Haves vs. Have Nots

Haves vs Have Nots (also known as the "Rich vs Poor" twist) was a major twist in the pre-merge portion of Survivor: Fiji.

About
Survivor: Fiji was originally supposed to start out with four tribes divided by race, just like the previous season, Cook Islands. However, Mellisa McNulty pulled out of the show the day before filming started due to a panic attack. This left the season to start with 19 contestants, making the four-tribe plan unfeasible. As a result, a new twist had to be quickly concocted. When the game began, all 19 contestants arrived on a beach with no tribal indicators such as buffs. A crate was dropped via a parachute. Inside were building supplies, tools, and instructions. A luxurious camp was built by all 19 contestants, complete with sturdy shelter, bedding, kitchen area, benches, hammocks, and other ammenities. The next day, Jeff Probst arrived and had Sylvia Kwan split the two tribes. The winner of the first challenge would win the nice campsite and immunity, but the losers would have to live at a basic campsite and build their own camp. Moto won and had the nice campsite, and Ravu had to live at the unfurnished campsite. (Sylvia was forced to live on Exile Island until after the first Tribal Council, at which point she joined Ravu, replacing the contestant who was voted off).

Criticism
Critics and fans alike expressed their distaste for the idea, for the "Rich" Moto tribe predictably dominating in challenges, leaving the the "Poor" Ravu tribe severely diminished. The producers, however, argued that the lack of comfort would make the Have Nots fight harder. It was widely believed that the twist was influenced by the sixth season of The Apprentice, which had finished taping several months before Fiji and used the same basic idea. (The winning team lived in a mansion, while the losing team lived in tents in the backyard.)

Result
When the game actually unfolded, the Have Nots, Ravu, were not as functional as a tribe as Moto. Ravu only won one reward challenge. Ravu lost 6 members before the merge while Moto only lost two, one due to illness. (Also note that Moto had one less member, as Sylvia joined Ravu after the first tribal council.) It is assumed that the tribe would never have been evenly matched even if the Haves vs Have Nots twist did not exist, but without a doubt the lack of luxury made things harder.

At the merge, the original Ravu was outnumbered by two members. Earl Cole, an original member of Ravu, did manage to make it to the end and win despite his disadvantage.

Future
Jeff Probst, the public face of Survivor, stated that the idea worked on paper, but heavily poor in execution. Having Sylvia Kwan choose the tribes was probably not the best idea, but the tribe switch helped even things out. He has stated that it will most likely not happen in any future seasons.

Trivia

 * Being the one that chose who would be on each tribe, Sylvia Kwan was the only contestant that would be placed on the Have Nots tribe either way, replacing a contestant of the losing tribe.