Welcome to article two about the Ghost Island items! Last week we talked about JoAnna Ward’s worst nightmare, the fact that the island was full of idols. Moreover, I talked about the idols real and fake, their history, the lessons to take from them, and how Ghost Island could incorporate them. Now, I’m doing this for the rest of the items there!

This is different, because the other items are more varied than idols. No matter the form, idols theoretically make it so that a person does not receive votes. They have one job. The other items, however, include extra votes, challenge advantages, and even a pseudo-idol with different transfer rules. They have more purpose, even though there are less of them. This article will be a shorter jaunt, but they offer more and have more varied stories than the idols do- you can only say “they had idols, they didn’t play them” so many times before you waste time and space.

Without further ado, here are the other items!

Malcolm’s Challenge Advantage (Philippines)

Origin: At the Final Four, production staved off going back to that silly Final 2 due to Dana’s mediquit by placing a reward challenge in the finale, and whoever won would receive a challenge advantage. Challenge beast Malcolm won, and was granted an extra life in the final immunity challenge.

History: N/A, I guess Malcolm went to sleep that night happy he won an advantage.

Bungled Play: To his dismay, the FIC was exactly the sort of thing Malcolm was bad at- to win, you had to hold together a contraption with a ball in the middle for the longest time. Malcolm was allowed to drop the ball once, but his problem was extremely shaky hands. It was the one thing he couldn’t do- despite his advantage, he was swiftly out, and went home just before the final tribal council.

Analysis: It’s hard to say that the curse for this item is a flaw the player made as much as very, very unlucky happenstance. In fact, he could have made the finals regardless if not for his true mistake- failing to handle Denise better. Denise was entertaining going to Finals with Malcolm- admittedly a bad move on her part, but worth it to her to get both Matsings to the end. However, he didn’t secure her, by not playing the idol on her at Final 5 when he had no reason not to, and making it clear he would vote her at the Final 4 Tribal Council, turning Denise firmly away from him. As such, the challenge loss was the cherry on the sundae he already prepared.

Ghost Island: I somewhat doubt that the exact challenge will be used for GI that was used in Philippines, but I see this being an endgame item- a challenge advantage for a tough FIC or endgame challenge. It’s pretty self-explanatory. Perhaps we will see the Philippines FIC again as an extra throwback- and if that’s the case, it’s so dependent on one’s inherent physical abilities that I do not think a challenge advantage will affect the standings as much as what one does before and after. It’s a curse that may only be removable by the outcome of that vote.

Dan’s Extra Vote (Worlds Apart)

Origin: At the Worlds Apart auction, Mike tried to trick the others into spending money on letters so he would be the only one with full money for the advantage. However, after public pressuring and shaming, he backs down, letting himself, Dan, and Carolyn pay to draw rocks for the mystery advantage, which Dan won.



History: Having the mystery advantage put a target on his back- Tyler went through his bag to uncover it as the first ever extra vote in show history. When Mike tried to pin the Axis against him and Shirin in a gambit to vote for each other to avoid being idoled out, Tyler and Will put their votes on Dan just in case. This labeled Dan as a target until he played the double vote.



Bungled Play: Play it he did. After Mike won again, the plan was to vote Carolyn with his, Will, Rodney, and Sierra’s votes. However, Carolyn had a well hidden idol she only told the now-eliminated Tyler about. The three controlling the vote apparently did not trust Sierra so Dan planned to use his extra vote against Carolyn to make it 4-3 if Sierra were to join her and Mike. Who was Carolyn voting for? Oh, the person with the extra vote. When he played it, it signaled Carolyn to play her idol. Sierra voted with Dan for Carolyn, negating the worry, but the extra vote got Dan idoled out.



Analysis: As time goes by the less this is as dumb a move as it was thought. A lot of that was because many summarized Dan as a dumbass, he was shown having a poor social game and willingness to stick with the Axis even as they had no use for him, and the fact that he was a major jerkass. Still, this was more a poorly taken risk than anything, as Sierra did have a high chance of not joining them. This was more the beneficiary of a well hidden idol on Carolyn’s part. Trust me, I can’t stand not condemning Dan, but this was not a huge mistake. This is also why I think WA sucks, because this was supposed to be the comeuppance for Dan and my only reaction was “at least he’s off my goddamn screen”.



Ghost Island: The item’s curse comes down to what Dan did, but the lesson from his act is not one that can be easily conveyed. I suppose the moral is, since the game is so advantage-heavy lately, to consider what others have or might have before you do anything with yours. Since Ghost Island will hold the advantages and no one can go there in secret, others will have a good sense that you have something, and vice versa.

Furthermore, the second mistake regarding this double vote is how Mike tried to trick everyone out of their money and backed out of it. Earlier that day he did eavesdrop on his name coming up, so he was amped to save himself. However, the problem with Mike is that he did not commit. When you do a deceptive act, think through the social ramifications, and if you can stomach punishment to get it, stick it out and don’t back down.

Fishbach’s Vote Stealer (Cambodia)

Origin: At the Final Eleven, Probst held an open advantage for all to see during the immunity challenge of Bermuda Triangles- the first one to jump from their triangle balancing in the ocean and swim to a platform would receive an advantage. Stephen won over Spencer, winning it as a secret back at camp- a Vote Stealer. With this, he could take a vote from someone (forbidding them from casting it) and cast it in their stead.



History: One thing to note about Fishbach- he was self-admittedly obsessed with voting out Joe. Joe gave him J.T. vibes as a golden boy that would surpass him if he got ahead. He was so obsessed with voting Joe out that he lost focus of himself, and the target the advantage placed on him. It took an idol from closest ally Jeremy to save him from being voted out.



Bungled Play: After receiving a second chance, Fishbach decided to try and reel in those he lost in the votes- only halfway. He decided to take Tasha and Jeremy on reward, but gave most of the focus this round on Tasha- not on Spencer. That round, Joe finally lost immunity and Fish was back in tunnelvision mode, looking to split the vote between him and Abi. Poor damage control and focus on destroying Joe made Fishbach and three others use their votes and Joe’s to split, but the two remaining “Witches”, Keith, and Spencer broke the split, voting for Fishbach when he was at the apex of power and obsession.



Analysis: I’ve heard that a cornered mouse never fights, but I’ve also heard that I better not believe it. A similar thing applies here, but in this case the cornered mouse, aka Joe, had his power taken away from him. The side against Fish could no longer make a 5-4 vote against him. However, since Fish was so focused on not losing the vote against Joe, he made a fight where there was none- letting the others fester against him and take him out.



Ghost Island: There is no way to use this power in a subtle way to get the full power from it. You have to sit someone down and let them know you will inconvenience them, and by doing so also make it known that you expect this vote to be close enough for it to matter. More than anything, it will set off a firestorm. Going into it, the lesson learned here is that you have to make a clear plan with a clear head and make absolutely sure you have all your ducks in a row. That was what made Fish’s plan fail- he just wanted Joe out, no matter what, and didn’t see that he lacked the allies to do it with.

Sierra’s Legacy Advantage (Mamanuca Islands)

Origin: On the boat everyone started the game on, Sierra found the legacy advantage during the scramble to fill their boats. Since MvGX, the first season, hadn’t aired yet, she didn’t know what it was- only that it would give her an advantage at the merge or Final 6, her choice. The interesting element was that were she to be voted out with it in her possession, she could will it to the person of her choice.

History: Sierra didn’t have much concern for awhile- she was always in power, and at the merge early on was able to get her way all throughout. It was at Final 11 where she truly lost power in a blindside against her ally Debbie. After that, she was swimming against the current. Not making any things better was Cirie and Andrea convincing her that her only way to survive was to turn against her ally Tai- effectively driving a wedge between them as the six who voted against Debbie turned on each other.

Bungled Play: Up shit creek, Sierra was desperately looking for a paddle. She had a bond with Sarah of the majority against her. To try and earn favor with Sarah, Sierra told her about the Legacy Advantage- and how she could will it to another player. Sierra promised she would will it to Sarah because she trusts Sarah. However, Sarah only saw dollar signs, knowing if she had Sierra voted out over Troy, Brad, or Tai, she would get the legacy advantage. Thus, Sierra went home due to trusting Sarah with the details- and, unwittingly, willed her advantage to Sarah regardless. Sarah was able to use it to negate a plurality against her at Final 6.

Analysis: Can we just talk about how gullible Sierra was? The vote was 6-3, wide enough for even Tai to turn on her. The final vote read was Sarah’s iconic blocky handwriting. Sarah played such a bad actress to Sierra, as if she could not conceive why everyone voted Sierra. Yet, Sierra thought that Sarah voted to save her and thus willed her the advantage. I- uh- what?

Ghost Island: This is an interesting item, because if you’re voted out it will involve another player. If you can’t save it for yourself, you have to give it to someone else. At the same time, the Legacy Advantage was a mystery to players on both MvGX and Mamanuca Islands. Not just to what it did, but in general- only Sierra, Sarah, Jessica, and Ken knew about it. On Ghost Island, people who hear about it can put together “oh, it’s a late game mandatory idol”. The cover is essentially blown whenever someone reveals it.

While I am not against revealing advantages, this is one you keep to yourself unless you are absolutely sure you can trust the person you tell it to. Jessica could tell Ken because Ken was largely a loyal player (until the Final 4). Sierra couldn’t trust Sarah because you can’t really trust almost any non-Ken player with it. The only mileage you could get by doing so is threatening to give it to someone else if you go. Otherwise, it’s basically telling them “if you blindside me, someone is getting this, and it could be you!”

Sarah’s Vote Stealer (Game Changers)

Origin/History/Bungled Play: Okay, bear with me, y’all- all three topics are sort of intertwined with each other. It’s kind of complicated.

At a challenge come Final 11, Michaela was not chosen by either team despite her athletic prowess, angering her. Under her sit-out bench was an advantage, later revealed to be a vote stealer. In her anger, however, Michaela did not notice it. On her way back to the boat to take them to camp, Sarah did notice it, grabbing it up before boarding.

Sarah kept a hold onto it until Final 7, where she promised she would give it to Cirie to hold onto as a sign of trust. However, Cirie knew Tai was going after Sarah- and Sarah wouldn’t believe it. Cirie decided to take the vote steal advantage, steal Sarah’s vote, which would convince Tai to hold onto his two idols- while Cirie would blindside him with both.

However, this came to a halt when Cirie tried to pull this off at Tribal and steal Sarah’s vote. Sarah pointed out that the item was non-transferrable, therefore it still belonged to Sarah. Sarah was just letting Cirie hold onto it. Sarah took it back, and after about an hour of live Tribal debating, Sarah used it to steal Tai’s vote and, with Brad and Troy, impromptu vote out Michaela with the advantage meant for her.

Analysis: While this made Cirie look like an overplayer who couldn’t read, Sarah gave her the advantage as they were walking to Tribal- preventing Cirie from reading it. Still, it was a plan that was complicated and could backfire if one thing went wrong- and Sarah prevented Cirie from outplaying her. Weird as it is to say, Sarah snaked Cirie. As for Michaela, she’s always been a player overtaken by emotion- a rarity in this day and age. While it was foolish to miss it, it’s an easily preventable mistake- you know, for a time when she isn’t voted out with a gift meant for her.

Ghost Island: I doubt anyone will try and transfer this and take it from someone again, for one thing, but Michaela’s mistake can’t be replicated as this will be on Ghost Island- you can’t miss it. The real lesson here is not to overplay things. Cirie had a grand, complicated plan that I think would have been awesome had it worked out- but just voting out Troy or whomever would have been okay for her. Even letting Sarah go would be alright. She had a right to worry about two idols ending her game, but she didn’t have to take a huge risk to get ahead because the other option was not worth discarding.

Lauren’s Extra Vote (Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers)

Origin: Lauren found an advantage for an extra vote, but learned she would only receive it if she abstained from voting that round (The Final 11). They had hoped to split the vote that round, but Lauren abstaining from voting would make it 3-3-4. Thus, she told Ben, who got Mike to help split the vote (as did Cole), letting Lauren abstain from voting to obtain the vote, with only Ben being the wiser.

History: At the Final 7, as covered with her idol, she was in talks with Devon and Ashley about voting out Ben. Ben overheard, and used the extra vote as ammunition to have her taken out.

Bungled Play: At Tribal Council, during a mess of talk, Lauren claimed she left her extra vote at camp. This would be a damning choice, as she was voted out with only one vote- and two against someone else would have saved her.

Analysis: Expecting Lauren to play her extra vote and mocking her for not doing so is hugely results oriented bullshit and I can prove it mathematically.

The vote realistically was set to go 4-3. If she was in the three and played her extra vote she would have made it 4-4, which would have sent it to a tie where I do not believe she votes twice again. Not that it mattered, as Ben had an idol.

If the vote was 4-3 her way, she makes it 3-3-2 if she votes twice for another person. She essentially gives majority away, and if she votes for, say, Chrissy- she doesn’t get it back if Ben doesn’t play an idol as Chrissy, Ryan, and Mike all vote Lauren. Again, it didn’t matter, because Ben had an idol.

It was only in the one scenario that happened, that really was not written in the stars, where the extra vote could have saved her. However, I don’t blame her, and nor should you, for not playing it. Also she said in interviews she lied about not bringing it and it was in her pocket, so there’s that. Lauren did make some mistakes going in. Staying on as a vote for Ben even when Ben was acting up deliberately. Giving Mike the thing that would have saved her. However, not playing the extra vote was not a stupid mistake. It was a justifiable chance that didn’t work out.

Ghost Island: I suppose the lesson to take from this is that if you think that a risk should be taken, be gutsy and go for it. There’s a time for caution and a time for action. If you have a feeling in your gut that you should do something, go for it. Give it a try. With an item like this, it makes it easier to.

Conclusion

Now that I’ve finished giving conflicting advice, all the advantages have been covered!

Whenever in the season these pop up between the 75 different idols, I think they will lead to something more interesting. In general, these items are riskier to work and involve more than dropping a trinket on the urn perch. They involve talking to and trusting people, as well as coordinating a plan of attack, for a lesser output, which really helps make the twists more balanced. I’m expecting some ingenuity out of those who hold these items.

As you may have noticed, the premiere for Ghost Island is in one week from now. I don’t think logically I can do any sort of complete cast assessment before it starts. I do hope to do something regarding the cast by then, but to me, the draw has always been the items and the idea of Survivor history. I don’t care about a lot of the cast enough to have kept my attention, but this concept is one I love.

Hopefully it’ll give me reason to keep being a fan once the camera starts rolling.

-Cam

P.S. Speaking of Survivor History, I did a writeup on Ogakor for a group project! A Tagi one is set to come out soon. Check it out if you like myself and my writing!