‘Survivor’ Fans React to New ‘Do or Die’ Twist

CBS Jeff Probst in the premiere of 'Survivor 41'

In episode 11 of “Survivor 41,” viewers were introduced to the “Do or Die” twist. The new twist required the first player eliminated from the immunity challenge to participate in a game of chance to determine if they would stay in the game or be eliminated.

Deshawn was the first player eliminated, so at Tribal Council, he had to partake in the “Do or Die” game. Jeff Probst placed three boxes in front of Deshawn. Two of the boxes contained a skull symbol, and one of the boxes had a fire symbol.

Deshawn had to choose a box without knowing the inside contents. If Deshawn chose one of the boxes with a skull symbol, he would be immediately eliminated from the game. If he chose the box with the fire symbol inside, he was safe. Deshawn luckily chose the box with the fire symbol and was guaranteed safety for the week.

Fans React to “Do or Die” Twist

The new twist received mixed reactions from fans. Some fans love the unpredictability element that has been introduced into the game this season, while others took issue with the new twist stating the game has become too luck-based.

“Survivor” fans took to Twitter after the December 1 episode to voice their opinion on the new twist. One Twitter user wrote, “do or die is legitimately the worst #survivor twist ever, and I hope it never happens again.” Another Twitter user wrote, “Survivor needs to never ever ever do that stupid Do or Die twist again.”

Former “Survivor” castaway Erik Reichenbach also weighed in on the new twist, tweeting, “Catching up on #Survivor41 and Jeff just introduced the ‘Do or Die’ challenge. I am super mad it is a game of chance and not a game of skill. Leaving based on dumb luck is awful! Should have made DoD a game of skill for sake of fairness (and also better TV drama to watch).”

Jeff Probst on Breaking the Fourth Wall in ‘Survivor 41’

Season 41 is a whole new game. Probst went as far as to call it “Survivor 2.0” in a July Instagram promo. One significant change to the game is that season 41 breaks the fourth wall. Jeff addresses “Survivor” fans directly, speaking right to the camera.

In October 2021, “Survivor” host Jeff Probst spoke to Entertainment Weekly about this change to the game.

Probst told Entertainment Weekly that breaking the fourth wall was an attempt to make viewers feel like part of the game.

“The long-term plan is to bring the fans inside the game a bit more each season, but the key is to do it very judiciously. So it will only be occasionally in ‘Survivor 41,’ then a bit in ‘Survivor 42’.’ And like everything else we do, this too is an experiment. If it works and people like it. We’ll keep on with it, and if it doesn’t, we’ll lose it,” he told the publication.

Probst said that the idea to speak directly to fans came to him during quarantine when he was brainstorming ideas for how to shake up the game.

“The single biggest benefit of the quarantine period was that it gave us time to truly step back and look at the show without the pressure of a ticking clock, and one of the ideas that kept popping up was, how do we bring the audience inside the game even more?”

“Survivor” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS. Season 42 of “Survivor” will air in March 2022.