Survivor: Edge of Extinction Review

Reviewing the entire season of Survivor: Edge of Extinction. Was it great, lame, or somewhere in between? Is it a top tier season or should we not get excited? Here are my thoughts, dude.
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[@Comaful]

Chris wasn't the problem. His gameplay at the end was flawless. The problem was he returned way too late. If he returned two episodes before and played like that, he would've been one of the best winners of the show.

[@emperorpalpatine8120]

He was the problem. He's the worst winner in Survivor history hands down. He's not even a winner. He's a #FakeWinner

[@MD-et5fm]

No he's not. The problem is the twist itself. And Chris made the most out of it.

[@Comaful]

@@emperorpalpatine8120 why is it even his fault? He did his best and apparently that's enough. Keep in mind the jury is eoe people, of course they will vote for him. Get over it.

[@emperorpalpatine8120]

@@Comaful You obviously do not care for the integrity of the game. EoE goes against everything Survivor is supposed to be about. Once you get voted out, you lost. You're done. You don't deserve to win. (redacted) winning is worse than if Lill won Pearl Islands

[@sailingtime3054]

Chris was the absolute least deserving winner. Even less deserving than Rosie Ruiz from the Boston Marathon 30 years or so ago. Rosie literally rode the public transportation system to get to the finish line first in the Boston Marathon. It took more than a day for the Boston Marathon to see what happened.

[@chriswitt4551]

*SPOILER* Can’t wait for the all-winners season where they airdrop Chris in on Day 39 and have the Final 4 go to the FTC. (I really am happy for Chris though)

[@strangestcraze7743]

Chris Witt I wish. But for real, they should've got Chris back for S40.

[@rayz9597]

@@strangestcraze7743 that would be funny, I didn't like him winning but for sure I'd watch him again!

[@noname-by9mn]

Kermit The Frog it spoils that Chris won

[@zymantas23]

@@kermitthefrog4362I'm pretty sure CBS hasn't revealed the F40 theme yet.

[@zymantas23]

@@kermitthefrog4362 how is it not a spoiler lmao? And it IS all-winners, there's no ifs or buts about it.

[@MRYTP-vk9no]

That compilation of Reem greeting everyone at the edge was hilarious.

[@WestonEvans]

Extinction island I think is what true survivor should look like. Folks starved out living off the land, irate after only a week or two of play instead of the vacation esque main game they play. Lots of self reflection lots of primal attitude and tribalism and lots of comraderie at some point not just fake lies and bs

[@12354rony]

Weston Evans I think you should watch Discovery instead, survivor was always a strategy game first, and been that way for 19 years.

[@simosc2]

Weston Evans..I agree...Have you watched the earliest seasons? They worked for Everything..It was very hard. That was SURVIVOR!!

[@astynlc3618]

@@simosc2 they were also incredibly boring

[@dylanhavlicek4444]

the edge twist was cool but allowing a player to come back so late in the game seemed cheap. chris definitely made the most of it tho and the payoff for the viewer wasnt good. since it doesnt get better than what chris did they should definitely tweak it

[@mattross3356]

I have to bring up the fact that if Ozzy won South Pacific, they would've advocated for him and said he deserves it, despite coming back at final 4, instead of Chris at final 5. And similarly, if Rick won this season, there would have been no upset and people would've agreed that he played the most dominant game, despite him coming back in from the merge as well. Overall, it was mainly because people saw Chris' failed blindside of Wentworth (Rick's idea anyway) and his lack of gameplay - due to being on the edge - as a reason why he didn't deserve the win.

[@TheBBallEnthusiast]

@@mattross3356 The difference is that Ozzy intentionally got himself voted out pre-merge and won his way back into the game knowing that he was good at challenges; then when he was actualy voted out, he won his way back into the game by continuously winning challenges on. On the other hand, Chris got voted out early, lost the first come-back challenge and won the 2nd challenge. The reason Chris gets hate is because the EOE twist is fucking stupid and he should've never been put in that position in the first place.

[@pewpewpandas9203]

@@TheBBallEnthusiast You gotta admit the fire building challenge play popped off though

[@philipthomas8928]

One day you will review yourself in survivor I'm sure

[@JC-lb3df]

Philip Thomas that would be fun to see

[@greenoftreeblackofblue6625]

I bet he be the first one out too it be a huge disappointment

[@Outplayedqt]

green of tree black of blue he’ll over think it and be first out haha

[@ondrejtoman7433]

dude don't get excited

[@milesbrad9975]

Given how this season played out, and similarly how Redemption Island went, the producers should just get the memo, people should just stay voted out and not come back

[@worthplayingfor2197]

Unless EOE was harder or less flawed.

[@a.jdeets5527]

You're implying Probst actually cares and listens to his fans.

[@worthplayingfor2197]

@@a.jdeets5527 lol

[@breakyourstory]

This season would’ve been so boring without Rick Devins.

[@HoldfastBayHandicap]

MilesBradC 777 What do you think the reaction would have been if Matt Elrod or Ozzy won their seasons? I think it would have been positive and the difference would have been we saw them each week winning redemption island duels and thus became more attached to their journey to then end. We rarely saw Chris, and he only had to win just one challenge.

[@Kyle-ur4mr]

"...and I will be making fire against Rick Devens tonight." Man I love that quote

[@mckinlylove21]

I really wanted more to come out of this season for Aubrey. She had some good tools I wish she had an opportunity to use. Overall I’m not too mad about the season. I am highly impressed that the editors did a good job at masking whom the winner was going to be. I didn’t expect all that. I am curious that if I rewatch it if it would seem more obvious 🤔 anyways great video Peridiam 🙌🏼

[@winstonsmith-ministryoftru1609]

Agree. Was rooting really bad for her to come back.

[@maggie198333]

Aubry

[@whosthatpanda7935]

Mckinly Goodman They edited it so that we thought she’d actually come back, then they just laughed in our faces and never brought her back.

[@roger_towny_jr]

I see a ton of parallels between Aubry's Survivor journey, and Cirie's. Both players started off their first season seeming like they weren't going to be able to hack it, Survival wise. They both quickly rose to be strategic masterminds throughout their first season. Both competed in a fire challenge in the final four. Both competed a second time not long after their first, and had another deep run. Both got voted out in the pre-merge their third time. All three of their first three seasons were very close together time wise. (Cirie: Seasons 12, 16, and 20. Aubry: Seasons 32, 34, and 38) so now, maybe Aubry should pull a Cirie, wait 6 years before competing again in Season 50, by which point she'll get lost in the crowd among a bunch of younger hipper new players, and everyone will forget how good she is.

[@Tomes23]

I don’t like her. Not a fan

[@LimitedTimeRoman]

"If you haven't watched this season of Survivor, I would suggest not watching..." "Damn, Peridiam. It didn't end great but it wasn't THAT ba--" "...the rest of this video, because it's full of spoilers." "Oh....okay then."

[@worthplayingfor2197]

Limited Time Roman I THOUGHT THE SAME THING.

[@cameronschiff132]

Ehhhhh it was pretty damn bad. I struggle to think of many worse seasons

[@tarekt8427]

@@cameronschiff132 The thing is it wasnt bad as you are watching it. but the ending changed it to a dumpster fire. worse winner with Vesepia and Natalie White of all time.

[@Minecraftlover73]

@@tarekt8427 worst winner, that's subjective, bad winner, impossible given how the jury works.

[@tarekt8427]

@@Minecraftlover73 you are correct its subjective. thats why a bigger % of people think he was a terrible winner. you wanna like it. more power to you. but in the anals of survivor winners he is one of the most undeserving. and the exit interviews showed that a lot of the jury were not voting for him due to his merits.............bad winner is absolutely possible. i hate the excuse of jury's are always right. thats b.s. they can make bad calls just like anyone other human in a position of decision making. this was the wrong decision and flew in the face of the game that survivor is. believe otherwise but we will not agree

[@chriswitt4551]

This really is the season for Chaotic Neutrals. Everyone blindsides each other, the first boot stays for the entire season, and someone voted out early comes back to win the game to create possibly the most controversial season ever. I love it.

[@kat8559]

The drama

[@rachelfenger7151]

You literally only had to watch 3 episodes and the finale to understand what was happening.

[@maddycole9642]

I enjoyed this season but since it followed David vs Goliath, one of my favorite seasons, it's hard to compete. love the video!

[@tommytsongas]

Anyone else wonder if Jeff Probst watches

[@TheEllaDarling]

I was VERY meh come the final episode and I didn't feel like I had a good enough understanding of what Chris knew and didn't know and how he got along with the other castaways on Extinction Island etc. I think you're right in that he would've been an extremely forgettable character without the Edge twist, as I essentially couldn't remember the difference between him and Eric. I knew it felt too obvious for Devens to win, yet he had had a glorious winners edit in the post-merge and I felt let down by the outcome. I can't fault Chris for playing as hard as he could though and I think, had he not given up the necklace, he may very well have lost to Gavin (or Devens, if he beats Gavin in the fire making challenge). I do wish we had seen more of Extinction as a whole, especially in the post-merge. Every episode as we got to a challenge I was trying to count the number of stations, thinking it was *finally* time for someone to return. I don't know how well someone from the Edge would've fared if they had come in a bit sooner, but it did feel anti-climactic to me for Chris (or anyone) to return at the very end. Overall an enjoyable season, I personally enjoyed the mad amount of idols (real and fake) at the final five and Devens trying to suppress his giggles and glee at Lauren and Julie.

[@MrAgentTurner]

If you're not into dudes then Eric & Chris are essentially the same person lol but Chris is pretty f'ing hot which is how I remembered him. I have a hard time distinguishing between female contestants sometimes but this season there seemed to be more diversity. Helps when you recast old players and finally cast a ginger girl for once. And Wendy stood out too. Anyway, I agree with the rest of what you said too. You could almost tell that the EOE player would win by defeating Rick, and that's exactly what happened. Although admittedly I still thought there was a chance Rick COULD win. I do feel bad for Rick & Gavin, but I'm happy for Chris too. He played the cards he was dealt really well. And I agree there too, wish we saw more from the Edge. It faded off post merge. My only criticism is the season felt a little too sentimental. I would've liked to see more relationship building than the same speech about growing as a person and "finding myself" over and over. Great season overall, and yeah, Rick suppressing his laughter was hilarious lol

[@jayegoode7895]

Oh wait... Which one was Eric again?

[@noahquiles3997]

Still salty that Vic and Lauren didn’t win.......

[@conordolan3D]

Well they can't both win...

[@Luckysgay]

Wild Card Watson not to mention all she really did was hide behind Wentworth and wardog

[@frogrealness]

Wild Card Watson Victoria and Lauren were literally behind the late merge vote offs. Rick wasn’t behind any of them apart from playing idols. He gets too much hype

[@aceee06]

@Wild Card Watson Holding onto it is fine if there is no reason to play it but she should NOT have played it for Chris.

[@recon4786]

Noah Quiles I’m more salty that Vic didn’t get more screen time

[@keatongabel9282]

This season had a boring pre merge, but really good post merge. Would have been better if Victoria or Rick won.

[@abstort9593]

I like Devens, but the community brainwashed me to hate him on Reddit. Don't tell anyone though 8)

[@fianle]

It's like what Abstort said, a lot of people on social media weren't happy with how Rick was performing and it got to the point that people were saying it was a bad season because of his performance.

[@keatongabel9282]

fianle, I can agree. Rick got so many idols and immunities at the end it got boring. Rick would have probably left sooner if he didn’t get so many.

[@fianle]

This is true, but on the other hand it's like what Aubry said. The idols were there for everyone to look for, but people weren't as serious about looking for them as he was. Personally, I was glad when he got voted out since it threw the winner up in the air which made it more entertaining. Knowing that he didn't win makes me appreciate all of what he did before getting voted out more since he truly did work hard and would have earned the win if he made it to the final 3. For entertainment, him winning would have been bad, but there shouldn't be a question about whether or not he earned the win if he did make it.

[@Tomes23]

I didn’t like rick. His schmaltz was nauseating.

[@abbyinflorida]

Finally! i have been waiting for this. I kept on checking your channel for this video and when I got this notif I clicked right away. Thank, Peridiam.

[@GamingFanactic911]

This season definitely felt lacklustre but yeah Chris definitely made a big move at the end and I applaud him for it. :)

[@lionboy1053]

I don't know what the producers are thinking. From Season 34 when Cirie got eliminated fans have been complaining heavily and outraged by the excessive amount of idols and advantages. This season just blew the lid off the pot. You give two people to re-enter the game and then you hand them an idol? Come on man. That's absurd. The producers need to start listening to their fans again and cut out all the twists, idols and advantages. Psssh. I also hate the excuse that the game is evolving. Survivor started out as and will always be a social experiment. Stop trying to alter the game so much. Leave the game alone.

[@a.jdeets5527]

lionboy1053 Jeff Probst literally said in an interview the fans’ opinions don’t matter. He’s the reason Survivor is a joke.

[@lionboy1053]

@@a.jdeets5527 what an idiot

[@TheEsotericism1]

A.J Deets careful with your wording, because Jeff is also the greatest reason for the success of Survivor IMO. But as a producer, yeah you’re right

[@moonhead538]

@@a.jdeets5527 "the fans’ opinions don’t matter" Wait.... WHAT??????????????????

[@ngweso]

A.J Deets I’m not protecting Jeff or anything. But why watch the show if you think it’s a joke?

[@Nitro55555]

Probably the most anticipated moment of my day! Great work as usual!

[@Peridiam]

Thanks!

[@elliotfabian-fine3276]

I actually loved the eoe twist for the merge episode, giving a pre-merge kick the chance to get more time in the game is a sick twist but bringing someone back in the finally is dumb

[@theunitedkingdom]

this season was mainly entertainment but when all the entertaining people got voted we forgot what we were watching the show for

[@dangerjose8240]

Agreed. I was far more interested in watching the outcasts on EOE than the remaining players.

[@ericcolston2571]

great video! love your reviews! your vids are always a lot of fun to watch! Just wondering, what did you mean at the end when you said you weren't gonna give the season a number rating cause you didn't want the vid to get blocked? Why would giving a rating get the video blocked? just curious lol.

[@alexandraeve2290]

Where is the commentary on Rick’s game? Most memorable player of the season.

[@jiheonsss]

Post-merge had the best moments but it wast even important, all you needed was to watch the finale and Chris's boot. they should've made post-merge more important because it was the best part of the season overall. The top 3 robbed people were: Victoria, Reem (RIP Reem), and Lauren tbh. Also i wanna talk abt rick and the idols. (Basically the rest of merge when it got boring). Idols use to be not that important. Look at Cook Islands. A great season overall and a fav of mine. One thing i liked about it was the strategy aspect of game game. People would honestly actually stragetize and not go idol searching for the rest of the season. The EoE finale was just idols, idols, IDOLS! We had enough idols already. The finale had so much idols it felt like strategy was gone forever. I gave up hope on the finale. The seasons are just focusing on twist which wasn't even a main concept in the beginning. In the first season jeff strictly told the viewers it was social experiment but not a twist experiment. Another main concept of the game is the social game. Which clearly Rick had none of because basically he was the main target barely had ANY alliances and failed at being trusted. Overall survivor was much more better at the early staged. Now its getting worse and worse. Just one season with NO idols, advantages, and twist would be good because seasons like this were the ones i loved

[@Ryan-mn2os]

My main problem was that when Chris returned he got an idol. If you come back in when there are only 5 other people, you should not get an idol!

[@WardogPoker]

Great video brother.... Assassin Approved!

[@StickTrickDominoDude]

Quick Question: Is Chris the first winner to not cry on Survivor since COCHRAN??????

[@thorjohnson2516]

StickTrickDominoDude no he cries when talking about failing. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he was cuz he was really only in 4 episodes

[@russjones3581]

StickTrickDominoDude I don’t think mike did from worlds Apart but I could be wrong

[@StickTrickDominoDude]

@@russjones3581 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnK2lImnecSYh80 Nah he had a bit of crying. I have nothing against it, but since it's been talked about in recent years I was curious to know who was the last winner to not cry and how long it will take for us to have another non crying winner. hehe.

[@andreraymond6860]

The camera crews on the Edge of Extinction island really knew their stuff. At the end of one episode I opened my laptop and pulled up one of Howard Pyle's paintings called marooned Pirate. Find a screen shot of Joe sitting forlorn on the beach with his head bowed and compare. It's awesome how they captured the mood of that famous painting.

[@YellowSkarmory]

I forgot how insane that tribal was.

[@a.jdeets5527]

Without Rick, the twists and returning players, this could’ve been a great season.

[@utahhtv7036]

A.J Deets Rick was the ONLY good thing about this season

[@ellas6754]

i agree. and it wasnt necessarily because rick was bad but its because the editors kept shoving him down our throats

[@marksoucek1820]

You should do a series when you rank every player from seasons 1-5, then 6-10 and so on

[@mrb_ox5282]

This season was indeed entertaining, it wasn't the best but not the worst. It was unique, there are some things that needs adjusments such as the number of idols on the island, the advantages from EoE, and the EoE island itself. The castaway on the EoE island should have been isolated from each other. Also the 2nd returning player returned on the very late game and near finale which bothered me.. He did pull off a very big move in the end but.. he should have returned on final 8-9 or so and yeah :P

[@amandaleebee98]

Survivor edge of extinction : Me: come-on’ god

[@yellacraion]

It's felt like a long wait for this video and you did not disappoint! Thanks for the excellent analysis. I hope the EOE twist never comes back; it felt like a huge waste of time to watch episodes that ultimately had no impact on the game, as you said. Also, major points to you for slipping "Kama" Chameleon in there!! :)

[@DionysisGalanis]

You should make a video for the next season now! I want to see your thoughts on this idea of survivor legends teaching a new cast of players during the game and how you think is going to play out. Also I love edge it just needed 3-6 minutes extra during the episode to show us more interactions from the edge island and/or the final re-entering of a player at an earlier stage and not during the final episode of the season! That felt weird!

[@joemonkeyman4675]

This is such a weird season to talk about because in terms of pure entertainment-value, I was incredibly entertained from start to finish with how unpredictable it was, the colorful cast, and the constant out of left field moments and blindsides. On the other hand, I fully agree with you that I feel like the Edge twist should've been handled a whole lot better than it was, as it basically nullified the entire (amazing) post-merge due to the third boot winning and due to there being little to no focus on the Edge during that time.

[@Peridiam]

Yep, absolutely!

[@kalisue6573]

I really enjoyed the season and thought the end was full of drama but it did leave me a little dissatisfied thinking yes, the second half of the season after the merge (which I thought was an excellent post merge!) didn’t really matter if that’s how it was going to end. I agree with others I would prefer an EoE where players can come back in the middle like Rick did, but not at the end. This allows early overlooked or tricked players to redeem themselves but doesn’t interfere with the “normal” game and who comes out a winner as much.

[@NicholsonStudios]

I liked this season a lot. I don't think they should go back to it for a long while. Great video!!! :D

[@leandromv170]

I don't get how this season ranks so low. There was no boring episode, no boring boot, no boring character (OK, maybe Keith). The strategy level was great, from all the players (half the cast could come back and I'd be excited). I get it that you may not like the twist, but it is not like they came up with a "secret" twist out of the blue just to protect one single player once he was lost (cough, cough Ben)... No. This time all the players learned about the twist at episode six. They all knew about the Edge, they knew somebody was coming back, they COULD strategize. I think Chris is a great winner, I mean, he did everything he could do, playing with the cards he was dealt. He was not at home on her sofa and then he came back, he never stopped playing Survivor. He only stopped at day 39, like Gavin and Juli (who also deserve more credit, btw). He did way more than... say... Sandra at HvV, that's for sure! So yeah, this is a great season for me. Still, if you ask me. I don't want EOE anymore, they tried, nobody can do more than what Chris did. Also, my one critic is that they should not have given the returning player that idol in halves. Coming back is a big enough advantage.

[@ejdelosreyes]

I think the reason why the Edge Of Extinction feels off is that it focuses more on the Outlast part of the game and there was barely any Outwit or Outplay. The game has to evolve or else it will become stale. But they can probably improve this specific format by limiting the jury members coming from the Edge of Extinction. I love this cast, though. I was really rooting for Joe. Here's hoping that he returns for Heroes vs. Villains 2.

[@frogrealness]

Ermin Joseph Delos Reyes There May never be a HvV2. S40 is a winners season

[@alexjames4770]

Without Wendy and Rick, this season is one of the worst ever. Hands down. (Wardog = Lil Tony Vlachos)

[@julianafrith6964]

you get me lol the wardog thing is true

[@mariepoppins8]

Great review! It was well thought out and I agree with you on so many points. Also great editing. Overall, I really did like this season. Like you, I probably like it more than most. I think that the fact that Chris did the most that he possibly could when he got back in justifies his win well enough. Yes, he did have many advantages, but if a different player came back from the Edge, would they still win? Would they have been able to pull off everything that Chris did? I'm not so sure. However with that said, I would NOT want to see this twist again. I personally think they should have stopped it at the merge. Part of the fun of the twist in the pre-merge was that no one knew about it. I'm sure the producers thought about it, but this is what they landed on. I can't really fault them for it though. The season is after all called Edge of Extinction. At least they are trying new things. I don't think they'll bring this twist back anytime soon. It's interesting because if someone had come back from Redemption Island and won, would everyone also have been mad? Probably. I don't know but I kind of like that someone who actually went to EOE actually won. (Don't @ me lol). Rick would've been better but we got Chris and I actually don't hate it. Maybe I'm numb from Aubry losing her first season and I now just accept whoever wins. Anyways I didn't plan on writing a whole essay about the season lol. If anything, it gives us a lot to talk about! I would want to watch a crazy season over a boring season any day. I'm not on the side of getting rid of advantages altogether. I trust that the producers will adjust the advantages/twists to balance out the game more. At least one can only hope.

[@Shelbert88]

Perdiam, do you think the twist would have been more interesting if they reset Extinction at the merge? Seeing as Joe would be the new Mayor, he may not have been able to keep people around as well as Reem and made for a more interesting merge

[@lyokochaeyeon]

I wasn't a big fan of the season, I don't like returning player twists, I found the cast quite boring and forgetable (except for Wendy,Lauren,Vic and Aurora), I feel it was a waste of bring back those returnees, and far too many idols maybe just hide them after next tribal rather then immediately and stop at final 7/6. Watching your reviews definitely help me understand seasons better and you do point out redeeming quailtys of them so ... keep up the great work

[@airtempest8945]

The final 7 could have had a Cirie moment on paper, and in actuality, the final 5 could have had Julie get more robbed than Cirie leaving at final 5. Next we have the "Island of the Idols". Stop now.

[@RyokoAsakuraLastFan]

Things I liked about Edge of Extinction Giving a chance for early outs to get back in. Everyone is on the Jury unless you quit. What I would do to improve it. The Two People that come back in the game come back at the same time, but with no advantages. Likely right after the first Merge boot to try and prevent a pagonging. Edge players to show up at every tribal or a one world beach

[@uhhbam]

I loved this season until the end haha but that’s just how it goes sometimes

[@WarWizardRahl1]

two weeks into season 39 Peridiam, and no videos about this season so far from you. :( Makes me sad. Would love to have a video of your opinion on the new season and the Island of the Idols twist.

[@guntherstewart8941]

You pointed out some good points. Before this video I was completely stuck on ending of the season. Im still stuck with a sour taste in my mouth but I'm actually not open to them bringing back the edge of Extinction twist with some tweaks. First the players in the game should be playing in the challenges that allow one of the voted off players to come back.(make coming back only a possibility). The second comeback challenge should happen earlier by at least two rounds. Also make it so that no advantages are available outside the edge of Extinction. Let what's they do in Extinction matter. Finally no advantages for the person coming back. One idea I have is the edge of Extinction players possibly getting themselves permanently eliminated

[@teresawhit7712]

I had a real hope for this season. I do hate returnees(unless it's an all returnee season) but I thought the edge might be a great twist. However I thought it would be over at the merge/jury.

[@Immallama22]

Chris had a massively unfair advantage. He was handed the win.

[@annievillanueva6174]

chris : im the winner of eoe reem : bitch im the mayor of eoe

[@lxmindstate]

You should do this for every season

[@ethan3562]

I love the edge and maybe if they bring back the second person earlier then I'd want to see it happen again.

[@phobiccobra991]

I give this season 10/10 it’s my favorite season. I’ve watched this season 5 times that’s how much I like it

[@nicksiwanowicz9407]

For some reason I saw a lot of hate for Rick, but even if you weren't the biggest Rick fan, the Ron tribal and the finale were so entertaining. The "So my kids think I'm an idiot" speech and the fake idol hunt and Lauren and Julie's reactions when they tried to play them were so great to watch. I'm sad they didn't get a shoutout in this

[@Hainaut183]

Like you, I enjoyed this season much more than most because it was extremely memorable and holds a noteworthy place in the show’s history. That said, I definitely agree with the main points brought up by the public, not just the uneven and misleading editing, but also the fact that Chris barely had to deal with the core challenge of not having to vote off the jury in a way that would still lead them to vote for him at the end. He was instead allowed to just bond with them at the Edge and never had to really backstab anybody aside maybe from Lauren and Devens (both of whom voted Gavin despite being allies). It's pretty notable that later jury members sided more with Gavin, in contrast to the earlier members siding with Chris. Still, while I definitely agree that it was one of the most narratively uneven seasons ever, there's no way I'd rank it in the bottom tier because there were too many great moments in the middle of the season, specifically from the merge (when the editing was finally even and the strategy got intriguing) until Wentworth's elimination (when it seemed too biased for a Devens win due to an overabundance of idols and then the finale). I also thought both Devens and Lauren were extremely likable players and certainly made the story more fun to follow. I wish Lauren had more time in the edit because she had a great heroic arc despite her game's spectacular collapse in the finale. I NEVER want the Edge of Extinction twist to return again, but it was entertaining enough for one season and didn't hamper the excitement I felt while the season was actually going on. The narrative is super fragmented, with each phase feeling like a totally different season, and I think Chris winning really explains why the editing was so all over the place, but I like the moments themselves despite them not amounting to a strong overall arc like David vs. Goliath. It's an enormous mess, but a spectacular one.

[@birks2180]

Victoria was extremely robbed and Devens was overrated.

[@seraphinaedan1033]

I think Reed was picked to be the first boot by casting, and Jeff had leading questions during tribal council to aggravate her even more to try an ensure the fact that she would be voted off first

[@nGUNNARp]

question about the firemaking: if the person who has immunity wants to make fire against someone they have to give the necklace to another person, so isn't that person the one who decides who makes fire? Like could Julie have just wrecked chris's plan by getting gavin to make fire?

[@fianle]

I liked the season overall and wouldn't mind if a twist like this came back in like...10 years (so it's not something people rely on). There are a few changes I would make though: - Less immunity idols/advantages in play at final 5. Chris getting back in and having an advantage like that wasn't that big of a risk if he teamed up with the person who won individual immunity. - The second person to come back from the edge should come back by at the latest final 7 or 8. Just so that they have to play the social game with the remaining players more. - Show more footage of what happens on the edge since it affects the votes at the end if the returning players are still in the game. Joe said he was going to vote for Chris if he made it back in over him in an interview, and that bond would have only formed on the Edge.

[@pogodziej]

Oh gawd! =O I am soooo happy I watched this video while I was at episode 3 of this season, cause I had it spoiled anyway, (I knew Chris was gonna win and only that) but then he got voted out, I was like "WHAAAAT? Returnees don't win. They never win, cause they got voted out and thus they lose the respect of everybody even if they do get to the final." So I was like "I smell a shit-show. I smell a shit-show like I smelled it in HvHvH." And it's so sad that I was right now that I watched this video. Thank god, I hear Island of the Idols is good. I can just sit through this one without getting too pissed off every episode. P.S. Queen Sandra always comes in to save the show. xD In HvV when Russel tried to convince us the game is broken and needs to be fixed. In Gamechangers where she actually did a pre-merge course on how to gamechange. And by being a wise Queen on the Icon Island. Hahahah xD

[@jodeboyd8386]

2:50 is brilliant :D

[@JamesSamson487]

Here’s my idea for a future Survivor season: Jury selection. Everyone pre-merge is kept around to act as jury. Once Jury starts coming into Tribal, have person who won Immunity or Reward vote off a Jury member. They’ll be replaced with person voted out that night. Obviously leave room to ensure final 6 are all in Jury as they earned it.

[@theguycalled1]

Okay, but you gotta admit, one huge benefit of the edge is that almost everyone (with the exception of maybe julia and that guy that looks like chris(?)) left an imprint on your memory. Like I have a clear opinion on everyone whereas in other seasons the first 5 boots or so just become forgotten and at the reunion youre like, who are they again???

[@zSDzSupernova]

Overall, I really enjoyed the season until the Finale. The worst thing about this season is that Chris got to spend 4 weeks becoming a "family" with the people who would ultimately give him 1 million dollars. I really hope that EoE never comes back but if it does, they need to send everyone who got voted out pre merge home and have a second crop for post merge. I think a lot of people would have been more okay with someone from EoE winning if they at least made the merge before getting voted out and earning their way back. Great video!

[@allthatremainsx6]

imagine a world where devens never comes back at the merge...

[@brendanfechter4889]

Peridiam: Was it darker foreshadowing for the future of Survivor? Probably not. 1 Month Later CBS: Season 40 will feature Edge of Extinction

[@KingsNerdCave]

I don't dislike Chris. He was a good guy, he worked really well with what he was given. Just like Rob and Ozzy did when they were returnees with a bunch of new players. The winner still earned their win based on the deck they were given. But with Chris, he wasn't handled helpful tools he was basically handed the tools to success. Getting back in so late, with an idol, another potential idol, and having spent weeks with the jury, meant he would either likely tie Devans at the end or win against anyone else. EoE is a decent concept that was executed poorly. Allowing a player to get back at 6 with an idol is overpowered. EoE should have kept each individual person separated so they had to suffer solo in order to get back in. I wasn't disappointed Chirs won, I was disappointed Devans lost because the game was set up poorly. Still a good season though and a great cast.

[@TheJulior1983]

I think limit the # of people who can stay to like 4 people and keep competing every week to stay on

[@grantga01]

Man your videos are very well made. And we share a lot of the same ideas

[@heinricheverson]

I just watched this season and loved it. Edge of extinction has a lot of potential but I feel there should have been challenges for the people on that island as well with the reward being to give someone an advantage in the real game and more than one way to enter the game. And ever so often have an elimination challenge to send some of the extinction tribe home till it reaches merge and they het their shot back in the game. Have it play like actual survivor and also don't let it go on to long just until merge. Also, have more than one tribe member get a chance to enter the game instead of just the one. I would say 3 would be a good number.

[@prettypinkspade]

Totally agree there was not enough coverage on the players at EoE. Also think there should be some intermittent challenges or votes on EoE to keep the threat of going home real, as well as making those players earn a spot at the finale if they make it there. Devens was lovable, smart, cunning and an underdog the entire season, and it would have been very satisfying (though predictable due to editing) if he had won. Not the worst season in recent years.

[@bencalebrod]

I liked this season a lot. You could really get connected with the cast throughout the season, there were so many crazy votes throughout, and a unique ending that generated a lot of discussion.

[@JC-lb3df]

Chris for Game Changers 2 XD seriously I told myself if I got on survivor I would give up immunity to make a big move also If only Dom did this in ghost island he could’ve been a millionaire but hey can’t go back

[@arthurmaciel1069]

I think next edge of extinction, everybody decides to go to edge has to be like, remdeption island without knowing nothing what happens in the tribe while their out. And also be only not with others people that get voted out

[@Nate9-9]

I don't understand the finale. Chris handed off the immunity necklace to Julie, but still picked Gaven to be in the final 3, and chose Rick to face himself in the fire challenge. Shouldn't it have been Julie who should have made these choices? I thought when Chris gave away immunity, he lost the chance to make these decisions. Whoever had immunity had the power. Or so I thought.

[@Peridiam]

SyrioHghar88 I think mechanically it makes more sense for Chris to keep the power, otherwise it could lead to Julie doing the same thing, or Gavin, over and over and over.

[@SuspensionMusic]

Here's what I thought could have been done differently or done in a future EoE style season: 1: A follow-up season can not be referred to as Edge of Extinction 2 or sound the same. A key element of its success would be the surprise of not knowing it exists. 2: No returning players. All new castaways to ensure a level playing field. 3: No Edge of Extinction treasure hunts. Pre-merge: the players on the Edge are isolated from one another. No one knows who decided to stay and who decided to go. They don't know when someone calls it quits either. Make it the gruelling, isolating struggle it was meant to be. 4: Bring a player back in at the merge via a challenge as they did. I'm okay with even giving them a split-idol advantage at this point in the game. 5: Now the surprise is spoiled, make the Survivors on the Edge go above and beyond. Keep them isolated, only bring them together for the jury at tribal council, with emphasis that they can't communicate. 6: In addition to this, post-merge Edge now has individual challenges they must complete in order to stay on the Edge which they will do on their own with no measurement of who else is left and how they're doing. I'm talking individual endurance challenges which put their body to the limits which they have to last a predetermined time or else they're off to Ponderosa or time-sensitive puzzle challenges which put their brain power to the test. 7: The important factor is that they don't know who passed and who failed until they arrive at tribal council and see the other remaining players coming in from Ponderosa. 8: This creates a sense of random fear and panic amongst the players on Edge and the players in the game, as the players in the game have no means of measuring what's causing them to get kicked out of the game. Keep the stakes high for getting voted out. 9: End the Edge of Extinction sooner than final 5. Maybe 6 or 7 would be fair. Absolutely no split-idol or other advantage coming back from the Edge.

[@TBone004]

From pretty early on in the season I was wanting Wentworth or Devens to win, but I'm satisfied with Chris winning out of that final three. The other two annoyed me to no end and I feel everything Chris did when he returned to the game (convincing someone to play their idol on him, winning that incredibly difficult final immunity, and proving himself further by giving up immunity and earning his spot in the FTC) made him deserving.

[@jacobwilliams1223]

Deserving? Guy got a free ride to final goddamn 6, spent 28 days sweet talking the jury and basically only had to play like a week of actual survivor. It is the opposite of deserving.

[@graysonbrooks5359]

It's annoyingly to debate this season. We all love Rick Devens, and his story largely involved getting back in the game from EOE, so it's not right to say the twist sucks all together. It makes more sense to just end EOE at the merge.

[@cookielafoo3848]

Chris’ win is even more impressive after WAW. We saw Natalie to afraid to take Tony out. Chris literally laid the blueprint on how to win when you returned from the Edge, but she doubted herself.

[@gregoryfuller9736]

Chris wouldn’t have beaten a tony level player either

[@themrbendewy]

Is there anything the fans can do to make it so there are the least amount of twists and idols and other wacky decisions for season 40? An all winners season is already more than enough for the fans and I really dont want any of the rumored cast to get an idol nullifier played on them, or someone to play five idols in a row.

[@josephbernados1649]

the "edge" part really should've been a streaming-only/online spin-off. Either taking the place or alongside the Ponderosa series. Kinda like Top Chef's Last Chance Kitchen.

[@polypus1864]

You should make an amazing race 31 review

[@breakyourstory]

I actually loved this season for the most part. There were tons of the blindsides. Rick was so entertaining and I’m glad he won the Sia award. Because he dominated the game, he was a lock to win, so Chris did what he had to do in the little bit of time he had and it was game-winning. I actually was shocked how many votes Gavin got. What the fuck did he do to get those? Chris took out the guy that no one else could get out tribal after tribal by giving up his own immunity and going head-to-head to earn his spot back into the final 3. That won him the game and he deserved it (even though I would’ve loved to see Rick win after he was treated so terribly for so long by everyone). I love rooting for the underdog. I like the idea of giving those early vote-outs a second shot in future seasons, but maybe just the 1 (or 2 and not so late in the game).

[@BigShowGunnoe]

Gavin didn’t get a vote all game. Gavin made relationships solid enough to the point where nobody attempted to blindside him or backstab him. He played a great game. He also won 2 immunities and was close to winning a 3rd. Anyone that thinks Gavin didn’t do anything needs to rewatch the seasons or look at his season stats.

[@Barfyman362.]

Edge of Extinction was bad, but it made this season better. If Rick wasn't able to return there would be no entertainment value whatsoever, toward the end. The last handful of players were incredibly boring, they were all the type of players you take to the end for an easier win. Ron was a bit funny, Aurora and Gavin won some challenges, but they didn't do anything else.

[@alextravansky2201]

If Rick won this season it would’ve been a solid 9/10 for me. Chris returning and making huge moves in the finale would’ve been a perfect final obstacle for Rick to overcome before winning. As it is, 7.5/10 for me.

[@DoDo-zf6ds]

My second season of survivor ever (David vs Goliath being the first). The outcome left a sour taste in my mouth, don't get me wrong he earned it, I just think think Rick was the clear winner of the season and worked for every bit of it AND was also on the edge. It was probably the story they were hoping for when they came up with the season theme. Any great season I should check out? without telling me who won obviously

[@StickTrickDominoDude]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYDUnYewlLCYfsk Any of these.

[@chloeryan2535]

I really liked this season and want so many people back hahaha- Gavin, Ron, Rick, Lauren, and Vic to name a few.

[@jackbrinkley4436]

One thing in particular that I’m bitter towards this season about other than the outcome is the fact that in the first half of the season the 4 returnees soaked up so much screentime that it kept everyone from really getting to know the new players. It’d be one thing if one of them went far and/or won but the highest placing returnee finished in 10th place, that’s nowhere near the million or even worthy of any special recognition. Really took away from the stories of the real contenders of the season.

[@sahelygamer9302]

i think it would've worked with having someone come back after 6 people went out (devens coming back) but then the second comeback should have been with 6 people left and two should have come back. That leaves enough time for the players to make moves, as well as it creates competition for the two that came back together because they have the same credentials

[@rowanb3375]

Here's the real question though: who other than Rick is going to get brought back for another season?

[@TabzztheCat]

Someone like Lauren or Victoria could, as well as any of the returnees could get a chance to play again, but probably no one or just Rick

[@Peridiam]

After Game Changers, I think anyone is viable.

[@airtempest8945]

Reem and Aurora were probably the two other biggest characters. Reem just being a hilarious fire cracker, and Aurora not giving a damn about what other people think of her (The thing with her going through Rick's bag and just telling him to his face that she was going through his bag was hilarious) and being a beast in challenges.

[@MegaVergan]

I loved this season. I just wish we had more content from the edge. I also don't think we need returnees.

[@bigbuffguy9589]

I don't mind someone getting back into the game and winning once. Hell, I think South Pacific would have been a better season (I'd still only rank it 25th or so instead of 30-35) if Ozzy had won, and Redemption Island (DFL on my list) would have been better if Matt had won. In both seasons, I thought what was going on over at redemption island was more interesting than the main game itself. I generally don't like reentry mechanics in Survivor, but if those are the rules, then I don't have a huge issue with Chris winning.

[@123lealea]

The Edge of Extinction was certainly unique... but it really shouldn't be used again. It was a failed experiment. I know people think it could be tweaked to have it reset after the first person comes back in, but then that would just be Redemption Island all over again and thus nothing new. I'd call the twist a "game breaker", since not only do you learn what the perspective of the remaining players are among the potential jury (like Victoria being a threat), but also information (like Lauren's idol), gain an advantage (the shared idol), can give an advantage and build goodwill with players in game (like Aubry and Aurora's advantage), and you successfully bond with the jury without any blood on your hands. Not to mention, Chris had apparently given Julie a note from Ron telling her to trust Chris -- therefore, the twist is too overpowered. The winner, Chris Underwood, isn't too bad in my opinion. While he did get an advantage coming back in the game, he didn't win the first or second immunity and had to rely on his social maneuvering to get him through -- manipulating Lauren into using her idol on him, and guilt-tripping/trusting Rick to give him back his half of the idol. Both could have backfired on him; Lauren could have kept the idol for herself and guaranteed Final Four, or Rick could have withheld the idol half and let Chris get voted out -- but neither did. And then Chris pulled off the move that Domenick SHOULD have done in Ghost Island: give up immunity and go head-to-head against the remaining threat of the game in fire. Chris himself slayed Rick, thus, in my opinion, cementing himself the win. I know people will put him at the bottom as the worst winner, but Ben will always remain at the bottom for me for the fact that he relied solely on finding idols to get to Final Four. His social game was terrible that no one wanted to help him or be with him in the finale, but Chris managed to use his social game to convince Lauren and Rick to protect him -- ruining their games for him, which I think is equally as impressive as him beating Rick in fire making. So, he's a pretty decent winner for this season in my opinion. As for the rest? My favorite player had to be -- plot twist -- Aurora! She's so snarky and straightforward, and sure, she was purple in the first half of the game, but the last half brought out her personality and badass credentials with her wins and blase attitude, that it's actually a shame she didn't get more time in the beginning. Also, the murder mystery theme in this season? Has very strong similarities to Agatha Christie's novel "And Then There Were None". People cut off from the world outside on an abandoned island, characters dropping like flies with no clear lead, a hysterical woman has a melt down and ends up being the last woman standing -- along with a stoic character whose accused of betraying people, the fourth person ends up knowingly working with the culprit and gets offed for their troubles, and someone you thought was a goner actually coming back and being the culprit. Very similar.

[@AboveTheKing]

Really loved the cast of this season

[@hellopeople5600]

I like giving the voted out player a second chance

[@celestialmaddie]

Honestly, this season has its obvious issues, but I love it all the same. Even if the ending wasn't all that fulfilling from a story perspective, props to Chris for playing his heart out during those few days he had in the game. And despite the fact that it didn't really matter in the end, the rest of the season was really entertaining anyway, and I'm glad that the players never let down their games at all once they learned there was the safety net of EoE at the merge (honestly, that was my biggest fear going into the merge). So yeah, EoE had its ups and downs, but in the end, I really can't be mad. It's definitely a... _unique_ season, but considering how low my expectations were going into the season, I'm pleasantly surprised.

[@ItsKimOlson]

Reem = Mayor of Edge of Extinction

[@recon4786]

This was one of my favorite seasons. I don’t want to see the twist brought back, but I’m glad they did it. Chris was great. Even though I thought Devens deserved the win, Chris beat him out at the fire making challenge fair and square and Rick got money from Sia. Win win in my book. Also, the cast was one of the best ever. Everyone came to play, not just sit there.