Welcome back to another blog of Surviving with Lucas! Wow, I can’t believe that it’s already been 8 weeks since I first started this series. Today, we will be discussing a very controversial topic within the Survivor community and that is the concept of players returning to the game once they have been voted out.
A majority of Survivor Seasons feature players getting one chance and one chance only to play the game; once they are voted out that’s it. However sometimes production puts in twists that allow eliminated players to come back into the game. I will be highlighting two twists in particular: Redemption Island & Edge of Extinction that influence a comeback story.
Redemption Island
Seen 3 times: Survivor: Redemption Island, Survivor: South Pacific, Survivor: Blood vs. Water
Format: After being voted out, the castaway takes their extinguished torch on their way out from Tribal Council and proceeds to Redemption Island. When the next person is voted out, they will also be sent to Redemption Island, meeting up with the current inhabitant and living together overnight. Although the format has slightly shifted between seasons those who are voted out compete in duels (2 or 3 players), where the winner earns the right to remain on the island and the loser is permanently eliminated. There are two re-entry points that take place while Redemption Island is in play: The day of the merge, where the duel winner become a member of the merged tribe, and on Day 36, where the winner becomes a part of the Final 5.
Edge of Extinction
Seen 2 times: Survivor: Edge of Extinction, Survivor: Winners at War
Format: After being voted out, the castaway approaches a crossroads: one path offers the castaway the option to leave the game for good, while the other offers the opportunity to go to the Edge of Extinction. If they choose to proceed to the Edge, then a boat will escort them to a barren island with amenities significantly lesser than those of the existing tribe camps. Unlike Redemption Island, there are no regular duels; instead uncertain if or when they can return, castaways have to endure the extended isolation for as long as possible until the pre-determined entry point. Players are able to “quit” the Edge at any time but are then permanently eliminated. Food is provided daily, but the castaways have to go to the highest point on the island to get them. At certain points, advantages are hidden on the island which are either to give the eliminated players an edge at the re-entry challenge, or to give a degree of power to any of the players still left in the game. Similar to Redemption Island the re-entry challenges are at the merge and the final 6 instead of the final 5. Those who lose the first re-entry challenge are not out of the game but can keep living on the Edge for the chance to return in the second.
There has been much criticism over these two twists as many fans feel they negate the premise of the show’s infamous “vote-off” by giving players a second chance and feel it is unfair to those who “actually” outlast all the others. A BIG example of this is Chris Underwood (pictured above on the far left) from Edge of Extinction
Chris’ win is one of the most controversial as in his season he was voted off third on Day 8 and went to the Edge of Extinction where he lost the first re-entry challenge at the merge but continued to live on the Edge. When there were 5 players left in the game he won the second challenge to join them at the final 6. I can’t even deny that he played extremely hard once coming back into the game, even giving up his immunity necklace to compete in a fire-making challenge to prove he deserved to be in the final 3. He ultimately made it to Final Tribal Council where he won the season. However many people were outraged as he spent a total of 26 full days on the edge and only 13 days in the game. Many attributed his win to his social connections he built with everyone while living on the Edge of Extinction while everyone else was actually playing the game.
After reading this blog you can now understand the dangerous element that returning to the game brings upon Survivor. I leave you with this question “Do you feel that players who are voted off and win their way back into the game deserve to win the title of Sole Survivor?” This has been Surviving with Lucas and I will see you next time:)
November 15, 2021 at 6:36 pm
Luca!! You already know why I am here, and that’s to throwdown some Survivor sentences!
“Do you feel that players who are voted off and win their way back into the game deserve to win the tile of Sole Survivor?” No. Sorry. I never watched Chris’ season and I never want to. Simply because he. didn’t. survive? He was voted out. And I know yeah yeah he survived on the other island and he fought fiercely when he came back but like he already got voted out get outta here dude! I understand the desire to have players continue playing, and Winners at War it made sense because all of the fan favourite veterans were voted out super early so it was nice to still get to see them play, but they just shouldn’t be able to win. Maybe they could win their own thing? Like you survived your karma so you get… some other lesser award? I don’t know, there’s no perfect solution. I think just get rid of the comeback aspect. If you were voted out, the tribe has spoken!