out. So what are they doing wrong?
The answer is obvious, and it’s one that viewers are continuously yelling at their screens — stop telling other people that you have the advantage! It’s all in the name “Knowledge Is Power.” Yes, it can sometimes be beneficial to share information to build trust, but there’s a reason why this advantage has never worked.
Once players know someone has Knowledge Is Power, especially if they have an idol or advantage, they become paranoid. They don’t want anyone taking away something they have worked hard for. So the best plan is to trick the castaway who has Knowledge Is Power or vote them out.
However, if a player finds the Knowledge is Power advantage and doesn’t tell anyone, there’s a chance of it working. Castaways should wait for information to come to them, not the other way around. And we’re afraid that future contestants will never learn this lesson.
It’s time for CBS to get rid of Knowledge Is Power in ‘Survivor’
We have seen enough CBS — it’s time to retire the Knowledge Is Power advantage from Survivor.
It’s a fun idea, and it gave us one of the most iconic moments in the show’s last three seasons — “Do you have an idol, Xander?” “No, but you can have this fake.” However, it’s time to throw it in the trash can.
There are only so many times Survivor can include an advantage and have every castaway misplay it before it becomes repetitive. Perhaps producers can usher in a new twist or just stick with the other thirty they have in the “new era.”
Survivor Season 43 airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
