The Exile Island Analysis

Whether you loved it or hated it, Exile Island was a pretty interesting twist. It first appeared in Palau in an unofficial appearance. But after a season break, we saw it appear as a regular twist in many seasons. Then, it was suddenly retired for reasons unexplained to most. Is it a good thing for it to be gone from the game? We'll see. There are many possible reasons why it no longer appears. I couldn't care less about whether or not it will ever reappear. I'm happy without it and I'm happy if it does reappear. But here are the facts: there are lots of good things about it and lots of bad things about it. It's supposed to be bad since you are exiled away from your tribe mates and meant to deteriorate you. There are other twists relating to it. It sometimes helps limit the power of the hidden immunity idol because you can only find it on the island and would thus have to be sent there. So I'm going to list random facts about Exile Island and hopefully make a good post for the person who reads this blog.

39 contestants were sent to Exile Island over the course of the show. The first was Janu in Palau who was the first out of an immunity challenge and was sent their as a one-time punishment. The second was Misty in Panama when it was a regular twist. After the new tribes were formed, Bruce was sent their tribeless with immunity until someone was voted out. Terry was the next person sent here where he would find the all too powerful hidden immunity idol. He would spend the most time there that season. Sally, Austin, Danielle, and Aras would also visit that season. That would be the most of any season when just one person was sent by themselves, although I think there were twists that changed that at least once. Cook Islands would tie with Gabon for least people sent to Exile Island because Palau's twist was only used once. Jonathan would be sent at some point and so would Yul, Candice, and Adam. In Fiji, six people would be sent over the course of the show. Sylvia and Lisi would be sent there after being unchosen by their tribes in a selection of some sort. Earl would be an interesting character there. Yau-Man would go on to become a legend by creating a fake hidden immunity, although his would never be found. Mookie and Boo would also go to exile at some point. While Micronesia could have brought people who had visited before back on another season, this would not happen, although people who failed to visit the first time would visit the second. This season also had half the cast visit the island at some point. Due to the nature of the twist, it seems appropriate that half of the fans went and half of the favorites went. Cirie, Ami, Ozzy, Amanda, and Parvati were the favorites who visited the island. Most of them found an idol but only one would successfully use it while another didn't even take it off the island. The fans who visited were Kathy, Chet, Jason, Alexis, and Tracy. In Gabon, Ace visited and Sugar got sent their five times in a row. Bob and Susie would also visit. Tocantins was the last appearance of Exile Island. Joe and Erinn visited there but there appearance wasn't as memorable as others. Brendan, Sierra, Stephen, and Taj would form the so called exile alliance. While it was focused on for quite some time, it never really materialized and fell apart after the merge, when it was supposed to take effect. Coach was memorable as the last person who ever went there.

Here are the good things about Exile Island. It limited the power of the hidden immunity idol. Nobody found an idol without a clue when the island was in effect. Sometimes you had to go to the island to get the idol at the island. Other times, you found out that the idol was at the beach. You had to show what goes on at the island so people who otherwise wouldn't get airtime would get airtime. It helped keep things even with tribe swaps. It showed interesting things about contestants we wouldn't otherwise know. It brought a certain level of entertainment that wasn't otherwise seen. It helped keep things interesting.

Here are the bad things about Exile Island. It had its flaws and wasn't quite working right. The same person could be and was sent over and over again in back to back episodes and there were no rules against it. They had to show what happened and if nothing did, it made for some bad TV. Coach made it a good thing and not a bad thing. The failure of the Exile alliance makes the island seem worthless. It hindered people's ability to keep up with tribe dynamics. Those who couldn't fit in at camp couldn't at exile either. It caused two people to quit the game. It was boring sometimes. It brought nothing new to the game.

Ultimately, I didn't hate Exile Island, but I didn't like it that much either. I'm glad that it's out of the game, although I wouldn't mind it reappearing. I'm not sure what else to say.