What is the ‘Shot in the Dark’ on ‘Survivor?’ The so-called ‘Hail Mary,’ explained

Since 2001, Survivor has been jam-packed with twists and turns, with even more coming into play as the seasons have progressed.

Beginning in the “New Era” of Survivor, a brand new game mechanic was introduced during Survivor 41 called the “Shot in the Dark,” which longtime host Jeff Probst has described as a “Hail Mary.”

With Brandon Donlon threatening to use his “Shot in the Dark” at the end of the Survivor 45 premiere (which ended up not happening due to Hannah Rose’s controversial self-elimination), what exactly is it?

Fortunately, we got you covered — keep scrolling to find out what the “Shot in the Dark” truly is.

What is the “Shot in the Dark” on Survivor?

To put it simply, the “Shot in the Dark” is a die that gives castaways a one-in-six chance of immunity in exchange for their vote at tribal council — with this brand new game mechanic, the stakes are at an all-time high!

Each castaway receives this six-sided die at the start of their season, and it may only be played once, ultimately losing its power at the final seven (or the final six in Survivor 42).

To play their “Shot in the Dark,” the contestant will refrain from voting and instead insert their die into the urn. After playing their “Shot in the Dark,” Jeff will pull out a parchment that either reads “Safe” or “Not Safe” before the votes are read. If the parchment reads “Safe,” any votes casted towards that particular contestant will not count (operating as a Hidden Immunity Idol). On the other hand, if the parchment reads “Not Safe,” then the tribal council will continue as normal.

As with every advantage, there are some restrictions that come with the “Shot in the Dark.” The player must be eligible to vote to begin with, and the player must have the die in their possession at tribal council as well — we all remember when Matt Blankinship forgot his bag back at camp during Survivor 44… right?

While the “Shot in the Dark” is the ultimate risk, Survivor superfans have seen it as an mechanism for strategy.

First and foremost, when a player is almost certain that they will be voted out, feeling helpless with no options left, the die can be used as a “Hail Mary.” Losing nothing except their vote at tribal council (which might not have mattered anyways), a castaway may be able to secure their safety and pull off the ultimate blindside.

Speaking of blindsides, the “Shot in the Dark” has made blindsides much more prevalent in the “New Era” of Survivor. The majority alliance does not want their target to know that they are on the chopping block due to the risk of them playing their “Shot in the Dark” and shaking up the game, causing them to play the game much more carefully.

Last but certainly not least, even though they may not be at risk, castaways can use their “Shot in the Dark” in an effort to avoid showing their cards and potentially burning bridges with other tribe members — with no vote, nobody would know where they stand!

While the “Shot in the Dark” is an extremely interesting game mechanic introduced during Survivor 41, it has been relatively unsuccessful, only garnering safety once out of the nine times it was played in the past.

Who has used their “Shot in the Dark” on Survivor?

The first castaway to use their “Shot in the Dark” was Sydney Segal, who doubled as the only castaway to use it during the entirety of Survivor 41. After opening up the parchment, Sydney found herself still vulnerable, and she was voted out in a 5-4-3 vote at the final 12.

To follow, Survivor 42 featured the most “Shot in the Dark” users to date, with four different contestants trying their luck (and ultimately falling short). After using their “Shot in the Dark” and receiving a “Not Safe” parchment, Zach Wurtenberger was eliminated at the final 17, Marya Sherron was eliminated at the final 16, Swati Goel was eliminated at the final 14, and Tori Meehan was eliminated at the final 9.

Like Survivor 41, only one individual used their “Shot in the Dark” during Survivor 43: Sami Layadi. After his parchment read “Not Safe,” Sami was unanimously voted out at the final 7.

Drumroll please… After three seasons of trial and error, the “Shot in the Dark” was finally successful during Survivor 44.

Jaime Lynn Ruiz and Matthew Grinstead-Mayle both played their “Shot in the Dark” at Ratu’s first tribal council, likely in an attempt to not show their cards too early. While Matthew’s parchment read “Not Safe,” Jaime made Survivor history as the first castaway to successfully use their “Shot in the Dark,” ultimately leading to Maddy Pomilla’s elimination.

Later on in the season, Claire Rafson played her “Shot in the Dark” at Soka’s first tribal council as well, leading to her unanimous elimination at the final 15.

With only one episode of Survivor 45 in the books (which did not consist of a real vote at tribal council), will we see the “Shot in the Dark” make its resurgence? Only time will tell…

To see how the rest of Survivor 45 unfolds, tune into CBS Wednesdays at 8pm ET/PT.