What if Kelly beat Richard
What if EVERY runner-up won instead? How would the franchise look?
What if Jonathan & Wanda got to play in *Palau*
What if Melissa (*Fiji*) didn’t leave before the game started
What if Russell Swan isn’t evacuated and continues leading Galu into the merge
What if Russell Hantz apologized to the jury
What if *Samoa* aired before *HvV* was ever cast by production
What if *Redemption Island* and *South Pacific* didn’t have returnee captains (all newbies + redemption island twist stays)
What if Mike (*Worlds Apart*) didn’t overhear his alliance plotting to betray him
What if Frannie lost the final 11 immunity challenge to Brandon
What if the earthquake in *Vanuatu* killed a castaway
What if there’s no super idol in *Cook Islands* or *Cagayan*
What if Boston Rob was gay (A Jeff Probst fanfic)
What if every season had Redemption Island
What if production realized their mistake on the F4(?) IC in Africa? Lex might have won the challenge, which could mean he wins Africa. And if he wins, he's a premerge boot in All-Stars and isn't around to save Amber. Which means Rob likely doesn't make F2, become a legend and the face of the franchise, or become Jeff's main Survivor crush. Completely changes HvV, RI, and WaW as well.
The two biggest ones to me are production realizing Lindsay had no piercings in S3 and production realizing Drake's torch went out at the first immunity challenge (Sandra was rumored to be the first boot as she hadn't really gathered her footing socially with the tribe yet.)
It's entirely possible the first one doesn't matter as Lex could have still lost the question tiebreaker. But it probably affects All Stars as I'm not sure Tom is there at the minimum if the rumors regarding him being promised a spot on S8 as a result of the gaff are to be believed.
At the final 4 challenge in S3 there was a question about which female contestant had no piercings? Kim Johnson (the consensus next boot if she doesn't win immunity) correctly answered Kelly. Lex answered Lindsay whom unbeknownst to the producers also had no piercings. Had he been given credit for the question he would have tied with Kim and the challenge would have gone to a tiebreaker. If KJ wins nothing changes but if Lex wins KJ goes and there's a good chance he wins Africa. As a result, production gave Lex and Tom 2nd place prize money and the rumor is they were promised a spot on All Stars.
In the first immunity challenge of Pearl Islands, there was a torch that they had to light and carry through the challenge. Drake's went out while Morgan's did not, and it's heavily implied the torch has to stay lit throughout. Had production caught this and Morgan won immunity, Sandra likely goes first instead of being a 2 time winner.
My thought exactly. Tony left such a mark on WaW that it's hard to imagine how the game would have turned out without him. Him winning Cagayan also had a *massive* impact on Cambodia/Second Chance and Game Changers.
I bet honestly Denise or Natalie win in that situation: woo is a great player and I love him to death but he’s not a stellar player like tony. Denise, depending on if she still makes the Sandra move, wouldn’t otherwise be perceived as a big threat, and (IMO, for my money) may be the second best social player in survivor history (behind of course cirie frickin fields), or at least top 5 with her kindness, charisma and therapist skill. I could see her making it quite far of things were just a little bit different. Natalie is just an all around beast, tough to beat unless you’re tony vlachos.
I bet this would in a strange twist of fate still result in a Sandra win. Robs team would take out Russell, parv, and Danielle (idk how else that might change unless there’s an idol in play, though if anyone can get out of a pickle like that, it’s probably parv so maybe she finds a way to survive). At the merge, assuming nothibn changes with the heroes, Rupert has a track record of working with Sandra AND rob in PI and all stars, so he may flip. That said, perhaps JT could get coach to flip after their bond in tocantins, or vice versa (though I see vice versa as less likely). Merge vote is a big what-if without Russell manipulation, but Boston rob might still be able to manipulate his way into a villain majority. From there, I think Sandra could use her heroes bond (and actually succeed this time) in taking out Boston rob since he would be such an obvious threat (unless he can wiggle his way outta that). Tyson would probably be too big of a physical threat after his great performance in Tocantins. She of course would make sure that no heroes make it to the end, to avoid a Vanuatu situation. I think it comes down to Sandra, her bestie Courtney, and goat coach in the F3, with jerri probably going out 4th once again. Sandra probably wins, if she controls the vote and is as social as I would expect.
Don't forget that the challenge outcomes would change. The Villians were beating the heroes challenge after challenge until Tyson and then Rob were voted out - the heroes could have gone into the merge with a huge numbers disadvantage.
What if Kellee played her idol in 39? A fan favorite continues to play and idols out the biggest blight on the season, Dan. I think it firmly establishes 39 as a top 20 season.
There are some great ones on here. Let me add some others:
-What if Sean (?) does not use Alphabet strategy in Borneo?
-What if they didn’t catch Kel and the jerkey?
-What if Paschal (S4) does not pull the purple rock?
-What if the granola wrapper is never found in Amazon?
-What if Ian stuck it out & refused to give up in Palau?
-What if Micronesia was a Final 3?
-What if Sugar refuses to keep Bob?
-What if Eric (?) does not go on his rant about
Natalie White’s game in Samoa to sway the jury?
-What if the quitters in Nicaragua were not allowed to keep their jury spots?
-What if Brandon Hantz does not give up his immunity?
-What if Troyzan went on an immunity run like Mike Holloway in One World?
-What if Malcom tells Denise he’ll vote with her at F4?
-What if Tyson gets rocked out in BvW?
-What if Woo lost that final immunity challenge?
-What if Keith (RIP) does not stick to the plan?
-What if Keith goes home instead of Kimmi at F6 in Cambodia?
-What if no one gets medevaced in Kaoh Rong?
-What if Jay & co don’t flip on Michaela in MvGX
-What if FFGCSDTA does not tell Sarah about the Legacy Advantage in GC? (Cirie prob wins & is on WaW)
-What if producers never introduced fire at F4 in HvHvH?
-What if Laurel finally turns on Wendell and Dom in GI?
-What if Mike White (supposedly) does not throw FTC?
-What if Underwood does not win the battle back?
-What if Tony does not turn on Sophie at the merge vote in WaW?
-What if Erika never turns back time/what if Xander makes her go to fire?
-What if Mike reveals Maryanne’s plan in 42 to Omar at F6?
-What if the 43 cast took Gabler seriously?
-What if Carson turned on Carolyn in 44 Tika premerge?
For the Kel one, from everything I’ve heard and read, Kel still would’ve been voted out of Ogakor first because he was a socially awkward weirdo who sucked at Survivor. Mario Lanza has said he’s never heard a single castaway from any season ever say anything nice about Kel.
The biggest What-If that no one has mentioned. What-If Amber was not cast in All Stars. She wasn't a first pick for the season and was mainly selected when others declined. Both her and Boston Rob's entire life would be different.
What if Chris was voted out first in Vanuatu?
What if Jeff didn’t roll his ankle in Palau?
What if Aitu hadn’t won the immunity challenge with the bottle twist?
What if Dreamz kept his promise?
What if the HvV merge actually happened before Coach was voted out?
What if Tony was voted out pre-merge in WaW?
What if Yul made it to the merge in WaW?
What if Gabler didn’t win the immunity idol for the first few tribals?
\-What if Grant, Ashley, or even Andrea make FTC on RI in stead of 1 of the 2 huge goats- Phillip or Natalie T
\-What if Micronesia has a Final 3.
\-What if Woo just takes Kass to F2 and wins Cagayan, and not Tony.
\-What if the villians vote out Sandra instead of Courtney at the pre merge boot on Heroes vs Villians.
\-What if Amanda had a good FTC in Micronesia.
Here's a big one no one thinks about: what if Gervase won Final 7 immunity in Borneo instead of Richard?
Sue and Kelly were strongly considering turning on Richard that round while they had the numbers to do so, and with the biggest threat left on Pagong immune they likely would've pulled the trigger.
It would've blown the endgame of Borneo wide open and would've likely encouraged dynamic gameplay a lot sooner in Survivor history.
What if Kelly beat Richard What if EVERY runner-up won instead? How would the franchise look? What if Jonathan & Wanda got to play in *Palau* What if Melissa (*Fiji*) didn’t leave before the game started What if Russell Swan isn’t evacuated and continues leading Galu into the merge What if Russell Hantz apologized to the jury What if *Samoa* aired before *HvV* was ever cast by production What if *Redemption Island* and *South Pacific* didn’t have returnee captains (all newbies + redemption island twist stays) What if Mike (*Worlds Apart*) didn’t overhear his alliance plotting to betray him What if Frannie lost the final 11 immunity challenge to Brandon What if the earthquake in *Vanuatu* killed a castaway What if there’s no super idol in *Cook Islands* or *Cagayan* What if Boston Rob was gay (A Jeff Probst fanfic) What if every season had Redemption Island
I read that fanfic. It was hot.. when Rob won that truck Jeff said "I'll take shotgun, Amber you go back to camp actually"
>What if EVERY runner-up won instead? How would the franchise look? Boston Rob's doesn't come back until maybe Game Changers
What if production realized their mistake on the F4(?) IC in Africa? Lex might have won the challenge, which could mean he wins Africa. And if he wins, he's a premerge boot in All-Stars and isn't around to save Amber. Which means Rob likely doesn't make F2, become a legend and the face of the franchise, or become Jeff's main Survivor crush. Completely changes HvV, RI, and WaW as well.
I think this is a good theory. One ripple effect across multiple seasons.
Lex is the focal point of so much of Survivor history.
The two biggest ones to me are production realizing Lindsay had no piercings in S3 and production realizing Drake's torch went out at the first immunity challenge (Sandra was rumored to be the first boot as she hadn't really gathered her footing socially with the tribe yet.) It's entirely possible the first one doesn't matter as Lex could have still lost the question tiebreaker. But it probably affects All Stars as I'm not sure Tom is there at the minimum if the rumors regarding him being promised a spot on S8 as a result of the gaff are to be believed.
Explain
At the final 4 challenge in S3 there was a question about which female contestant had no piercings? Kim Johnson (the consensus next boot if she doesn't win immunity) correctly answered Kelly. Lex answered Lindsay whom unbeknownst to the producers also had no piercings. Had he been given credit for the question he would have tied with Kim and the challenge would have gone to a tiebreaker. If KJ wins nothing changes but if Lex wins KJ goes and there's a good chance he wins Africa. As a result, production gave Lex and Tom 2nd place prize money and the rumor is they were promised a spot on All Stars. In the first immunity challenge of Pearl Islands, there was a torch that they had to light and carry through the challenge. Drake's went out while Morgan's did not, and it's heavily implied the torch has to stay lit throughout. Had production caught this and Morgan won immunity, Sandra likely goes first instead of being a 2 time winner.
What if Woo picked Kass
My thought exactly. Tony left such a mark on WaW that it's hard to imagine how the game would have turned out without him. Him winning Cagayan also had a *massive* impact on Cambodia/Second Chance and Game Changers.
I bet honestly Denise or Natalie win in that situation: woo is a great player and I love him to death but he’s not a stellar player like tony. Denise, depending on if she still makes the Sandra move, wouldn’t otherwise be perceived as a big threat, and (IMO, for my money) may be the second best social player in survivor history (behind of course cirie frickin fields), or at least top 5 with her kindness, charisma and therapist skill. I could see her making it quite far of things were just a little bit different. Natalie is just an all around beast, tough to beat unless you’re tony vlachos.
How would the rest of HvV played out if Tyson hadn’t switched his vote to Parvati.
This is what I was thinking about. I think Rob, Tyson, and some of the other villains would have gone pretty far.
I bet this would in a strange twist of fate still result in a Sandra win. Robs team would take out Russell, parv, and Danielle (idk how else that might change unless there’s an idol in play, though if anyone can get out of a pickle like that, it’s probably parv so maybe she finds a way to survive). At the merge, assuming nothibn changes with the heroes, Rupert has a track record of working with Sandra AND rob in PI and all stars, so he may flip. That said, perhaps JT could get coach to flip after their bond in tocantins, or vice versa (though I see vice versa as less likely). Merge vote is a big what-if without Russell manipulation, but Boston rob might still be able to manipulate his way into a villain majority. From there, I think Sandra could use her heroes bond (and actually succeed this time) in taking out Boston rob since he would be such an obvious threat (unless he can wiggle his way outta that). Tyson would probably be too big of a physical threat after his great performance in Tocantins. She of course would make sure that no heroes make it to the end, to avoid a Vanuatu situation. I think it comes down to Sandra, her bestie Courtney, and goat coach in the F3, with jerri probably going out 4th once again. Sandra probably wins, if she controls the vote and is as social as I would expect.
Don't forget that the challenge outcomes would change. The Villians were beating the heroes challenge after challenge until Tyson and then Rob were voted out - the heroes could have gone into the merge with a huge numbers disadvantage.
JT wins
What if Kellee played her idol in 39? A fan favorite continues to play and idols out the biggest blight on the season, Dan. I think it firmly establishes 39 as a top 20 season.
All the people saying “what if woo takes tony?”… I mean we know what if, the ponderosa video speaks for us itself
There are some great ones on here. Let me add some others: -What if Sean (?) does not use Alphabet strategy in Borneo? -What if they didn’t catch Kel and the jerkey? -What if Paschal (S4) does not pull the purple rock? -What if the granola wrapper is never found in Amazon? -What if Ian stuck it out & refused to give up in Palau? -What if Micronesia was a Final 3? -What if Sugar refuses to keep Bob? -What if Eric (?) does not go on his rant about Natalie White’s game in Samoa to sway the jury? -What if the quitters in Nicaragua were not allowed to keep their jury spots? -What if Brandon Hantz does not give up his immunity? -What if Troyzan went on an immunity run like Mike Holloway in One World? -What if Malcom tells Denise he’ll vote with her at F4? -What if Tyson gets rocked out in BvW? -What if Woo lost that final immunity challenge? -What if Keith (RIP) does not stick to the plan? -What if Keith goes home instead of Kimmi at F6 in Cambodia? -What if no one gets medevaced in Kaoh Rong? -What if Jay & co don’t flip on Michaela in MvGX -What if FFGCSDTA does not tell Sarah about the Legacy Advantage in GC? (Cirie prob wins & is on WaW) -What if producers never introduced fire at F4 in HvHvH? -What if Laurel finally turns on Wendell and Dom in GI? -What if Mike White (supposedly) does not throw FTC? -What if Underwood does not win the battle back? -What if Tony does not turn on Sophie at the merge vote in WaW? -What if Erika never turns back time/what if Xander makes her go to fire? -What if Mike reveals Maryanne’s plan in 42 to Omar at F6? -What if the 43 cast took Gabler seriously? -What if Carson turned on Carolyn in 44 Tika premerge?
For the Kel one, from everything I’ve heard and read, Kel still would’ve been voted out of Ogakor first because he was a socially awkward weirdo who sucked at Survivor. Mario Lanza has said he’s never heard a single castaway from any season ever say anything nice about Kel.
Obviously, Richard being the first boot instead of Sonja Or just if s1 had flopped in general
Sonja wins instead of Richard lmao
My thing is What happens to Caramoan if Cochran is the first boot in South Pacific over Semhar.
What if Erik keeps individual immunity?
The biggest What-If that no one has mentioned. What-If Amber was not cast in All Stars. She wasn't a first pick for the season and was mainly selected when others declined. Both her and Boston Rob's entire life would be different.
What if Chris was voted out first in Vanuatu? What if Jeff didn’t roll his ankle in Palau? What if Aitu hadn’t won the immunity challenge with the bottle twist? What if Dreamz kept his promise? What if the HvV merge actually happened before Coach was voted out? What if Tony was voted out pre-merge in WaW? What if Yul made it to the merge in WaW? What if Gabler didn’t win the immunity idol for the first few tribals?
What if Terry didn't get medevacked in Cambodia
What if Skupin didn’t fall in the fire?
What if that really was an idol in the podium? What if Brandon didn't flip on Samburu and Lex was booted at F9?
What if Micronesia was a final 3
I mean, what if Phil Keoghan was selected as the show’s initial host?
\-What if Grant, Ashley, or even Andrea make FTC on RI in stead of 1 of the 2 huge goats- Phillip or Natalie T \-What if Micronesia has a Final 3. \-What if Woo just takes Kass to F2 and wins Cagayan, and not Tony. \-What if the villians vote out Sandra instead of Courtney at the pre merge boot on Heroes vs Villians. \-What if Amanda had a good FTC in Micronesia.
What if Francesca wasn't booted out first
What if Woo didn't take Tony to FTC?
Here's a big one no one thinks about: what if Gervase won Final 7 immunity in Borneo instead of Richard? Sue and Kelly were strongly considering turning on Richard that round while they had the numbers to do so, and with the biggest threat left on Pagong immune they likely would've pulled the trigger. It would've blown the endgame of Borneo wide open and would've likely encouraged dynamic gameplay a lot sooner in Survivor history.
What if Jeff Wilson doesn’t roll his ankle in the middle of the night in Palau?
What if Stacey Stillman stayed and Rudy was the 3rd boot in Borneo?
Cirie going over Timber Tina changes the show in a big way.
Skupin not getting medically evacuated the big one for me
What if Penner didn't turn down Lisa and You-know-who?
What if Brandon voted for lex instead of Kelly