Let's Not Be Cute About It

Survivor has jumped the shark this season and this episode epitomizes the problems with the show. As players have gotten savvier, the show tries to upend them by introducing more and more gimmicks until all that's left in the show are the gimmicks. There are now just too many immunity idols floating around, too many fake idols floating around, and now on top of that, the game throws in immunities for half the tribe plus one, and an advantage half the tribe cannot plan around. (And when it's played, it is played in a totally inept fashion that makes no sense.) The show has reached a point where people get knocked out of the game far more by random chance than from any skill.

The producers packed this episode with twist after twist in a desperate attempt to make it interesting, rather than spending time developing characters. We don't need a weird tangent where players run off looking for a key to open a cage and get a useless advantage.

All of these "twists" make the game luck based, instead of strategy based where players need it do well and develop relationships. A twist here and there is fine, but have if this many twists, over and over again messes up the flow of the game to the point that it is infuriating to watch.

We want a game of skill, strategy and relationships, not a bunch of twists and luck.