Survivor 47 player disses and dismisses Yul's Cook Islands win

When it comes to Survivor, everybody’s got an opinion. Of course, not everyone’s going to agree with that opinion. (For proof of that fact, look no further than my Survivor season rankings.) But debate and passionate differences of opinion are what makes Survivor so fun. With that in mind, we asked the cast of Survivor 47 (which premieres Sept. 18 on CBS) to serve up some scorching Survivor hot takes. What are their controversial opinions when it comes to Survivor that they insist are right and true, no matter what the haters say? Read on and find out. 

Tiyana Hallums

This is incredibly recent, but my Survivor hot take is that Liz's outburst was super annoying and screamed entitlement. It reminded me of a little kid throwing a tantrum. She was mad that Q didn't pick her for the Applebee's reward challenge after writing his name down and wanting to get him out for the longest time. Just because she said her and her daughter go to Applebee's every week in the beginning of the challenge doesn’t mean she automatically deserved to go. Q didn’t owe her anything, and she also knew she was allergic to most the food on the island before coming on. She shouldn't have made it another person's problem to feed her.

Jon Lovett

What’s with all the “résumé” talk? Big moves, blindsides, backstabs — these are exciting when a means to an end, but strange when an end unto themselves. It’s like a performance of strategy that assumes the only way to show you have agency in the game is to blow it up.

Rachel LaMont

New era idols and advantages harm your game more than they help it. People should be more hesitant to pursue them or find creative ways to get others to do it instead.

Gabe Ortis

Russell Hantz was an extremely loyal player. In both his first two seasons, he takes his pre-merge alliance all the way to the final five. I can’t speak for his attitude towards other players, but if you were with him, he fought for you.

Aysha Welch

I know people like to make fun of the Beware Advantage phrases that were said in 41 and 42, but I’d love to see that come back… or some version of it. I think it takes a certain level of boldness to say specific things during mat chats. It could be something like call out a member of another tribe, make Jeff genuinely belly laugh, or reveal a detail from your last Tribal Council.

Teeny Chirichillo

My Survivor hot take, though it surely would not benefit someone like myself in the casting process, is that every season should have a few people who have basically never seen the show. Their cluelessness would be a great contrast to the superfans. It would be so entertaining to see their strategies, or lack thereof, and as players they would be such wildcards. Maybe it’s because I think I’d have an easier time beating them than game-bots. But I stand by this take. Some of the funniest of the past were recruits.

Rome Cooney

Yul’s win is the one I least respect. He had a free ride to the end with the super idol. He got outclassed by Ozzy at final Tribal, but won because he only had to focus on the social game because his super idol did everything else for him, There is a reason we won’t see the super idol again. Also, you can’t have an all-time season without villains. All the best seasons have villains.

Andy Rueda

There is nothing more overvalued in this game than the hidden immunity idol, especially in the new era. Maryanne is the only winner in the new era to ever touch a full-fledged idol (one without a quick expiration). And she never played one for game reasons. None of them did. It is so clear to me that true power comes with knowing where the advantages are without holding one yourself. It turns you into Gollum with the ring, and you lose focus at the actually important social strategy kernel of the game.

Kyle Ostwald

My Survivor hot take is simple: Take strong players to the end. Leave the strategy of bringing a goat in the past. I don’t care for the final votes to be all one-sided. I like to see the votes split up on a couple of good players — making that final moment a real nailbiter, a moment that ends with players feeling accomplished.

Anika Dhar

I personally don’t think that it is embarrassing to use an idol incorrectly if players have any inclination that they are the target. I think it is better to play it incorrectly than to go home with a souvenir. Trying to save an idol — even if it took a lot of work to get it — isn’t worth it! Play your idol!

Kishan Patel

Bring back two tribes, get rid of journeys, and keep the auction every season! I’m not a traditionalist, but I felt seeing the dynamics of two tribes with swaps and cross-tribe alliances was peak gameplay. I feel journeys are pointless and no one ever believes you, even if you tell the truth. And do I need to say any more about the auction?

Caroline Vidmar

I’m loving new-era Jeff! While not every twist has been a success, you need to try out new things to keep a show interesting for over 20 years. And it looks like Jeff is having a blast stabbing rice and coming up with wild new advantages. I’m down for anything that keeps Jeff out of retirement.

Terran "TK" Foster

My hot take is that Survivor was better when it was 40 days. New age Survivor is cool, but often times feels like luck has more to do with success than skill. Since alliances are truly a day-to-day agreement now, blindsides lose their appeal a little bit since they’re expected. When the game was 40 days, people were a bit more loyal, so it really took some work to get people to flip. Now it’s all about the numbers so flipping is casual. It makes the game more fast-paced, but ultimately, I think players are just throwing plans at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Sierra Wright

Go back to having the live finale! I completely understand the reasoning behind the final Tribal being filmed fresh on the island, but experiencing that moment with your loved ones would be unreal. I know I will want to be squeezed by my fam right away.­

Sam Phelan

The best player always wins. There is no such thing as being “robbed.” Also… Winners at War was a mid-tier season at best.

Genevieve Mushaluk

I don’t know if this is a hot take — I guess it is in one sense — but I hate final four fire-making. Don’t get me wrong: I love drama and the suspense, but I think it’s given too much much weight by juries, often just because of the recency bias, and it means people we may love to see in the end get clipped at five or four after losing fire. Devastating!

Solomon "Sol" Yi

Survivor is a game of deception. Since it’s a game, can we all chill out and stop acting like it’s real life? It’s called a bluff. That doesn’t make you a liar.

Sue Smey

I hate the water challenges where they can only have their face above water. It’s not the breathing I’m worried about; it’s the cold water. I don’t think my body could last hours underwater. That’s a tough one.

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