Haves vs. Have Nots

Haves vs Have Nots was the major twist in the pre-merge portion of .

About
In  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.

Criticism
Critics and audiences initially did not like the idea, since it seemed that the rest and comfort would give the first winners too big of an advantage. Producers, however, argued that the lack of amenities would make the Have Nots fight harder.

Result
When the game actually unfolded, the Have Nots, Ravu, were not as functional as a tribe as Moto. Ravu only won one immunity challenge and one reward challenge. Ravu lost 6 members before the merge while Moto only lost 2, 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 in conception, but not 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.