Since the beginning of its “new era” in 2021, Survivor has introduced a number of new twists and advantages into the game, but none of them have been as impactful as Knowledge Is Power. Introduced in season 41, the Knowledge Is Power advantage grants the holder of the power the ability to ask one player at Tribal Council if they have an advantage or an idol. The player is forced to answer honestly, and give their idol or advantage to the person who played the Knowledge Is Power.
Knowledge Is Power has been present in seasons 41 through 43, but it’s yet to make an appearance in Survivor season 44. In Survivor 41 and Survivor 42, the contestants figured out how to play around the advantage by secretly passing their idols and advantages to their allies. This caused season 41’s Liana Wallace and season 42’s Drea Wheeler to come up empty when playing the advantage at Tribal Council.
‘Knowledge Is Power’ Causes Survivor Chaos
Though Knowledge Is Power has received criticism for being too powerful, it’s been responsible for some of the current era’s biggest moments. In addition to the times when Liana and Drea misplayed the power, Knowledge Is Power also contributed greatly to the biggest move of the current era – Jesse Lopez betraying his closest ally, Cody Assenmacher, during season 43. It was the fear of the Knowledge Is Power that led Cody to give Jesse his idol, which Jesse then used to blindside Cody. At the same time, he influenced Karla Cruz-Godoy to play her own idol.
Even though it hasn’t been a part of the game in Survivor 44, the Knowledge Is Power’s still causing chaos. Because the players are so afraid of the power, they’ve been swapping around their idols and advantages. They do this regardless of the fact that they don’t know if the power is even in play.
That led to Jaime Lynn Ruiz granting Kane Fritzler an item she believed to be a Hidden Immunity Idol. It was actually a fake idol made by Matthew Grinstead-Mayle. Kane was voted out with the fake idol in his pocket, leaving Jaime to believe that he left the game with what she considered her most powerful resource.
Survivor Should Use ‘Knowledge Is Power’ On Rare Occasions
Knowledge Is Power is a very powerful tool in the game, and the threat of its power causes players to make interesting decisions that lead to dramatic results. This is why it’s one of the better twists of the new era. Survivor 44 has made it clear that the show doesn’t need to actually include Knowledge Is Power for it have an impact on the game.
Producers should continue using Knowledge is Power sparingly, in order to keep the contestants on their toes. Rather than putting it in the game every season, the show should do it every few seasons. That would be often enough that the players would be reminded of its power, without the advantage becoming stale.
Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.
Source: Kevin Jacobs/Twitter
