Getty Jerri Manthey arrives at the CBS "Survivor" 10 Year Anniversary Party on January 9, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.
The gameplay on “Survivor” has changed a lot over the years and one castaway has a lot to say about the way Tribal Council is conducted nowadays.
In a recent interview on the “Hot Takes Deep Dives” podcast, three-time “Survivor” player Jerri Manthey talked about how the game has changed over the years, including how much she hates all the talking at Tribal Council. Here’s what she had to say.
Manthey Thinks the Tribal Council Talk and the Hidden Idols Are Too Much
In the interview, Manthey dug into talking about strategy and her advice for people who are going on “Survivor,” which led her to sarcastically toss out that you always have to be looking for an idol nowadays — to the detriment of the show.
“I guess now the other strategy is always look for an idol — and I hate that because it takes people away from camp and that’s where all the relationship stuff is missing now,” lamented Manthey. “The things that made us all friends, in the end, all of that is really truly missing because people are just constantly scheming and planning. It’s exhausting to watch and I know we don’t even get to see a quarter of what’s going on.”
She went on to say that the show has also gotten fast and loose with the editing because half the time, the elimination comes out of nowhere.
“Like, how many times have you watched an episode now where you’re like, ‘Wait, was there a conversation that happened that I didn’t hear? Like how did they end up voting that way?'” said Manthey.
She’s not wrong.
Manthey also said that the talking at Tribal Council was never allowed before and she’s astounded with the way it has taken over Tribal Council.
“And I absolutely hate — 100,000 percent — I hate all this talking at Tribal Council. That was not allowed. That was never allowed. You went in there, you had to be quiet and you had to let Jeff do his thing. If you made eye contact with somebody, that was it. Now they’re like getting up and walking around and whispering in each other’s ears. No. I hate that,” said Manthey.
Her Advice For the Game Is Three-Fold
Manthey outlined some important facets of strategy in playing the game, but she said the absolute most important one is that you have to adapt as the game changes.
“My strategy has always been just adapt. Constantly change, adapt, don’t think that there’s one set way to get to the end. Every minute, things are changing so drastically,” said Manthey, adding, “The No. 1 strategy is adapting. You have to constantly figure out which scenarios are going to work best in your favor and that changes so much that that itself is so exhausting.”
She then said you have to find “at least one person that you can almost completely trust” as much as you can trust anyone in “Survivor,” which is also “very hard,” but it’s crucial in the game.
And finally, she said that apparently nowadays, you have to constantly be trying to find an idol. Again, she’s not wrong.
“Survivor” is back in production now. If the pattern holds, it should be premiering its 41st season the third or fourth week of September 2021.
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