Almost every season of the New Era of Survivor has seen players head off on Journeys. They are intended to give castaways the opportunity to meet players across tribal lines, while potentially granting them a power or advantage. But it always comes with a twist. Typically, for those who do not earn the power, they will lose their vote at the next Tribal Council. With tribes starting off with six players, not having a vote in that very first Tribal can truly be make or break. The first journey of Survivor 49 changed things up a bit.
After defeating Jake Latimer and Matt Williams, Jawan Pitts had the choice of a power to help himself or a power to help his tribe. Knowing he was on the outs of the Uli tribe, he selected the latter. At the Immunity Challenge, Jeff Probst revealed that his power was to disadvantage another tribe. And the disadvantage was essentially meant to be a death sentence. But Jawan’s decision cost him socially when the disadvantage backfired, thanks to a massive comeback victory from the Hina tribe. The moment proved that Survivor went a bit too far for a television moment that may handicap Jawan in the game.
Jawan’s Journey Led To His Own Disadvantage
Survivor 49‘s Journey watched the trio of castaways toss coconuts in their opponents’ nets, causing them to eventually drop when they become too full. While the trio should have explored some future alliance-building, Jawan won. While he was tempted to take the personal advantage of stealing either Jake’s or Matt’s next vote, he opted to help his tribe in hopes of getting in their good graces. A smart social strategy for the short term. By the time he reached the Immunity Challenge, Jake found the confidence to put a target on the Hina tribe, who had been winning everything thus far. Their disadvantage was that they had to force the entire tribe to carry 20 lbs of coconuts on their backs through the obstacle course and then open a second lock at the gate.
The Hina tribe was furious at the decision, which was presented as Jawan’s and Jawan’s alone. Hina Tribe member Kristina Mills expressed rage, feeling as if it was a direct attack on them, rather than sympathy for Kele, as he claimed. So, did Jawan cause Hina to win and finally assist the Kele tribe in their losing streak? Absolutely not. The perceived death sentence was a major comeback for Hina, sending Kele back to Tribal for the second time. It was a shocking blow to everyone on the Kele Tribe, but Jawan’s shock said it all.
‘Survivor’ Overcompensated Again With a Twist
A massive television moment came thanks to the triumphant comeback, but in terms of social strategy, this one is about to sting for Jawan. He has become enemy number 1 for everybody on the beach now as an easy target. The repercussions extend beyond a single challenge. This is something that will likely lead to revenge down the line by the other castaway. And it wasn’t a decision he could necessarily get out of. What was meant to help his tribe ended up hurting him and potentially the five other individuals on Uli.
Survivor botched the power by first handicapping the Hina Tribe while also putting a massive target on Jawan’s own back, should he have to play alongside any of those remaining players at a Tribe Swap or the merge. Survivor loves to make castaways make bold moves, but they often overcompensate. What might be a big “TV moment” turns into a strategic backfire for the player. The damage could have been minimized if the decision had been made in private. Jawan was forced to make his decision out in the open, all because of a shocking television gag. Jawan even told Jeff it was savage, so he was aware what his future could look like.
Jeff has celebrated players who make big moves, but he continues to neglect how said big moves can risk a castaway’s entire game. It’s causing many New Era players to opt away from risk in hopes of earning the ultimate reward in the end. Survivor can never go back to the old school days of a twist-less social experiment, but it has to cool off on twists that are game-changing for all the wrong reasons.
Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8:00pm on CBS. All episodes are available to stream on Paramount+.
- Release Date
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May 31, 2000
- Showrunner
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Jeff Probst
- Directors
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Jeff Probst
