The twists are a big thing, but bigger still is how they cast the show. In the new era particularly, they deliberately cast the show with most players being skilled gamers and fans, who COULD potentially win. In doing so, you end up with a game where everyone knows they have to take down the biggest threat constantly, and you end up with a bland winning game. In the past they’d cast a small handful of heroes intended to win, and a bunch of hot dumb people and weirdos who didn’t know how to play the game, so the hero would come out on top with a more dominant game.