Why So Many Survivor 46 Players Go Home With Idols in Their Pockets

Survivor is a game about strategy, forming bonds, and putting your body to the ultimate test. The motto, after all, is to “outwit, outplay, and outlast” the competition. Through the 46 seasons to date, players have employed different types of strategies, even when twists are introduced, like the Immunity Idol. This highly coveted trinket grants the finder immunity from the vote when they use it. But there has been a big problem of late: players keep going home with idols in their pockets. In fact, the latest 46th season broke a record in this respect.

Going home with an idol in your pocket used to be the subject of ridicule, a rare occurrence where someone was duped, failed to see what was going on in the game, or had too big of an ego to realize it. But now, people going home with idols are as frequent as those who are finding ones.

The History of the Survivor Immunity Idol

The Hidden Immunity Idol on Survivor was first introduced on Survivor: Guatemala, the 11th season of the long-running reality competition series that aired way back in 2005. The idea was to give other players, even those who didn’t win a team or immunity challenge, an opportunity at safety. Because it’s hidden, there’s also a clever element of secrecy. When someone finds one, they can keep the information to themselves or let trusted allies know. There’s an element of prestige and accomplishment when someone reveals an idol at Tribal Council and Jeff Probst confirms it to be authentic, declaring that any votes against them won’t count.

It’s easy to see how the Immunity Idol has become an integral part of the game and why players frantically search for hours to find one. Sometimes, it’s common knowledge that a player possesses one; sometimes, they pull it out only after the vote and shock the tribe. The Immunity Idol has created an entirely new element to the game. Players can play them to save others and keep their alliance strong. One of the dominant Survivor strategies relating to the Hidden Immunity Idol is to “flush out the idol,” forcing someone to play it. This strategy can also work the other way, giving that person a false sense of security so they don’t play it and get sent home.

Some have even created fake idols to convince others they have one or hide them so someone else finds them and wrongfully thinks they’re real. Gary Hogeboom was the first to make a fake idol on Survivor: Guatemala, though his hidden one was never found. Bob Crowley on Survivor: Gabon created two fake idols on his season, and they are considered to be among the most convincing replicas to date. Fake or real, idol plays have led to some of the most exciting, shocking Tribal Council moments.

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However, the value of the idol has been depleted over the years, particularly with the new generation seasons. Player after player goes home while in possession of one. They’re unable to see that they are on the chopping block, convinced they have the majority vote. Players seemingly perceive the idol to have more power just being in hand than it actually does. As this new season proves, however, that’s far from reality.

In the past, idols served their purpose well. Among the best idol plays include when Parvati Shallow played two idols for her allies Jerri Mathey and Sandra Diaz-Twine in Season 20, “Heroes vs. Villains,” a move no one saw coming. Kelly Wentworth found the idol on the first episode of Season 31, “Cambodia,” and didn’t play it until the second Tribal Council after the Merge, but at the perfect time. Her idol play set a record at the time for the most votes canceled out at nine.

Does this mean some players are getting better at the game or flipping the script at the last minute? Or are some getting worse and unable to see through a façade? Whatever the reason, the Hidden Immunity Idol doesn’t hold as much stock as it used to, particularly as player after player neglects to actually use it.

The Latest Idols Have Been Wasted

Season 46 is unfortunate evidence of this, setting a record for the number of players voted out with an idol in their pocket: five. Jem Hussain-Adams was the first, followed by Hunter McKnight, Tiffany Nicole Ervin, Venus Vafa, and Q Burdette. Q, the last player to be sent home with one burning a hole in his pocket, told Yahoo! News that his decision was a calculated risk. He believed he could make it through “one more tribal” before using it. This risk was high given that Q narrowly escaped going home the two prior Tribal Councils, so chances were that his time was up. But like many others, he was overconfident, and that “one more tribal” never came.

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Before Q, Jem, Hunter, Tiffany, and Venus all made the same mistake. They made it as far as the final nine, Q to the final six, making their decision not to use the idol even more baffling. With a one-in-nine chance of going home (less for the last three people voted off), using an idol to at least have an assurance to continue for the million-dollar prize seems like a no-brainer.

So, why are players so reluctant to use their idols? They want to maximize the effectiveness and use it when they’re most at risk, versus pulling it out when there aren’t any votes against them. However, if this season of Survivor is any indication, players are having a hard time realizing who they can trust and when the votes will fall their way. Others, meanwhile, are making last-minute switches that could help or hinder their game in the long run and leave tribe members with their jaws dropped to the floor.

The Way Players View Immunity Idols Needs a Shake Up

With all that said, it’s easy to sit on the couch from the comfort of home and wonder why these players didn’t play the idol that would have saved them. There’s a different level of pressure in the game, particularly when dealing with the elements, lack of food and water, and stress. Even so, what was once an integral part of Survivor has become nothing more than a useless false sense of security.

The Season 46 players might represent some of the worst failures to play an idol, but they aren’t the only players to make idol mistakes. Sophie Clarke from “Winners at War” didn’t realize that while her close ally Sarah would never turn on her, Sarah’s other ally, Tony, wanted to remove the competition, and she went home without playing hers. Even fan-favorite players are not immune. On “Micronesia,” when competition beast Ozzy Lusth didn’t win the immunity challenge and didn’t bother playing his Hidden Idol, strategic player Cirie Fields used the opportunity to blindside him, using his overconfidence against him. Arguably, one of the worst failures to play is Kellee Kim from “Island of The Idols,” who went home with not just one but two Idols in her pocket.

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As the saying goes, don’t wait for a special occasion. Crack open that vintage bottle of wine, book that trip, and use the fine China. For Survivor, play the darned Immunity Idol. The game changes so much from one week to the next. While a player might be on the bottom one week, someone else could become Public Enemy Number One the next. Even when players think they are safe, there’s no guaranteed safety. Except for playing an idol, that is.

Depending on which way the wind blows, anyone from Survivor could be at risk, whether because the player is perceived as a weak member of the tribe, too strong, too vocal, too quiet, or on the wrong (or right) side of the numbers. The idol might be a great souvenir to take home, but it’s not worth a million bucks. Stream Survivor on Paramount+.