The tribe has spoken on Survivor's controversial hourglass twist.
Ahead of the Sept. 21 premiere of Survivor season 43, host Jeff Probst has revealed which twists will not make it into this next chapter.
"Here's what you won't see in Survivor 43: Change History and Do or Die," the long-running host told Entertainment Weekly Sept. 14. "How ya like them apples?"
And while Probst knows nixing the twists will be contentious, he's not necessarily snuffing their torches forever.
"I can already hear some fans celebrating and others saying we caved to criticism," the Emmy-winning host said. "We love fan feedback, and the feedback on Change History was amazing. People either really liked it or really hated it, but not a single person said 'Eh, I could take it or leave it.' And with Do or Die, the drama was electrifying but we also felt that was one twist we could put on the shelf… for now."
For those unfamiliar with these Survivor switch-ups, the controversial Change History (a.k.a. hourglass) twist first popped up during season 41's pre-merge episode, when the castaways were separated from their tribes into two new groups to compete for individual immunity. The winning team was all given immunity from the vote, while only the losers would be on the chopping block. But here's the rub: the winning team could pick one of two players who did not compete to be sent off to Exile Island, which secretly granted them the power to "change history" if they wanted to. The chosen contestant could smash an hourglass, reversing the outcome of the challenge—meaning the winners would actually be up for elimination, not the losers.
This caused more than a little behind-the-scenes drama. Season 41's Sydney Segal, who was eliminated during that episode, told TVLine in November 2021 that the decision caused "sheer pandemonium" at camp and that fellow contestant Danny McCray even "reamed Jeff out" for the decision off-camera.
So, for season 42, the twist was presented a little differently: Probst told contestants that the person going to Exile would have a secret power that could change the game. But ultimately, the hourglass was still smashed, and a member of the winning team was sent home.
The Do or Die twist, on the other hand, gave cast members a choice to compete or sit out of an immunity challenge; if they competed and were the first person out, they would have to play a Monty Hall game and could be eliminated from the season.
Get to see the show's other twists and turns when Survivor season 43 premieres Sept. 21 on CBS.