In June, we revealed that the title and theme of the thirty-eighth edition of Survivor would be titled Island of Extinction, in a slight correction to that info, the title is actually Edge of Extinction.

The corrected title was first posted by user Phee-Lion on Reddit, and Inside Survivor has since verified this with our own sources. The twist itself remains the same, though the Island of Extinction will simply be known as Extinction Island.

Below is the original article posted back in June:

What does that mean? Why does it sound like the title of a future Jurassic Park movie? Are we going to see a literal Dodo on Survivor? All valid questions. Let me try and explain the best I can.

After each Tribal Council, the eliminated castaway will have a choice to leave the game or go to Extinction Island where they will have no shelter, limited food supplies and nothing but time on their hands as they await a chance to potentially get back in the game. They can choose to quit at any time. Basically Redemption Island but without the weekly duels.

Earlier this week Inside Survivor announced four returning castaways would be competing on season 38 and one can’t help but think this twist is a way to prolong their screen-time should they be voted out. It could also act as an incentive for the newbies not to eliminate the veterans, knowing that there is a chance they could come back.

Extinction Island sounds like an updated version of the original Ghost Island concept which was one of the ideas on the table for season 30 back in 2014. Inside Survivor posted about the old Ghost Island concept last year after a source shared with us a pitch document detailing the theme. In the pitch, Ghost Island is described as a location where eliminated players live together with “a shelter and only meager supplies” while waiting for an opportunity to return at a later point in the season.

The pitch went on to say that those remaining on the island would compete in an endurance challenge both at the merge and on Day 37, where the winner would be reintroduced to the game. It also said that the focus would be on “an entirely new kind of survival – of the mental kind” and that the lack of alliances would create “a new kind of politicking” where people would “try and figure out how to get others to quit” to increase their chances.

UPDATED: 07/13/18: Inside Survivor can now confirm that the theme will indeed work like the original Ghost Island concept mentioned above. When a player is eliminated they can choose to quit or stay on Extinction Island. Players can leave at any time. There will be two chances for a player to win their way back into the game – at the merge and then around Day 35/36. Extinction Island does not reset at the merge; the extinct castaways who don’t win their way back into the game can continue to live on Extinction Island until Day 35/36 when the second opportunity to reenter arises. Yes, that means pre-merge boots could be living alongside post-merge boots. And yes, that theoretically means the entire cast could still be alive in the game come Day 35/36. It could also mean a player eliminated on Day 3 still has a chance to reenter and win the season.

UPDATED: 07/20/18: Many people have asked how the jury will work in regards to this twist, well, we can finally shed some light on that matter. As I understand it, every eliminated player who chooses to stay on Extinction Island past the first merge Tribal Council will be part of the jury (if a player on EI quits post-merge, they will still be on the jury). Yes, that means, theoretically, all 15 castaways not in the Final 3 could be a jury member. It could also mean those eliminated early are voting for people they’ve never met at Final Tribal Council.

UPDATED: 01/02/19: The Extinction Island twist will not be revealed to the entire cast up front. A player will only become aware of the twist once they are voted out. The players remaining in the game will not find out about Extinction Island until the merge when Jeff Probst brings out the eliminated castaways for their first opportunity to win their way back into the game. Think back to the Outcasts twist in Survivor: Pearl Islands to get a sense of how this might work. The winner of the challenge will reenter the game and join the merged tribe. The losers can choose to continue living on Extinction Island or quit.



What do you think? Has Survivor gone too far? Would it be enjoyable to watch people trying to make each other quit? Would people accept an early boot returning to the game that late in the process? Is it right that every eliminated player could be on the jury?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Stay tuned to Inside Survivor over the coming weeks for further updates.

Header Photo: CJ Isherwood via Compfight cc

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