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‘Survivor’ Needs to Revive a Favorite Tribal Council Twist

With an impressive 40 seasons, Survivor has included many surprises that fans and contestants did not expect. The addition of these twists always provides excitement to keep their loyal fan base tuning in season after season. Because, we think everyone can agree that without the surprising changes, Survivor would not still be one of the most-watched reality TV …
by Megan Christian
Published on
3 min read

With an impressive 40 seasons, Survivor has included many surprises that fans and contestants did not expect. The addition of these twists always provides excitement to keep their loyal fan base tuning in season after season. Because, we think everyone can agree that without the surprising changes, Survivor would not still be one of the most-watched reality TV shows. Although not all twists have been favorable, such as the super idol, the one that fans are asking the show to bring back is the joint tribal council. Fans can’t get enough of the intense strategy it requires and watching as the player’s plans work out flawlessly or blow up for the worst. While watching the show may keep you guessing what the next secret turnabout will be, fans have spoken out about why the joint tribal council is their favorite. 

Natalie Anderson, Ben Driebergen, Michele Fitzgerald, Tony Vlachos, Denise Stapley and Sarah Lacina sitting around a fire at Tribal Council on 'Survivor'
Natalie Anderson, Ben Driebergen, Michele Fitzgerald, Tony Vlachos, Denise Stapley and Sarah Lacina | CBS/Getty Images

What is the tribal council 

Survivor is an Emmy-Award winning reality TV series on CBS. The show features groups of contestants, fittingly called castaways, who are left alone at an isolated location and must provide necessities like food, water, fire, and shelter for themselves. All the tribes of castaways compete against each other in various challenges. Then the losing tribe must go to the tribal council to vote off one of their fellow tribemates. 

The tribal council is one thing that hasn’t changed throughout the two decades of Survivor. It is a ritual that everyone has grown to expect. After the traditional introduction from host Jeff Probst, he asks the castaways pressing questions to help the tribe finalize their decision. Then, one at a time, each player walks to the voting booth and writes on parchment the name of one of whom they choose to vote off the island. Once all votes are cast, Probst returns with the famous phrase “the tribe has spoken.” Then he reveals which player received the most votes and extinguishes their torch. The player must then leave the island and kiss their chances of the one-million-dollar prize goodbye. 

‘Survivor’ fans want the joint tribal council to return 

The joint tribal council has been a fan favorite since its introduction in 2017, as Screenrant asserts. This Survivor twist was first seen on Survivor: Game Changers and made a reappearance in Edge of Extinction. Once again, fans are begging for the return of the entertaining tribal council tweak for the upcoming seasons.

With the joint tribal council, the two losing tribes of the immunity challenge must go to the tribal council together. Once there, the two tribes cast their votes for the one player to vote off the island. This change to the tribal council provides great entertainment for the fans and extreme strategizing on the contestants’ part. 

Why the twist is a fan favorite 

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The joint tribal council twist is a fan favorite because it is such an interesting concept. It requires contestants to strategize very carefully to increase their chances of surviving longer. The players must consider that members from other tribes may vote them off if sent into the tribal council together. Therefore, players must show off their strengths not only to their tribemates but also to show the members from competing tribes what they could gain from joining forces. While building alliances with tribemates has always been important, having alliances with competing tribe members is necessary with a joint tribal council. 

Another interesting thing about this twist is the tribes’ ability to see what is happening inside their competition. Since two tribes are in the tribal council together, it gives each more insight into who is considered the weakest players across the two. In turn, this has the castaways adjusting their strategies to ensure their place in the final show. 

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