Some fans of Survivor bemoan the inclusion of advantages. Recent seasons in particular have received a slew of negative attention for their abundance of advantages. However, there is nothing inherently wrong with the advantages themselves - it's the sheer number of them in any given season.
Advantages help keep gameplay fresh, and they ittedly provide many exciting and unpredictable moments throughout a season. Survivor is at its best when being unpredictable, and there's simply nothing better than a fantastic and well-executed advantage play. These are masters of the game, and they know how to utilize its tools.
Parvati's Double Idol Play
Parvati's famous double idol play is easily one of the best idol plays in Survivor history. Not only did Russell hilariously acquire it from J.T., but it was subsequently used to vote out none other than J.T. It's also just a genius bit of Survivor gameplay.
Parvati had the intelligence to realize Amanda was lying, and she gave two idols to Jerri and Sandra. Because Jerri's votes were nullified, the 5-5 vote between Jerri and J.T. sent J.T. packing. Never before had two idols been played at once, and it cemented Parvati in the annals of Survivor history.
Debbie's Extra Vote
While the extra vote has never altered the outcome of a tribal council, it has still been used in successful ways. Debbie Wanner acquired an extra vote in Game Changers and used it to target Ozzy Lusth. The extra vote was not entirely necessary, as Ozzy would have gone home regardless thanks to the votes of Sarah, Cirie, and Zeke.
However, it was still well utilized, and Ozzy went home in a bizarre 7-4-1-1 vote, placing him in 12th and making him the second member of the jury.
Aurora's Extra Vote
Aurora McCreary from Edge of Extinction almost made a fatal Survivor mistake, and that's to give advantages to someone else. Aurora gave Ron her extra vote to secure his loyalty, and it almost resulted in her elimination. Luckily, Ron gave the extra vote back...and got eliminated as a result.
Aurora again made the fatal mistake and gave her extra vote to Gavin, but Gavin used it to help blindside Ron Clark alongside Lauren O'Connell. Ron subsequently went to the Edge in a shocking 3-1 vote.
Sarah's Vote Steal
Along with being a part of Survivor's best redemption arc, Sarah Lacina is also a great player in her own right. Sarah received a vote steal in Game Changers and used it against poor Tai Trang. In the season's penultimate episode, Sarah negated Tai's vote and cast both of hers against Michaela.
Michaela was eliminated in a 4-2-1 vote, with Tai receiving two votes and Aubry receiving the one. It didn't affect the outcome of the trial but at least it was used correctly.
Michele Removes A Jury Member
The juror removal advantage was only used in Kaôh Rōng, and it was used correctly by the eventual winner, Michele Fitzgerald. Michele won the respective challenge and earned the juror removal advantage as a result. She then used it to negate Neal Gottlieb's vote, as he shared a very strong friendship with Aubry Bracco and would have voted for her to win.
Michele went on to win the season in a 5-2-0 vote. Therefore, her juror removal wasn't entirely necessary, as she still would have won 5-3-0.
Sarah's Legacy Advantage
Sarah Lacina played a great game throughout Game Changers, and she played many advantages well. She was gifted the legacy advantage from Sierra Dawn Thomas and used it during the final episode of the season. It was beautifully played, as Saran would have been eliminated in a 3-2-1 vote.
Instead, her three votes were negated. However, this only resulted in the controversial "Advantage-geddon" that saw the elimination of Cirie Fields. Tai, Aubry, and Troyzan all played their hidden immunity idols, so Cirie was eliminated by sheer default.
Elaine Blocks Jason's Vote
Island of the Idols contains one of the show's biggest controversies, which significantly tarnishes its reputation. However, it also contains some great plays. Elaine Scott became the recipient of a vote blocker and used it against Jason Linden.
Vokai was split at the time, and it seemed like the tribe would go to rocks thanks to a 4-4 vote. But by blocking Jason's vote, the old Lairo flipped the script, came out ahead, and voted out Jason in a brilliant 4-3 vote.
Carl's Idol Nullifier
Idol nullifiers are a very fun idea, and they have been successfully executed numerous times throughout Survivor history. The first successful play came in David vs. Goliath when Carl Boudreaux used it against Dan Rengering.
In a very messy tribal council containing an immunity idol, an idol nullifier, and a stolen vote (Nick having stolen Allison's), Dan was voted out in a 6-3-2 vote over Christian and Angelina.
Dean's Idol Nullifier
Island of the Idols contained another great advantage play in Dean Kowalski's idol nullifier. This move was made even more spectacular by coming in the season finale. Dean, Lauren, Noura, and Tommy all voted against Janet Carbin, with Janet voting for Lauren.
Janet actually thought she was playing well - her plan was to get every vote on her, play the idol, and use her sole vote to eliminate Lauren in a 1-0 vote. Instead, the idol nullifier canceled its use and eliminated Janet in a swift 4-1 vote.
Denise Tricks Sandra With Fire Tokens
Despite being a two-time winner, it seemed like Sandra Diaz-Twine's heart wasn't in Winners at War. Sandra made a bizarre deal with Denise that saw her exchanging her immunity idol in exchange for two fire tokens with the contingency that Denise vote out Tony or Jeremy.
Denise gladly accepted the deal and only paid Sandra one token, promising the second after tribal council. She then played an idol on herself, sending Sandra to the edge in a shocking 1-0 vote (as every other vote had been cast against Denise).