Medallion of Power

The Medallion of Power is a game-changing twist from.

Stylized as a large flower with a blue and yellow lanyard, the Medallion was introduced during the events of, the tribe that takes ownership will receive an advantage at challenges. When a tribe does use the Medallion, ownership is then transferred to the rival team. The advantage may or not be as beneficial as the tribes might think, so it is crucial to think hard when deciding to use it.

This twist was recognized as an opportunity to level the playing field between the La Flor and Espada tribes as they were divided by their age. After a tribe switch, however, the Medallion was retired.

Usage
After explaining the mechanics of a challenge, the host will explain what would be the tribe's advantage at the challenge if they use the Medallion (such as: i.e. shortcuts, less workload, etc.). The host would then ask the Medallion's current host tribe if they will take advantage. If the tribe decided not to use the Medallion, the item will remain in the tribe's possession, and the challenge will start on equal playing field. But once the tribe uses the Medallion, the advantage will be given to them, though they have to pass the Medallion to the rival tribe.

Survivor: Nicaragua
At the start of the season, the twenty castaways (whom were not yet divided into tribes) were tasked to find it, yet the medallion's true power remained unknown. The first person to find the medallion would win it for their tribe. When Brenda Lowe found it, the other players on her mat congratulated her, under the premise that the two groups of ten were the actual tribes. But much to the castaways' surprise, Jeff Probst announced that the two groups were not tribes yet, and revealed that the season will be having a young vs. old format.

With Brenda being under 30, she won the medallion for the yellow La Flor tribe. Moments later, Jeff then gave the tribe a dilemma. While the medallion's power still unrevealed, Jeff gave them the option to trade the Medallion of Power for fishing supplies (what the tribe does not pick will be given to the rival tribe). After a healthy conversation, the tribe decided to give away the medallion to Espada in exchange for the fishing gear.

At the first Immunity Challenge, Jeff revealed that the true purpose of the medallion is to give its host tribe a distinct advantage at challenges, much to La Flor's chagrin. Ultimately, Espada decided not to use it, thus starting the challenge on even ground. The older tribe's decision proved to be fatal, as the younger tribe surged ahead and won the challenge, sending them to Tribal Council.

At the second challenge, which was for both reward and immunity, Espada finally used the medallion, which gave them a tremendous lead over La Flor. Though La Flor had caught up, Espada pulled ahead and won the challenge. At the next challenge, La Flor decided not to use the medallion, thus keeping it in their possession until the next challenge. Despite this, the younger tribe won the challenge. The tribe used it at the next challenge, giving them a lopsided victory.

On Day 12, Probst announced a tribe switch, mixing up the two tribes. After this, it was announced that the Medallion of Power would be retired for the duration of the game. It is unknown if this twist will be used again in the future.

Reception
Fans reaction to the Medallion of Power were lukewarm to negative, a trend that would continue with Redemption Island. Many commented that the Medallion was deemed useless as a large portion of the challenges when it could be used involved little to no physical ability.

Trivia

 * La Flor became the first tribe to possess the Medallion of Power, but it was Espada who became the first tribe to use it.
 * Out of the four challenges where the Medallion of Power could've been used in, it was only used in two of them.