The Final Four Fire-Making Challenge on ‘Survivor’ Has Worn Out Its Welcome

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the finale of Survivor Season 46.

Since introduced in the 35th season of Survivor, the Final Four Fire-Making Challenge was created as a twist that was meant to give all the power to the Immunity Challenge winner while also giving the obvious next vote out one more chance to remain. There have been examples where the winner of the Immunity Challenge has gone to make fire themselves to boost their resume. And it worked! Other times it’s backfired on the Immunity Challenge winner as it padded someone else’s resume to win. It’s not a fair twist. But at the same time, it’s lost its impact. As Survivor 46 winner Kenzie Petty noted in the Reunion following the result, she started the game with the Yanu Tribe lacking flint for 11 days, and then it was fire that won the game for her. In a game where practice makes perfect, not giving them fire at the start of the game is a hindrance and disservice to the players. But bigger than that, the show cannot interfere with the natural flow of the game. Survivor needs to stop giving players extra lifelines and allow the game to play out naturally.Survivor isn’t a fair game, but some parts of the game should be.

As one of the greatest social experiments to ever appear on reality television, Survivor has been a staple in the world of competition programs. With the simple premise of voting out your competitors as you outwit, outplay, and outlast, Survivor‘s longevity has been thanks to the castaways who have put themselves into the fire to play. To keep the show fresh over its over two-decade run, Survivor has introduced twists and turns that have influenced how the game is played. Strategies have changed based on the mechanics introduced. But when the mechanics introduced are reactionary because the show didn’t like how one result played out, it calls out the integrity of the game. Survivor must go back to basics and eliminate one of the most controversial elements ever introduced. Jeff Probst, whip out your snuffer. It’s time to snuff the Fire Making Challenge.

The Final Four Fire-Making Twist Impacted ‘Survivor 46’

As Survivor 46 has proven, outside forces do not make or break a season.With five individuals eliminated with an Immunity Idol in their pocket, the season relied on exceptional social games and strategic prowess. But there was still one more hurdle in the game left before the winner of the season was crowned. And that was the Final Four Fire Making Challenge. As is tradition since Survivor: Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers, there is no vote at Final Four. Instead, the winner of the Final Four Immunity Challenge will have the option of who they would like to sit next to in the Final Three. The remaining two castaways would then be forced to compete to make a fire, where the winner would then occupy the final seat. Of course, if the Immunity Challenge winner felt they needed to pad their resume or eliminate someone from contention to win, they have the option to forgo their safety and place themselves in the line of fire and risk it all by participating in the Final Four Fire Making Challenge.

We’ll discuss the history and impact of this twist momentarily, but for now, let’s turn to its impact on Survivor 46. Ben Katzman shockingly won his first Immunity Challenge at Final Four and opted to bring Charlie Davis along with him, forcing Kenzie Petty and Liz Wilcox to compete. He was scared of Liz’s winning potential, which the jury found hilarious, but placed Kenzie in fire to beat Liz, as he believed the kindness Charlie showed him since day one overrode Kenzie’s, the woman who helped him through a number of panic attacks. Kenzie won. And then Kenzie won it all. By a 5-3 vote, Kenzie was victorious after it was revealed that Charlie’s number one ally, Maria Shrime Gonzalez, flipped her vote and gave it to Kenzie. Her reasoning? She stated during the Reunion that it was her winning fire. Though it’s likely it was more in line of Charlie betraying her, if Maria’s statement holds true, Survivor 46’s result was determined based on one single moment at the very end of the game. How fair is that?

Not to take away anything from Kenzie’s incredible social game that did aid in her win, knowing that Maria’s crucial vote would likely have shifted the result, is quite revealing. Based on Ben bringing Charlie to the end with him, if Ben was forced to be the tie-breaking vote between Kenzie and Charlie, he likely would have given Charlie his vote, making him the winner of Survivor 46. The fact the entire season’s result may have been contingent on who can make fire faster calls into question the integrity of everything that led up to that point. There’s no proof that Charlie, Ben, and Kenzie would have united together to vote out Liz had there been a Final Four vote. There could have been a tie that would have resulted in a Fire-Making Challenge anyway. But with the show so gung ho on keeping this game-changing element present, it feels as if two entirely different games are forced upon the players.

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The History of Fire Making on ‘Survivor’ Has Proven Problematic

The main reason that the Final Four Fire-Making Challenge exists is because of Jeff Probst. He has asserted his feelings and his support for the twist, that it would take a lot more than Survivor fans’ whining for the twist to be removed. It would most likely take a player he truly adores losing the game for him to go back on his word. With Jeff believing this element saves the biggest perceived threat, he negates the fact that perhaps that person is in that position because they’re not strong enough at the social aspect of the game. To be fair, it wasn’t until the New Era of Survivor that social games finally did get the praise they deserve. The unfair twist is present, so it’s crucial to factor in how to maneuver around it. When the twist was first introduced, Ben Driebergen was the first to utilize it to his favor. He would very much have been voted out at Final Four, but his victory in the Fire-Making Challenge helped secure his win from the jury. A season later on Survivor: Ghost Island, Wendell Holland won the Fire Making Challenge and won the season, partially thanks to the very first tie-breaking vote. While Survivor: Edge of Extinction had its own share of problematic twists, Chris Underwood, who had returned from Edge of Extinction, won Immunity and put himself in fire against Rick Devens, as he was the biggest threat to win. Chris beat Devens, ultimately giving him the strongest case for the jury to reward him. Once the New Era of Survivor arrived, the Final Four Fire-Making Challenge illuminated its flaws even further.

For long-time fans, so much weight has been placed on the Fire-Making Challenge. It’s as if they’ve been brainwashed into believing that this twist is the make-or-break element that will win them the game. In a game filled with statistics, some amazing individuals on Reddit have displayed just how impactful the Fire Making Challenge is on the result of the game. Since being introduced in 12 seasons, the winner of the Fire Making Challenge has been the Sole Survivor five times. They are Ben Driebergen, Wendell Holland, Tony Vlachos on Survivor: Winners at War, Mike Gabler on Survivor: 43, and most recently Kenzie Petty on Survivor 46. Only twice has the Final Four Immunity Challenge winner won the season without needing to make fire. They were Nick Wilson on Survivor: David vs Goliath and Dee Vallardes on Survivor 45. Chris Underwood successfully put himself in fire and won the game. Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt is the only one whose plan to make fire backfired, losing at Final Tribal Council during Survivor 44. The person who was brought along to the Final Three by the Immunity Challenge winner has won four times, notably three times in the New Era. They are Tommy Sheehan on Survivor: Island of the Idols, Erika Casupanan on Survivor 41, Maryanne Oketch on Survivor 42, and Yam Yam Arocho on Survivor 44. Of those individuals, their ability to connect with the jury and showcase that their game has been socially driven has proven that there is much more to Survivor than feats of strength and physical skill.

It’s become increasingly clear that the fans believe the twist is beyond played out. It truly alters how this game is played. It’s a factor that should not need to be considered. It’s a free pass to save specific individuals. Having the fire-making victory on your resume has evidently swayed opinions when making their vote for Sole Survivor. The history of the game could be different with certain seasons having different winners had the twist not existed. At the end of the day, it’s a disservice. If Kenzie did not have enough ability to make fire, and she lost because she missed out on 11 days of practice because Jeff wanted to make the game harder, fans would be in an uproar about how unfair and skewed the game is. But hey, that’s Survivor for ya! Oh, and while we’re at it, let’s also give the Shot in the Dark advantage the chop as well. When these elements are present to save certain individuals and give them a last-ditch effort to stay, it’s really not the game Survivor fans fell in love with. You have to outplay, outwit, and outlast on your own. If you need to rely on something else, are you really playing Survivor as intended?

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