Since Survivor has now been airing for 25 years, new fans of Jeff Probst’s beloved reality show have to figure out which seasons to watch first. Once those fans have seen enough episodes of the show, they will realize that during the best seasons, the show’s greatest players have taken a lot of risks on the show. As a result, it can be very hard to surprise fans who’ve seen every Sole Survivor be crowned unless something as shocking as a medical evacuation happens.

However, every so often, a player does something shocking. For example, it is incredible that Tyson Apostol made one of the worst moves in Survivor history. Similarly, it is shocking that Star Toomey made an incredibly surprising move in the game. However, the reason why Star’s move is shocking isn’t because it is surprising she did something so smart, since she seems like a very capable person. Instead, it is shocking that Star isn’t getting more credit.

Survivor 48’s Star Toomey Giving Eva Erickson Her Immunity Idol Was A Brilliant Move that Deserves More Credit

During the first several episodes of Survivor 48, watching Star Toomey’s journey was heartbreaking. Seemingly a completely likable person, it was astonishing that it seemed like nobody was even considering the idea of working with Star. While things likely aren’t that simple, it was still sad to watch.

However, it has begun to look like Star’s position in the game and among her tribemates has taken a turn. For example, Survivor 48 fans are now seeing Star talking with people who seem to be her allies in one scene as they watch her give Cedrek McFadden a pep talk in another.

Considering how Star’s position in the game appears to have transformed, that begs an obvious question. Why? While looking at how things have turned around for her, it seems like Star hasn’t been getting enough credit for her decision to give Eva Erickson her hidden immunity idol.

During the 5th episode of Survivor 48, Star gave Eva her immunity idol in front of every other member of their tribe.

Any viewer who had the knee-jerk reaction that what Star had done was dumb would be understandable. After all, Survivor players giving away power in the game is often dangerous. However, putting extra thought into Star’s decision quickly makes it seem clear that she was brilliant to give away her idol for many reasons.

First off, Star giving Eva her idol created an instant bond between the two women who had been on bad terms before that.

On her side of things, Eva had repeatedly spoken about wanting Star voted out. In fact, Eva even went so far as to offer to vote Star out after a tribe switch resulted in the two of them having all-new tribemates.

Similarly, Star made statements that made it very clear that she also recognized that she had a bad working relationship with Eva.

After previously struggling to unlock the immunity idol, Star received help from Eva, who put in a lot of thought into solving the puzzle. Star then gave Eva the idol immediately after it was unlocked. Between Star finding the Beware Advantage and Eva solving the puzzle, they worked together to get the idol.

Eva was rewarded within seconds of working with Star in a major way for the first time. Not only that, Eva and Star were shown celebrating together and hugging before that act of giving. Eva seemed genuinely shocked and pleased by Star giving her the idol. It is also worth noting that before that, Star had been exceptionally supportive of Eva after she revealed her autism diagnosis to everyone.

Before these events took place, it seemed very clear that Eva had associated Star with feeling frustrated. After all these events combined, Star gave Eva many reasons to associate their relationship with feeling good.

Of course, Survivor players in the past have continued to dislike people who’ve done nice things for them. As a result, Eva could still have wanted Star out after all those events took place. That said, Survivor players have to do what they to improve their position in the game. Since she clearly knew they weren’t on good terms, Star taking the chance to improve her relationship with Eva was smart.

Another reason why Star’s decision to give Eva her idol was brilliant is how she did it. Star notably gave Eva the idol in front of every other member of their tribe. That was a smart way of doing that for two main reasons. First off, since so many people knew that Star was likely to get the idol, giving it away in such a public way took the target off her back. Secondly, showing all her tribemates that she was willing to give away power in the game would likely diminish Star’s threat level in the game, which makes it less likely she will be voted out soon.

The final reason why Star’s decision to give Eva her immunity idol was brilliant this article will point to is that the move could be used as an insurance policy of sorts.

As this article previously pointed out, Star has made it clear that she was aware that Eva didn’t like her. With that in mind, it seems like there is a good chance that Star could find out if Eva continues to work against her. If that happened, Star could use the fact that she gave Eva the immunity idol against her in two ways.

Star could point out to her tribemates that Eva is a threat because of having the immunity idol and try to convince them to flush it. Simultaneously, Star could point to Eva still working against her even after that act of kindness. Some of Star’s tribemates might find an argument that Eva can’t be worked with compelling in that situation.

Why Star Toomey Giving Eva Erickson Her Immunity Idol Was Risky

Looking at the fact that Star Toomey gave Eva Erickson her immunity idol, it seems like it was a very smart move that advanced her chances in the game. However, it would be foolish to ignore that Star’s move could still easily backfire on her spectacularly.

The most obvious reason why Star giving away her immunity idol could ruin things for her is that she no longer has that power in the game. If Star realizes that she is being targeted, and she fails to win an immunity challenge, her only recourse now is to use her shot-in-the-dark or change minds. If Star retained her idol, she would have been able to assure she survived at least one tribal council.

That said, it is also entirely possible that Star could have been targeted specifically because of her idol. After all, if Star retained the idol after Eva helped her get it, it seems very likely that everyone in the game would know she had it.

Additionally, Eva using the idol to save herself could result in Star’s game ending. Now that alliances almost always split their votes, Eva saving herself could result in the Star’s torch being snuffed if she is the safety vote.

Ultimately, it is foolhardy to judge a Survivor move based on its results. After all, things can work out for players after they make dumb decisions and vice versa. As a result, even if one of these worst-case scenarios plays out for her, the fact remains that Star deserves more credit for her move.

Survivor

Release Date

May 31, 2000

Network

CBS

Showrunner

Jeff Probst

• 
  

•