Merge

At a certain point in every season (except ) the two tribes merge into one tribe, and individual gameplay begins. Known as the turning point in the series because gameplay requires a change of strategy, making the merge is a proud accomplishment and is usually rewarded with being a member of the jury.

Traditions
Although every season is different, what typically happens is the tribes will either receive tree mail informing them to go to a location and merge with the opponent tribe, or Jeff Probst will inform them when they reach a challenge. They will have a feast and come up with the new tribe name. They will get a new tribe flag, which they may design, a new tribe color, and new buffs. They will either move in to one of the current camps, or will move to an entirely new location and start over.

Gameplay changes
Whereas gameplay before the merge focuses on eliminating weak players to keep their tribe strong, post-merge voting usually tries to eliminate strong players who could dominate immunity challenges and win their way to the finals. All challenges are individual, but some have contestants compete in teams. After the merge, some gameplay elements are altered, such as Exile Island, where the last-place in a challenge is sent instead of the person being selected by the other tribe.