Survivor 42: Why There’s A Final 3 & Not A Final 2

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When the Survivor season 42 finale airs tonight, viewers will see the final six dwindle to three while competing for the $1 million cash prize and the title of Sole Survivor. In the earlier seasons, the show had a final two before changing it to include a final three in the finale. Over the years, viewers have wondered why the sudden change from a final two to a final three in the more recent seasons, and here is why.

Throughout the years on Survivor, the finale has varied between a final two and a final three on finale night. However, since Survivor season 29, a final three has been introduced at the finale and has remained a staple ever since. When a final three was introduced during the final tribal council, many viewers were confused as to why the sudden change happened during the show, considering that Survivor typically had a final two throughout most of its run on air.

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Producers likely decided to include a final three going into the final tribal council as they realized many strong players were being eliminated at third place. Including the final three in the final tribal council eliminated the possibility of someone strong getting voted off right before the final vote. It's also possible Survivor producers changed the number of players to make sure the jury had a certain amount of players casting a vote for a winner. Although, there is also a possibility that the third place winner could become a jury member.

This has only happened on one occasion, during Survivor: Ghost Island season 16. Jeff Probst read the votes out loud and revealed that two of the finalists, Wendell Holland & Domenick Abbate, each received five votes from the jury of 10