As any die hard fan of Survivor knows, any time an immunity idol is played during tribal council another idol is hidden at camp.
During this week’s episode of Survivor , it was former David tribe member Davie Rickenbacker who found a clue to a hidden immunity idol. Davie’s immunity idol was somewhat unique in the fact that it could only be used during the next tribal council. However, he was presented with an opportunity to extend the life of his immunity idol.
Before Davie were two sets of urns. He could pick an urn and extend the life of his idol if he picked the right one, but he had to risk his vote at tribal council for the chance. Channeling his mother, Davie looked to God for a sign regarding whether he should gamble with his vote or just use the idol at this tribal council.
After weighing his odds and waiting for a sign from God, Davie decided it wasn’t worth it to risk his vote and took the idol for the shelf life he found it with.
Entertainment Weekly caught up with host Jeff Probst following this week’s episode to get his thoughts on Davie’s decision not to use the idol. Moreover, the publication wanted to know what Jeff would have done if he had been in Davie’s position.
“The reason I love this dilemma is because it’s situational. It depends your status in the game, where you think the votes are going, and how secure you are within your alliance. Good ol’ Davie! He has played a fantastic game thus far! I think this decision was based more on ensuring he still had his vote at Tribal and not about the idol. But if you put that same opportunity in the hands of a player who is clearly on the outs, then the possibility of extending the power of the idol becomes very enticing and the threat of losing your vote less concerning,” Jeff revealed.
Jeff Probst on how Survivor scored in season 37 https://t.co/f9Ts4yLE1l
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) November 13, 2018
The reality TV show host believed the same player put in this situation more than once was likely to make a different choice depending on their current situation in the game. For Davie, he felt as though he needed his vote to move the game forward so selecting an urn wasn’t worth the gamble.
A different castaway who felt more comfortable with their current position in the game may have opted to take the gamble.
Jeff added: “I tend to be a risk taker, and as you know I have always seen Survivor as a game in which you need momentum. You can’t play conservatively and expect to win. Getting to the end if you have no game is Survivor’s version of a participation trophy. Sure, it’s fun to tell people you made it to the final three, but it ultimately holds no value.”
‘Survivor’ deleted scene: ‘I’m in a freakin’ helicopter!’ shouts Davie Rickenbacker after winning reward challenge [WATCH] https://t.co/ruQpDF1b6Y
— Gold Derby (@GoldDerby) December 15, 2018
While Jeff admittedly understood Davie’s decision not to take a risk, he believes castaways have to make sure they aren’t playing a game that is too careful and conservative. While you can get to the end playing a careful game, the person who plays the careful game is not usually the person who wins.
The season finale of Survivor: David vs Goliath airs next week only on CBS.
