'' is a popular . ''Survivor'' is considered to be the mother of reality TV, since its success led to an entire genre of similar shows.
''Except where noted, this text refers to the American version of the show. Small differences may exist between it and other versions. Also, rule changes instituted for one season are discussed below.''
Sixteen to twenty players are stranded in a remote location and divided into equally sized teams called tribes. They compete against each other in competitions called challenges. These are divided into reward challenges and immunity challenges. Both types consist of
Endurance ,
Problem Solving ,
Teamwork ,
Dexterity , and/or
Will Power . After the ''immunity challenge'' the losing tribe must vote to remove one of their own members from the game at the ''Tribal Council''. Most episodes also have a reward challenge where the winning tribe receives a luxury for winning, such as blankets, spices, or flint. When there are ten, nine, or eight players left in the game they "merge" into a single tribe. From this point, challenges are won on an individual basis. Rewards are given to only one player, and sometimes that player has the option of sharing the reward with one or more other castaways.
Tribal Council is held at the end of each episode. Here the tribemates vote one person out of their tribe. Jeff Probst, the show's host, questions the players, often provoking revealing details from them of events and interactions since the tribe's previous tribal council. The players then vote in secret, and the player who receives the most votes must leave the game. That player takes his or her torch to Probst, who extinguishes it, and declares "The tribe has spoken." The player then exits the Tribal Council area and delivers some final words that air at the end of the episode.
In the event of a tie, the following tiebreakers have been used:
- A challenge where the loser is removed from the game.
- Whoever had the most prior Tribal Councils votes is eliminated.
'' With the same number of prior votes, the person to lose a sudden death trivia challenge is eliminated.
'' Previous Tie-Breaker Re-Votes do not count as Previous Votes in a future Dead-Lock Tie
- The players who do not have immunity pick rocks out of a bag. Whoever draws the purple rock is eliminated.
All eliminated players, except the final nine, leave the game altogether. Those who finish in ninth through third place remain to form the "jury". In the final episode the players go through a number of activities that ends in an immunity challenge. Immediately following this challenge another person is voted out. The players return to camp and go through a "memorial" for the players previously eliminated from the game on the way to their final endurance challenge. Whoever wins this challenge votes another player out, thereby determining who receives third place and which two players go to the final two. The final two return to camp for one last day. At the final Tribal Council each of the seven jurors votes for the winner. Probst takes the container with the votes, and it is secured until the live finale of the show, when the votes are revealed and the million-dollar winner is announced.
Every player receives a stipend for participating on Survivor depending on how long they last in the game. The known prizes for All-Stars are as follows: 2nd = $250,000; 3rd = $125,000; 4th = $100,000. In most seasons, the runner-up receives $100,000.
Sonja Christopher , the first player voted off in Survivor's first season, received $2,500. The prizes in seasons with more than sixteen contestants are unknown.
The million-dollar winner also wins an automobile, as does the winner of a specific reward challenge in each season (excluding the first). All players also receive an additional $10,000 for their appearance on the reunion show.
(rules may vary in foreign versions of the series)
- Conspiring to split winnings will result in immediate expulsion from the game.
- Except for the occasional challenges which involve wrestling or limited combat, any physical violence between players will result in immediate expulsion from the game.
- At Tribal Council, players are not permitted to vote for themselves, nor can they spoil their ballots or decline to cast a vote. Players must also show who they voted for to the camera inside the voting booth.
- Contestants must abide by U.S., as well as local law.
- Contestants may not skip any tribal councils, nor can they refuse to participate in an immunity or reward challenge except in the case that they are told they can. (example-in Survivor Panama, contestants were allowed to either participate in the immunity challenge, or eat food while the others were competing for immunity) They may also sit out to even the numbers as described below.
- When one tribe has more players than the other tribe, it must designate players to sit out of tribal challenges so that equal numbers compete. This rule was relaxed only in the '''' episodes 7-8 the Koror tribe had 8 players while Ulong only had 3 (and then 2), which forced the show to allow various Koror players to sit out back-to-back challenges. The only qualification then was that the same 2-3 players could not participate in each concurrent challenge. Katie Gallagher and Janu Tornell , both of the ''Palau'' season, tie for the most sit-outs of any players (they each sat out 7 challenges over 8 episodes).
- Tribe members may not raid or visit the campsite of another tribe unless they are doing so as part of an immunity challenge, reward challenge or tribal merger activity with the other tribe. They also cannot visit the TV crew compound. There have been two exceptions to this rule:
- ---During the when Michael Skupin was injured he was taken to a production tent to await the arrival of a medivac helicopter.
- ---During one episode in Guatemala, members of the Yaxha tribe visited the Nakum tribe and invited them back to their camp for Danni's birthday party. There is no indication as to whether the rule has changed or if this was a one-time event. It's also possible that because neither Yaxha nor Nakum technically entered the opposing tribes camp that this was not a technical violation of this rule.
- Depending on which country the show takes place in, contestants may be barred from killing certain forms of wildlife and plant life.
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The creation of the ''Survivor'' concept, although credited to ''Charlie Parsons'', was actually conceived by
Bob Geldof 's
Planet 24 television company. It initially failed to attract the attention of any of the major broadcasters in
Britain or the
United States and was eventually sold to the Swedish television company Strix Television as ''
Expedition Robinson '' (alluding to
Robinson Crusoe ). The show was a major hit in
Sweden .
The initial series was a huge ratings success in the US in 2000 and, along with
ABC 's prime-time game show
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire , sparked a
Reality-television revolution. Suddenly networks pushed
Sitcoms and conventional drama series to the back burner and rushed their own reality shows into development. Even the
Fox Network , which had vowed never to air a reality show again just months earlier following media outrage surrounding its "
Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire ?" program, broke its promise and launched several competitors of its own. Survivor's second season, in the winter/spring of 2001, drew even larger audiences. Subsequent US versions have attracted smaller but still substantial audiences. There have also been
British and
Australian versions of the show in
2002 . Both were ratings flops, indeed in Britain, its failure was a national joke (though ratings for the UK series were considerably lower than
ITV had hoped for, it still regularly attracted six to eight million viewers, a decent rather than huge audience, but enough for ITV to commission a second series which appeared a year later). A Japanese version was also produced for four installments which achieved some success . Broadcast rights for the American version have been sold to various broadcasters and is viewed in many countries around the world.
The United States version is produced by
Mark Burnett and hosted by
Jeff Probst . It airs Thursdays on
CBS .
#'' on the remote
Malaysian island of
Pulau Tiga . Corporate trainer
Richard Hatch was its winner in a 4-3 vote over river raft guide
Kelly Wiglesworth . ''(NOTE: For this season only, it aired on Wednesdays.)''
#'''' was set in the
Australian Outback (though the location was by Australian standards not particularly remote, nor was it arid).
Tina Wesson won 4-3 over
Colby Donaldson . During this series,
Michael Skupin suffered burns and became the first contestant evacuated due to injuries.
#'''' was set in a
Kenyan desert. Former professional soccer player
Ethan Zohn won, defeating retired teacher
Kim Johnson by a vote of 5-2.
#'''' was set on
Nuku Hiva , the largest of the
Marquesas Islands in
French Polynesia . For the first time the final two were both women.
Vecepia Towery won by a vote of 4-3 over
Neleh Dennis . This season was the only time the infamous Purple Rock tie breaker was ever used. However,
Jeff Probst later admitted that it was not supposed to be used at the final 4 as it was. The Purple Rock is only the tie breaker up to the final 6. At the final 4, the tie breaker is supposed to be a fire-starting challenge.
#'''' was set on the island of ''Koh Tarutao'' off the coast of
Thailand . For the first time the tribes were not predetermined by producers, but were rather picked by the two oldest players, Jake and Jan. Also, this season was the first to feature a "fake merge" and a delayed merge. Also, two opposing tribes lived together on the same beach. For the first time the final two were both men. Used car salesman
Brian Heidik beat restaurant owner
Clay Jordan by a vote of 4-3. This season is often considered the worst season among fans due to its unlikable cast and its mean-spirited nature.
#'''' was set in the jungles of the
Amazon River region of
Brazil . This was the first time the two tribes were divided up by males and females. Student and model
Jenna Morasca won by a vote of 6-1 over
Matthew Von Ertfelda .
#'''' was set in the
Pearl Islands off the coast of
Panama .
Sandra Diaz-Twine defeated
Lillian Morris by a vote of 6-1. This season was the first time players who had been voted out were allowed to return to the game as part of the Outcast Tribe. This season also features arguably the greatest lie ever told. Considered a favorite among Survivor fans due to a great cast and a popular winner.
#'' was held four days later, and a second million-dollar prize was awarded to
Rupert Boneham for being voted by the viewers as their favorite contestant.
#'' - Islands of Fire'' was set on islands in the
Archipelago nation of
Vanuatu , located in the South
Pacific Ocean .
Chris Daugherty defeated
Twila Tanner by a vote of 5-2.
#'''' was set in the island nation of
Palau , located in the
Philippine Sea . The season started with 20 contestants, but on Day 3, the number was reduced to 18 in a tribal selection process. The season concluded with firefighter
Tom Westman prevailing over
Katie Gallagher by a vote of 6-1.
#'') were stranded amongst the ruins of the
Maya Civilization . The season concluded with
Danni Boatwright defeating
Stephenie LaGrossa by a 6-1 vote.
#'' - Exile Island'' premiered on
2 February ,
2006 . Filming started on
31 October ,
2005 in the Pearl Islands of Panama, marking the third time this location has been used for Survivor.
Bruce Kanegai became the second person to leave the game due to a medical emergency in the history of the show.
- CBS has signed on for at least two more seasons of Survivor, carrying into 2007. Jeff Probst is currently contracted to host until at least the sixteenth edition.
- ''Survivor: Marquesas'' was not shown in Australia as the network was showing a series of '' Australian Survivor '' instead. The latter was not a ratings success, and since then the American edition of Survivor resumed airing.
- Beginning with ''Survivor: Vanuatu - Islands of Fire'', an internet talk show called ''Survivor Live'' airs the day after a show on ''CBS.com''.
- In 2005, the US cable Network OLN (formerly known as Outdoor Life Network) began showing reruns of the first ten series.
Turmoil between players is commonplace for any reality series, but ''Survivor'' has had a few instances which went beyond mere intertribal squabbles:
- In and ''Dirk Been'') to vote her off instead of Rudy Boesch . Been supported her allegations. Mark Burnett countersued Stillman for $5 million. The case was eventually settled out of court.
- At the trivia immunity challenge for ''Africa's'' final four players, host Jeff Probst asked which female player in their season had no piercings. Kim Johnson answered ''Kelly Goldsmith'', got the point, and went on to win the challenge, which pushed her to third and ultimately (after another immunity win) second place. Tom Buchanan was eliminated. Months later, the cast and producers (who were preparing for the live finale and reunion) watched the episode backstage. During the rebroadcast of the challenge, ''Lindsey Richter'' shouted to the TV that she had no piercings. Lex Van Den Berghe 's answer had been Lindsey, yet the show had not awarded him a point, thus drastically changing the outcome of the game (van den Berghe was eliminated in third place). CBS later paid van den Berghe and Buchanan a settlement .
- In the fifth episode of the ''All-Star'' season, a naked '' the morning after the sixth episode aired, stating she opted out of legal action because CBS had helped her "deal with the situation".
- In order to be sure to win the Reward Challenge in which the castaways competed to win a visit from their friends/loved ones, ''Pearl Islands'' Survivor Johnny ''Fairplay'' Dalton conspired beforehand with friend Dan Fields in what has gone down as the biggest lie on Survivor to date. Fields told Dalton that his grandmother, Jean Cooke, had died, in order to win sympathy from his tribemates and subsequently the reward. In reality, Cooke had not died, a fact that only emerged to his tribemates once the episode had aired. When the show staff heard about Cooke's "death," they called Dalton's family to offer condolences, only to have Cooke herself answer the phone. Dalton admitted in confessional after the challenge that his grandmother was alive and probably watching '' Jerry Springer ''.
- Richard Hatch, the winner of season 1 of Survivor, was charged and found guilty of failing to report his winnings to the IRS to avoid taxes.
See Also: Survivor Trivia
- In all, there have been 182 different American Survivor players over the 12 seasons, 22 of whom got to play twice. (All players, Burton Roberts , Lillian Morris , Stephenie LaGrossa , and Bobby Jon Drinkard .)
- Both winners in the British series won the grand prize by a 7-0 vote. No grand prize winner on any of the other series have won by a 7-0 vote. There were, however, three cases in the American version in which a contestant has won by a 6-1 vote. The first was in the Amazon, where Jenna Morasca defeated Matthew Von Ertfelda. In Survivor Palau, Firefighter Tom Westman won over Katie Gallagher. And in Guatemala, Survivor's eleventh season, the vote was 6-1 when Stephanie Lagrossa was beaten by Danni Boatwright, a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys .
- Series host Jeff Probst declared that strategic mastermind Rob Cesternino from Survivor: The Amazon was the "smartest player to never win."
- Tom Buchanan holds the record for most days on Survivor ever, with 73 (37 days on Survivor: Africa and 36 on Survivor: All-Stars). Amber Brkich comes in a close second, with 72 (33 on Survivor: The Australian Outback and 39 on All-Stars). Stephenie LaGrossa is third with 69 days (30 on Survivor: Palau and 39 on Survivor: Guatemala).
- The first twist ever was a swapping of tribe members. This has happened six times in the first eleven seasons. (Survivor: Africa, Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: The Amazon, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Vanuatu, and Survivor: Guatemala). Guatemala did this the earliest, on day ten (according to the review-of-season montage in the finale).
- The winner of the car reward challenge has never gone on to win the title of "Sole Survivor". This has become known as the " Car Curse ." This was particularly shown in Survivor Guatemala episode 13, when Cindy Hall was given a chance to give up her car that she had won in a Reward Challenge in exchange for all four of the remaining survivors (Stephenie LaGrossa, Rafe Judkins, Danni Boatwright, and Lydia Morales) to receive a car. She reluctantly refused and was promptly voted out at the subsequent tribal council.
- All winners of the loved one visit reward have always gone on to lose, but there has been no real reference to this as a "curse."
''
Survivor (UK) '' premiered in the
United Kingdom in 2001. The format was similar to the US version and was screened on
ITV . Sixteen contestants were marooned on the island of
Pulau Tiga and were split into two tribes. They completed in challenges and schemed against each other. ''Charlotte Hobrough'' won the first series. Despite the hype surrounding the show it did poorly in the ratings and was heavily criticised by the press.
Despite the disappointing performance of the first series,
ITV commissioned a second series with some changes. Presenters
Mark Austin and
John Leslie were replaced by
Channel 4 cricket presenter
Mark Nicholas . There were twelve contestants instead of sixteen and the show was scheduled in a later time slot. The second series was set in
Panama , in the Bocas Del Toro area, not in the Pearl Islands, and ''Jonny Gibb'' won. The ratings were still low so ITV cancelled the show.
