Survivor (franchise)

Survivor is a U.S. reality-based competition television show, based on the Swedish television series, Expedition Robinson created by Charlie Parsons in 1997. It premiered on May 31, 2000, and is currently hosted by Jeff Probst.

The United States version is produced by Survivor Entertainment Group, a joint company created by the television network CBS and Executive Producer Mark Burnett.

The series currently airs on Wednesdays (formerly Thursdays) at 8:00 pm during the spring and fall.

History
An instant hit in the United States, the first eleven seasons of Survivor regularly rated among the top ten most watched television shows. The show is considered the pioneer of the reality television genre, being the first highly rated and profitable reality show on television, and often considered to be one of the best shows during the 2000s.

The show has regularly been nominated for various s, such as Outstanding Cinematography for Reality Programming and Outstanding Picture Editing for Reality Programming. Jeff Probst has won four consecutive years for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program. Survivor has also won a for Outstanding Reality Program, for the show's thoughtful handling of the Zeke Smith's story after Jeff Varner outed him on.

Starting with, Canadian citizens are eligible to apply for the show. Prior to this, dual-citizen Americans had to give up their non-American citizenship for legal reasons to earn their winnings, though the only known case of a castaway doing so is Todd Herzog of.

Format
Similar to the original Expedition Robinson, sixteen to twenty people, referred to as "castaways" or "survivors", split into two or more groups, referred to as "tribes", would be taken to a remote location, most often tropical, and forced to live off the land for 39 days (42 in ). Every so often, the tribes would meet together to compete for reward, usually items to improve island living conditions or meals, or for immunity from being voted out at Tribal Council.

Usually signalling the halfway point of the season, the competing tribes would form one final tribe in an event called the merge. At this point, the castaways would be competing in challenges individually (though some post-merge Reward Challenges may divide the remaining castaways into teams). At least one person will have win individual immunity in the form of a necklace, preventing that castaway from being voted out at the next Tribal Council. Most castaways eliminated after the merge will begin forming the jury. Once the season gets down to the Final Two or Final Three, the finalists will plead their case to the jury. The jury will then cast their vote for the castaway they considered should be the Sole Survivor, in addition to the $1 million prize.

Since the original format in (two tribes of eight, merge at ten, jury at nine, and Final Two), the game has introduced several twists to keep players on their toes and to make the season more exciting and fresh to the audience.

Number of Members per Tribe

 * Two Tribes of Eight: First used in, and subsequently used in , , , , , , , and , the castaways were divided into two tribes of eight. Except for The Amazon, the tribes consisted of four men and four women on each tribe. In The Amazon, the tribes were divided by gender with eight men on one tribe and eight women on the other.
 * Three Tribes of Six: First used on, and subsequently used in , , , , and , the castaways were divided into three tribes of six, consisting of three men and three women on each tribe.
 * Two Tribes of Nine: First used on, and subsequently used in , , , , , , , , and , the castaways were divided into two tribes of nine. When this format was first used in Vanuatu and later in One World, the castaways were divided by gender, one tribe consisting of nine men, and the other tribe consisting of nine women. In other seasons using this format, except Fiji and San Juan del Sur, the tribes would consist of either five men and four women or four men and five women. (Palau started with twenty castaways, but one man and one woman were eliminated in the tribe selection.) In Fiji, due to Mellisa McNulty dropping out late, Sylvia Kwan, would be selected to pick the tribes and in San Juan del Sur, a female-female pair was pulled shortly before the game started, thus both seasons started with both tribes having five men and four women.
 * Four Tribes of Four: Only used in, the castaways were divided into four tribes of four, divided by gender and age, therefore two tribes had four men each and two tribes had four women each.
 * Four Tribes of Five: Only used in, the castaways were divided into four tribes of five. Two tribes consisted of three men and two women, while the other two tribes consisted of two men and three women.
 * Two Tribes of Ten: First used on, and subsequently used in , , , , , , , , , , , and , the castaways were divided into two tribes of ten, consisting of five men and five women on each tribe.

"Versus"/Themed Seasons
As per consensus of the producers, a batch of contestants could be sorted into tribes with a common theme, sometimes based on the cast's personal attributes. Some seasons have contestants be joined with returning players, all of which have certain similar attributes.
 * Gender: First seen in, followed by and , the tribes were divided based on their gender, pitting the men against the women. Typically the tribes are switched up later in the game.
 * All returning players: In, , , , and , eighteen to twenty past players returning to play the game.
 * Heroes vs. Villains: featured two tribes defined by popularity or infamy. The Heroes were picked for being deemed to play the game with integrity, courage and honor, while the Villains were picked due to their skills in manipulation, deception and overall notoriety.
 * Game Changers: In, Survivor brought back 20 former players who were proclaimed as game changers, people who tried to change the game.
 * Winners at War: In, 20 winners from previous seasons of Survivor  are invited to play again for even bigger grand prize.
 * One returnee per tribe: In, , , and , one returning contestant joined one tribe, making them full-fledged players of the game. In Guatemala, Stephenie LaGrossa and Bobby Jon Drinkard, who were the last remaining members of the ill-fated Ulong tribe were given a second chance. In Redemption Island, Rob Mariano and Russell Hantz settled their rivalry dating back from . In South Pacific, Coach Wade and Ozzy Lusth joined the game under the premise that they were popular to have terrible social games in their previous outings. In Philippines, Jonathan Penner, Russell Swan, and Michael Skupin were all medically evacuated in their previous seasons. expanded on this format, bringing back four former castaways and assigning two to each tribe of new players.
 * Age and Gender: In, its sixteen contestants were divided into four tribes of four according to age and gender: Younger men, younger women, older women, and older men.
 * Ethnicity: In a rather controversial move, the castaways of were divided into four tribes of five according to their ethnicity: Hispanic, Caucasian, African, and Asian.
 * Haves vs. Have Nots: had the Haves vs. Have Nots twist. Known as one of the worst twists in Survivor history, the "Haves" tribe was given all of the luxuries needed for living, and the "Have Nots" tribe was given little to nothing.
 * Fans vs. Favorites: and  had ten self-proclaimed "superfans" of the show that were pitted against ten fan favorites from seasons past.
 * Age: In, the tribes were defined according to age, with an entire tribe of younger players and an entire tribe of older players. This theme returned in the form of.
 * : and  featured pairs of contestants with a pre-existing relationship. In the first Blood vs. Water, a tribe of former contestants were pitted against their loved ones who were playing for the first time. In the second version, an all-new batch of contestants underwent the same twist.
 * Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty: In and, the tribes were divided into 3 tribes of 6 according to the contestants' best attribute that gets them by in life: Intellect, physical strength, or physical appearance and social skills.
 * White Collar vs. Blue Collar vs. No Collar: In, the tribes were divided into 3 tribes of 6 according to the contestants' social class of occupation.
 * Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers: Contestants are separated based on praised qualities about themselves.
 * David vs. Goliath: The castaways were divided into two tribes based on their degree of success in life: the underdog "Davids" and the overachievers "Goliaths".

Merge
Usually occurring near the halfway point of the season, the merge sees the the dissolution of any tribes in the game, with all remaining players forming a new tribe, and the challenges going from tribal to individual.

Fake Merge
Only used in, this twist saw Chuay Gahn and Sook Jai under the impression that they had merged, until the following Immunity Challenge, where Jeff Probst revealed that the tribes had not actually merged.

Delayed Merge
A delayed merge is when the merge occurs with less than ten castaways remaining. The first delayed merge occurred in, due to the advent of the Fake Merge delaying the actual merger to when eight castaways remained. To date Thailand is currently the only season to merge at eight. The delayed merges in, , and were done with nine remaining.

Early Merge
An early merge is when the merge occurs with more than ten castaways remaining. The first early merge occurred in, merging with twelve castaways remaining. Since, merging with eleven or more castaways has become the norm, with some seasons merging as early as the final thirteen.

Finalist and Jury composition

 * Final Two and Jury of Seven: Original format; used from to  and in.
 * Final Three and Jury of Nine: First introduced in and subsequently used in  and from  to.
 * Final Three and Jury of Seven: First introduced in and subsequently used in .  would have seven jurors voting at the Final Tribal Council, but originally had eight until the Juror Removal twist on Day 38.
 * Final Two and Jury of Eight: Currently has only been used in.
 * Final Three and Jury of Eight: First introduced in, and subsequently used in , , , , and . Kaôh Rōng originally had eight jurors, but only seven would remain on the jury due to the Juror Removal twist.
 * Final Two and Jury of Nine: Currently has only been used in.
 * Final Three and Jury of Ten: First introduced in, and subsequently used in , , , , and . As Ghost Island ended in a tie, the second runner-up would join the jury as the eleventh member to break the tie. Island of the Idols was originally supposed to have eleven jurors, however the ejection of one castaway reduced the number of jurors to ten.
 * Final Three and Variable Jury: First introduced in and subsequently used in . Theoretically, as everyone voted out until five remain in the main game may be on the  until the second re-entry point, the season's jury could have any number of jurors. Edge of Extinction would feature thirteen jurors and Winners at War would feature sixteen.

Tribe Switch
First introduced in, a Tribe Switch reassigns castaways into new tribe compositions. Tribe Switches can occur at any point in the game.

There are a few variations of a Tribe Switch:
 * A swap occurs when the number of members switched from each tribe are even.
 * A shuffle is when a tribe can consist of any number of members from either tribe.
 * A mutiny is when castaway(s) are offered to voluntarily switch tribes.
 * An absorption occurs during three tribe seasons. This is when one tribe is dissolved and spread among the other two tribes without the other two tribes' members switching tribes.
 * A conquering is when the remaining members of one tribe are absorbed into another tribe, where the season has no merge.
 * A disbanding is when one or more tribes are dissolved with all remaining castaways in the game being shuffled into new tribes.
 * An expansion is when a third tribe is introduced in a season starting with two tribes, with all remaining castaways being shuffled into new tribes.

Tribe Raid
First introduced in, a Tribe Raid allows one tribe to raid another tribe's camp for a short period of time to take as many items as they can. While used in Marquesas,, and once, in , after each Reward Challenge one person from the winning tribe would be sent to the losing tribe to take one item from their campsite.

Schoolyard Pick
In, , and , a Schoolyard Pick was used to determine the tribes. In Thailand and Gabon, the oldest man and oldest women would select the tribes. In Palau the man and woman who found the Immunity Necklaces would pick their tribes, with one man and one woman being unselected in the process, eliminating them from the game. Schoolyard Picks have also been used in Tribe Switches to determine the new tribes.

Buried Treasure
Buried Treasure is a twist that allows tribes to find a lucrative reward hidden in their campsite. When first used in, the tribes would win clues to the location of the chest after a Reward Challenge. In, the tribes were given a chest with three locks whose keys were hidden. Winning Reward Challenges would earn tribes clues to where one of the keys are hidden.

Kidnapping
Kidnapping is the right to take one member of the opposing tribe for a short period of time. This twist was first used in, where the winner of the Day 12 Immunity Challenge would kidnap one member of the losing tribe until after the following Reward Challenge, skipping Tribal Council. and would use this twist, though only the kidnapped castaway would simply skip Tribal Council. would use this twist throughout the pre-merge, where a castaway would be kidnapped after each Reward Challenge and be given a clue to their kidnapper's Hidden Immunity Idol, returning at the next Immunity Challenge. would use a similar twist called Observing, where the winning tribe's leader would send someone to observe the losing tribe. Similar to China, the observer would be sent after a Reward Challenge and return to their tribe at the Immunity Challenge.

Previously Eliminated Castaways
A few seasons have made it possible for eliminated castaways to reenter the game.

The Outcasts
Only used in, the Outcasts would see the first six castaways eliminated from the seasons compete for a chance to reenter the game. If the Outcasts could finish the Immunity Challenge before either Drake or Morgan, they would be eligible to vote at least one of them back into the game. If they finished last, no one from the Outcasts would return.

Redemption Island
First introduced in, Redemption Island would see eliminated castaways compete in duels to reenter the game at one of two points: the merge or Day 36. In Redemption Island, only one castaway would be eliminated from each Redemption Island duel, except for the final reentry duel, where only one person could reenter the game. In, group duels were rehashed so only one castaway could continue on. In, three castaways would compete in each duel, with only one castaway being eliminated per duel, except for the two reentry duels. In addition, loved ones would be able to switch out, putting themselves on Redemption Island in place of their loved one.

Edge of Extinction
First introduced in, the Edge of Extinction allows castaways to wait for an opportunity to reenter the game, either at the merge or on Day 35. After each castaway is eliminated, up until there are six in the main game, they will be given the option to go to the Edge of Extinction or finish their journey, permanently eliminating them from the game. While on the Edge of Extinction, a castaway may quit by hoisting a white flag. Unlike Redemption Island, castaways are not permanently eliminated until the second reentry duel. Any castaway who is on the Edge of Extinction after the merge is a part of the jury.

Tribal Council-Related
There have been a few twists utilizing Tribal Council.

Double Tribal Council
A Double Tribal Council is when both pre-merge tribes are informed they will both be voting someone out on the same night in-back-to-back Tribal Councils. This twist is usually used in seasons with more than sixteen castaways. First introduced in, for the Outcasts finishing first, Drake and Morgan would both vote out one member of their tribe, however only Drake would vote, as Osten Taylor quit at Morgan's Tribal Council. In the twist would take its more familiar form, where one tribe would win reward (usually in the form of food and watching the other tribe's Tribal Council), and at least one person having individual immunity.

Double Elimination
A Double Elimination is where one tribe attends Tribal Council to vote two people out consecutively. This twist was first used in, where Rarotonga was given a message in the bottle, and were informed they were to vote another castaway out immediately. In and, this twist occurred post-merge, and an impromptu Immunity Challenge was conducted between the vote. In, Lavita was split into two temporary teams of five, with each team having one person with Immunity, and voting out one person.

Joint Tribal Council
A Joint Tribal Council is where two tribes attend Tribal Council to vote out one, single castaway, and usually occurs when three tribes are in play. The two tribes are not given any time before Tribal Council to interact with one another, and this often results in a live Tribal Council. This twist was first used in, and later in. and saw both of its pre-merge tribes attend Tribal Council together, but in both instances it was to inform the castaways on the status of an evacuated castaway and in One World to inform the tribes of the merge.

Exile Island
First introduced in as a one-time twist, Exile Island sees a castaway being banished to a secluded island for a short period period of time. Exile Island would first appear as a season-long twist in, where the Hidden Immunity Idol is hidden. Since then a few tweaks to the twist have been implemented, such as exiling one person from each tribe (used in, , and ), choice between idle comfort or idol protection (used in ), or Hero Duels, where one person from each tribe would compete in a duel for reward, with the loser being exiled, along with someone from the opposing tribe, (used in San Juan del Sur). If a Tribe Switch occurs with an uneven number of people, the odd-person out may be exiled, joining the tribe that loses a member after the next Tribal Council.

Ghost Island
Ghost Island is a variant on Exile Island. Similar to Exile Island, a castaway is banished to Ghost Island for a short amount of time. While on Ghost Island, an advantage may be available for the exiled to find, based on objects that were linked to previous Survivor mistakes or bad moves. If an advantage is available, a castaway may wager their vote for a chance to get the advantage. If they fail to make the right choice, they will be unable to vote at their next Tribal Council.

Island of the Idols
Island of the Idols is a variant on Exile Island. Similar to Exile Island, a castaway is banished to Island of the Idols for a short amount of time. On the island are a pair of former Survivor winners, to help coach the castaway exiled in an aspect of Survivor. If they wish to, they may compete in a Mentors' Challenge to apply what they have learned. If they decide to compete and win, they will earn an advantage. If they lose the challenge, they will lose their next vote at their next Tribal Council.

Hidden Immunity Idol
First introduced in, the Hidden Immunity Idol grants protection for the person who finds it. In Guatemala, the idol had to played before the votes were cast and worked similar to the Immunity Necklace, granting a person immunity at the Tribal Council it was used. In and, the Hidden Immunity Idol could be played after all the votes are read, negating all votes against the user, and eliminating the person with the second-highest number of votes. This type of idol is often referred to as the Super Idol. A super idol would be hidden post-merge in and at the marooning in. would allow a person to combine two idols to form a super idol. Starting in the Hidden Immunity Idol could only be played after the votes were cast, but before they are read, negating any votes cast against the user, but also making it possible for an idol to be wasted.

Challenge Advantage
A Challenge Advantage is a one-time advantage that gives the user an advantage in an upcoming challenge. The advantage first appeared in a Survivor Auction in. Most Challenge Advantages are usually used for an upcoming individual Immunity Challenge, though one was offered in as part of the Advantage Menu for an upcoming tribal Immunity Challenge. saw advantages to practice for the upcoming reentry duels, in addition to an advantage that allows the user to penalize someone at the first reentry duel.

First Impressions
The First Impressions twist sees voting a castaway out on Day 1. First introduced in, the castaways were not actually voted out, but instead flown out ahead to their tribe's campsite, where they were given the dilemma of searching for a Hidden Immunity Idol or to build a shelter before the others arrived. In, the First Impressions twist was used to immediately eliminate these castaways and send them to , for a chance to return to the game. In, this twist was used in conjunction with the Tribe Leader twist, where the leaders would select someone they think are the weakest. Similar to Tocantins, the castaways were not actually voted out, but instead flown out ahead and given the dilemma of a clue to a Hidden Immunity Idol or an extra bag of rice.

Tribe Leader
The Tribe Leader twist sees the tribe vote for someone to be its leader and make decisions. First introduced in, the tribe leaders were used to make decisions challenge assignments, sit-outs, observers, etc. and given a necklace to signify them as leaders. If a leader is eliminated, the tribe must elect a new one. When used in, , and , the leaders were only shown performing their duties on Day 1 (though the existence of a chore chart in Ghost Island might suggest otherwise ).

Medallion of Power
Only used in, the Medallion of Power would give the tribe that used it an advantage in the challenge of their choice. Once the tribe uses it, the Medallion of Power is given to the opposing tribe. The Medallion of Power was retired after the Tribe Switch.

One World
The One World twist has opposing tribes living together for a determined period of time. The twist first appeared in in conjunction with the Fake Merge twist, where Chuay Gahn and Sook Jai were assumed to be merged. and would implement this twist, where the castaways lived together until the tribes were properly formed. would implement twist, seeing the Manono and Salani tribes living together until the Tribe Switch.

Day Zero
Day Zero is only used in seasons where loved ones are secluded for a twelve hour period before the game begins.

Voting Advantages
Some seasons have included advantages that involve votes.

Extra Vote
The Extra Vote was introduced in, allowing a castaway to vote twice in one Tribal Council. The only known tweak of the Extra Vote is in, where to gain the power, the finder would have to abstain from the immediate Tribal Council, taking the extra parchment to vote at a future Tribal Council.

Vote Steal
The Vote Steal was introduced in. Similar to the Extra Vote, it allows a castaway to vote twice, but does so by stealing another castaway's vote, preventing them from voting.

Vote Blocker
The Vote Blocker, similar to the Vote Steal, prevents a castaway from voting, but does not allow the user to vote an additional time. The Vote Blocker was first introduced in, where the holder of the advantage would have to block one vote at the next Tribal Council regardless if the holder's tribe attended Tribal Council or not. In, the Vote Blocker was change to work more closely to other advantages, having the holder to inform that they are using the advantage and on who, and can be used at any Tribal Council until its expiration.

Juror Removal
Only used in, the Juror Removal allows the user to eliminate one member of the jury.

Legacy Advantage
The Legacy Advantage is an advantage that is found early in the game, only for its power to be used at a later date. Currently, the Legacy Advantage works like a Hidden Immunity Idol. Unlike other advantages, if a castaway is voted out with the Legacy Advantage in their possession, the eliminated castaway must will it over to someone currently in the game. When the advantage was introduced in, it could only be used when six people remain in the game. Starting in, the Legacy Advantage could be used when either thirteen or six people remain in the game.

Reward Steal
The Reward Steal allows a castaway to steal a reward to claim it for themselves or for their tribe. This twist was first introduced in and later used as part of the Advantage Menu in.

Advantage Menu
The Advantage Menu is an advantage that offers the holder one of three options. It was first introduced in, where John Cochran offered the exiled Debbie Wanner a fake Hidden Immunity Idol kit, an Extra Vote, or an advantage for her tribe at the next Immunity Challenge. In, the Advantage menu offered a Reward Steal, an Extra Vote, or the advantage's use as a Hidden Immunity Idol, and could only be used up until the third Tribal Council.

Idol Nullifier
Introduced in, the Idol Nullifier negates the use of a Hidden Immunity Idol. The advantage can only be played at the voting booth, where the user must state who the Idol Nullifier is to be used on. If the user correctly guesses that person will use a Hidden Immunity Idol on themselves or have an idol played for them, the advantage will be revealed, negating the idol. The Idol Nullifier will not be revealed if the user guessed incorrectly.

Seasons
Viewership Note: Starting in the 2013-2014 series rankings ( and ), the two seasons aired in that time are listed under Survivor, rather than separately.