Survivor: Cagayan

Survivor: Cagayan, also unofficially known as Survivor: Cagayan — Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty, is the 28th season of Survivor.

Development
The season was filmed shortly after filming for cost-cutting purposes, a tradition  in the U.S. series since. It was said that several cast and crew decided to stay to enjoy the town's beaches and other natural wonders.

Jeff Probst claimed that the season format (initially code-named as "B.B.B.") was due to popular demand.

winner Parvati Shallow continued to be the host of the Survivor After Show for this season.

Twists/Changes

 * Three Tribes: The castaways are divided into three tribes of six members each.
 * Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty: The division of the tribes is based on the most prominent personal attributes of each castaway: brawn, brains and beauty.
 * Tribe Leaders: At the beginning of the game, all tribes vote for a tribe leader, who will be tasked with making decisions (only the first impressions' vote) for the tribe as a whole.
 * First Impressions: The leaders of the tribes must choose who they think is the weakest on their respective tribe. The 3 chosen contestants (one from each tribe) get to ride to camp in the chopper and get there faster. At the camp, they choose between a clue for the Hidden Immunity Idol or an extra bag of rice for the tribe.
 * Hidden Immunity Idol: While the current format of the Hidden Immunity Idol still applies, an additional Hidden Immunity Idol will be in play post-merge. The said idol is to be used after the votes have been read and can be only used by its finder. This format is similar to how the idol was supposed to be used back in and.
 * Tribe Shuffle: On Day 12, Luzon is disbanded, and the remaining fourteen castaways are shuffled and randomly distributed into the new Aparri and Solana tribes.
 * Final Two and nine-person Jury: For the first time in Survivor history, two finalists would face a 9-person Jury. This is also the first time since to have a Final Tribal Council with only two players.

Season Summary
The eighteen new castaways were divided into three tribes based on primary attributes: Aparri (Brawn), Luzon (Brains), and Solana (Beauty). The Brains tribe stumbled out of the gate early, losing three of the first four immunity challenges and being reduced to only Tasha Fox, Kass McQuillen, and Spencer Bledsoe. The Beauty tribe, led by LJ McKanas, only lost one member, while the Brawn tribe went undefeated in challenges. With 14 players remaining, the castaways were shuffled into two tribes of seven: Aparri—featuring the three Brains, three Beauty, and Sarah Lacina from the Brawn tribe— and Solana, consisting of Beauties LJ and Jefra Bland, and the other five Brawn. The Brawn initially planned to hold strong and get rid of LJ, but he and Jefra convinced Tony Vlachos and Trish Hegarty to turn on the Brawn alliance to vote out physical threat Cliff Robinson instead.

The tribes merged with 11 players remaining, five from Solana and six from Aparri. While the swapped tribes looked like they were going to stick together, Tony attempted to sway his old ally Sarah back to the Brawn-heavy Solana alliance, but Sarah was indecisive. Instead, Trish persuaded Kass to swap alliances, which she did, eliminating Sarah and putting Solana in power. Despite being in the majority, Tony’s paranoia continually got the better of him as he and Woo Hwang navigated between alliances to blindside potential threats. He also found multiple hidden Immunity Idols, including a special one that could be used after the votes were read. Tony lied about the idol’s “different powers” and successfully managed to avoid being targeted out of fear, ending up in the final three with Kass and Woo.

Woo won the Final Immunity Challenge; while Kass seemed like an easy choice to take to the end after betraying her initial alliance, Tony convinced Woo to honor their bond as tribe mates throughout the entire game, and Woo took Tony to the Final Tribal Council. At the Final Tribal Council, a majority of the Jury grilled Tony (for his aggressive game play), and only Spencer criticized Woo (for riding Tony’s coattails), but ultimately Tony was awarded the title of Sole Survivor with eight of the nine Jury votes.

Trivia

 * The font used for this season's logo is "Kemasyuran Jawa."
 * This is the fourth season in a row to have the Philippines as the US version's host country.
 * The Philippines is in a 3 way tie with Nicaragua and Samoa for the most used location being used 4 times.
 * However, the Philippines are the only location to feature four consecutive seasons
 * This is the third season to have a three-tribe format, following and.
 * However, this is the first time the three tribes were not divided randomly.
 * This season is also the first to feature three starting tribes with an entirely new cast.
 * While the season was filmed in the Philippines, the theme of the season was mostly inspired by Indonesian culture (predominantly, Balinese), with the logo of the season, torches, and the tribal Immunity Idol bearing Balinese demon designs.
 * This is the first season since where the Hidden Immunity Idol may be played after the votes are revealed. This only applies to the special post-Merge idol.
 * This is the first season to have the first three people voted off be men.
 * This is the first season since to have its finale air on a Wednesday and the first since  to not have the finale air on a Sunday.
 * This is the first season since to end in a Final Two.
 * This is the first season to have a Final Two with a 9-person Jury.
 * This season comes directly after the first season to use the Blood vs. Water twist and directly before the second season to use the twist.