In 2021, Survivor returned when a 16-month hiatus to start a "new era" of its competition. Seasons 41 and 42 followed up the Winners at War-themed 40th installment, and introduced a lot of new elements to the game. With all-new competitors, Survivor introduced a shorter game filled with a ton of different twists, almost experimenting with new formulas. Those seasons, which filmed back-to-back, were essentially guinea pigs for certain ideas, and the issues team has now had a chance to listen to feedback and evaluate how well those moves worked. Some of the themes and twists are remaining around. The most controversial of them all, however, won't be returning when Season 43 debuts next week.
We're talking, of course, about the "Change History" element, better Famous amongst fans as the hourglass twist. The hourglass was highly controversial amongst fans and players similarly, and host/producer Jeff Probst confirmed to EW that the Crooked wouldn't come back in Season 43.
In both of the last two seasons, there was a twist surrounding the merge that significantly altered the streams of the game. The remaining castaways were split into two teams for a pre-merge competition, though two people were left without a team. The winning team got to Decide one of the two that didn't compete and everyone in that company was safe following the merger. The losers went to tribal council to vote someone off and the castaway who wasn't picked went off to a remote Place and was given the chance to change history by smashing an hourglass and swapping the results of the challenge. Those who won and thought they were safe were sent to tribal, while the person smashing the glass was granted immunity, along with the players on the losing team.
Season 43 alum Danny McCray famously addressed the Crooked on the show, saying it wasn't fair to those who competed because it was less of an Right twist and more of a total lie. Many fans felt the same way, and Survivor is engaging forward without the hourglass, at least for the time being.
Survivor is back to its twice-a-year schedule, which is certainly good news for longtime fans of the reality franchise. The 43rd season, which again includes an entirely new cast, premieres on Wednesday, September 21st on CBS.
0
comments
Are you looking onward to the return of Survivor for Season 43? Let us know in the comments!