Jeff Probst clarifies Knowledge Is Power rules on Survivor

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the Nov. 16 episode of Survivor 43.

There have been a few interesting instances this season on Survivor 43 regarding rules at Tribal Council. Earlier in the season, Mike "Gabler" Gabler received an idol that was good for the first two Tribal Councils he attended. However, the second Tribal he went to ended up being the half-merge one in which he and his team were all safe. So, fans wondered, did that count as Gabler's second Tribal Council since he could not even be voted for? Indeed, it did, because Gabler still could have used the idol and played it for someone else in danger.

Then, some viewers were a bit confused when it appeared Jeanine Zheng was asking Dwight Moore while the votes were being read to give her back the immunity idol he was holding. It turned out Jeanine was not asking for the idol back and Dwight did not even have it, but some questioned whether you were able to still transfer an idol or advantage before the final vote was read. Jeff Probst clarified to EW that you most certainly cannot.

Robert Voets/CBS Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 43'

Another potential gray area popped up on this week's episode, once again at Tribal Council. At the first Tribal of the evening, Noelle Lambert was worried about James Jones potentially using his Knowledge Is Power advantage to steal her Steal-A-Vote. The Knowledge Is Power is a new twist introduced in season 41 that allows the holder to ask one player at Tribal Council if they have an advantage or idol. If they do, they then have to give that advantage or idol over to the holder of the Knowledge Is Power.

In this week's episode, Noelle decided to tell James that she planned to use her Steal-a-Vote on Owen Knight and take his vote, which she did. However, she then used those two votes to oust James from the game. But before Noelle could play the advantage, she had to read to everyone at Tribal a note explaining what the power was and how it worked.

So, in that time before Noelle had actually used the Steal-a-Vote, could James have piped up and stolen Noelle's advantage after she revealed her intention to use it. We went to the host for the definitive answer. "The Knowledge Is Power advantage cannot be used against a player who has already publicly declared to me at Tribal Council that they are going to use their advantage or idol," Probst tells EW. "James would have had to ask Noelle before she declared that she had an advantage to play."

That makes total sense in that the entire spirit of the Knowledge Is Power — and why it played out so dramatically in seasons 41 and 42 — is that you have to guess who actually has the idol or advantage you want to steal. Both Liana Wallace and Drea Wheeler were foiled in their attempts when players shuffled their idols around. (That's also how Jesse Lopez ended up with Jeanine's immunity idol this season.)

CBS Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 43'

Regardless, Probst says that the players in the game are always clearly informed of when and how any use or thievery of an item must take place: "Our producers are very aware of who has what and always remind players of any particulars regarding when they must play an advantage or when a note must be read."

As for what specifically happened this week, the host notes that "In this situation, James knew going into Tribal that if he wants to try to steal an advantage or an idol, he has to speak up immediately before any moves are made by other players. Then, once the vote reading process begins, nothing else can be played and no advantage or idol can be given to another player. This includes after a player is voted out. They cannot hand over an unused advantage or idol to another player. It's dead."

And, unfortunately for James, so is his game. Is the Knowledge Is Power the new Survivor car curse? Four people — including two this season — have possessed it and no one has yet to use it successfully. Read our full recap for everything else that went down this week on Survivor 43.

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