The Final Dilemma

If two’s company, is three a crowd?

One timeless Survivor debate since Cook Islands introduced its twist has been: final 2 or final 3? The show seems to have largely fallen on the side of the final 3 as much as possible. In my experience, the fans prefer the final 2.

As Martin Holmes announced this week, producers have come up with a new way of deciding the finalists. I won’t go into detail in this piece about the new twist to avoid spoiling anybody but follow the link if you would like to see what Martin wrote.

To me, the fact that producers are still tinkering with how to finish the game tells me they haven’t decided which format they like best. Keeping it fresh is also never a bad thing because it keeps the contestants on their toes. Even the biggest super fans won’t be able to predict this new twist coming their way.

When it comes down to it, the decision between final 2 or 3 is tough. I can see the benefits to both concepts while understanding why the other might sometimes work better.

In terms of the final 2, it’s classic Survivor. As an old school fan, the final 2 is what I grew up with. There’s something pure about having a final 3 immunity challenge where someone gets to decide who else is going to the final tribal council. Richard Hatch throwing the final challenge was key in his victory and without the final 2, it never happens.

With a final 2, it also allows for both contestants to have more of a say at final tribal council. Sometimes with a final 3, it can feel like there are too many cooks in the kitchen.

There’s also the fact that the final 2 makes the most sense conceptually. You only have a final tribal council because they are two people left and they can’t vote each other out. The juror acts as the tool that votes that last person off the island and designates the sole survivor. If you have a final 3, there is still room for people to vote each other off so why go against the show’s concept?

I won’t lie, I much prefer the final 2. I am not a Survivor purist like a lot of day one fans but I am also not too far from it. That doesn’t mean I don’t see some advantages to the alternate option. The final 3 allows for an extra person to get into the finals. That means that somebody deserving might be able to sneak in when they might have otherwise been cut at 3.

In theory, the final 3 should also produce closer votes, though it hardly ever happens in practice. By sheer numbers, having three options to vote for instead of two should spread the votes around more than a final two would.

I think what has hurt the show more is its predictability. Since the introduction of the final 3, only three seasons have had a final 2 and two of those were likely out of need because of medevacs. What Survivor should do is start randomly alternating between both across seasons so that players can never expect a certain format.

The final 3 has never worked better than in Cook Islands. It should be no coincidence that it was the first time Survivor changed its format. The players didn’t know it was coming. There is no scenario in which Yul takes Ozzy to the final 2 or vice versa. Without the final 3, we would have gotten a blowout win for one of those two over Becky Lee.

Since that time, players have expected the final 3 and taken to cutting the obvious winner at four. That’s the thing about Survivor, the players will adapt to twists. That’s why hidden immunity idols and the strategy around them has evolved so much since Guatemala. People have gotten smarter about them and thus, their usage has changed drastically. Similarly, people now expect a final 3 and adjust accordingly.

It probably isn’t a coincidence that the three seasons with final 2s since Cook Islands, Micronesia, Tocantins and Cagayan have been regarded as some of the best Survivor seasons ever. The unpredictability of the finale made it even more exciting even if it sometimes cost legends a chance to win.

Then again, a season with Tony was destined for greatness either way.

So that’s my proposition, keep both but switch it up a lot more. I don’t want to see only final 3s when I know the option of having a final 2 is available. Similarly, I don’t think keeping only final 2s would be the best option to keep the game fresh. You don’t want players anticipating a certain format and it makes it more likely fan favorite players avoid getting axed at bad spots.