Puka Puka

Puka Puka (informally known as "Puka") was a tribe on Survivor: Cook Islands.

Puka Puka (named for the island of Pukapuka) was one of four tribes of five castaways that started the game in Day 1. In keeping with the season's racially-divided format, the tribe was comprised entirely of Asian-Americans of varying ethnicity. Puka Puka's tribe color was green.

The tribe lasted two rounds of the competition and on Day 7 ceased to exist with fellow tribe, Manihiki. All of the remaining castaways were shuffled into the new Aitutaki and Rarotonga.

Members

 * Becky Lee, an attorney from Washington D.C.
 * Brad Virata, a fashion designer from Santa Monica, California.
 * Cao Boi Bui, a Nail salon manager from Christianburg, Virginia.
 * Jenny Guzon-Bae, a real estate agent from Lake Forest, Illinois.
 * Yul Kwon, a Management Consultant from San Mateo, California.

Tribe History
Interestingly, Puka Puka seemed to be the tribe that was most concerned with how their race was viewed. When Cao Boi Bui made a joke about the lightness of their raft due to the small Asians on it, Jenny Guzon-Baewas quick to reprimand him. The schism between Cao Boi, who was quick to make ethnic jokes and stereotypes, and the rest of the tribe, who were conscious of their appearance on television, would become a running sub-plot during Puka Puka's brief time as a tribe. Cao Boi was an outcast for other reasons, however: as a first-generation Vietnamese refugee, he had a different viewpoint than his other, younger tribemates. Cao Boi's old-world techniques helped the tribe when Jenny and Brad Virata came down with headaches, and the nail salon owner vigorously massaged their foreheads. Unfortunately, they were also branded with red marks on their foreheads for the next several days.

It was also at Puka Puka that Becky Lee and Yul Kwon formed one of the most important alliances in the game: the pact they formed would last until day 39, when they faced the jury.

Puka Puka was a physical powerhouse, and emerged in first place in both of the first Immunity Challenge. As a result, the tribe earned both a set of fishing gear, and a tarp (the latter of which was also a reward to Rarotonga in what was decided to be a tie victory).

On day 7, the members of Puka Puka were, in a Schoolyard Pick'em, shuffled into the Aitutaki and Rarotonga tribes. Becky, Cao Boi, and Yul were sent to Aitutaki, while Brad and Jenny went to Rarotonga.

Trivia

 * Puka Puka is one of four tribes to never lose an immunity challenge or even come second, along with Bayoneta, Koror, and Moto.
 * Interestingly, Puka Puka is one of several green tribes to produce the winner of the game. Others include Viveros (Aras Baskauskas) and Ogakor (Tina Wesson). The only green tribes to not produce the game's winner were Mogo Mogo and Moto (though it would be the second tribe of Survivor: Fiji's eventual winner).
 * In spite of the concept of being divided by race, it was often pointed out that the ethnicities of the Puka Puka tribe were distinct and varied: Jenny Guzon-Bae and Brad Virata are both Filipino, Cao Boi Bui is Vietnamese, and Becky Lee and Yul Kwon are both Korean-American.
 * Puka Puka is one of the few tribes never to have someone voted out of it, as it was disbanded before it could go to tribal council.
 * This also means that it is one of the few tribes never to have gone to tribal council.