Exile Island (twist)

Exile Island was a twist introduced in Survivor: Palau in which one (in some cases, two) contestant is banished to an island for a period of time. In Palau, it was a one-time twist, but two seasons later, in Survivor: Panama, it became a season-long aspect of the game (and even merited a subtitle), and has been featured in every season since with the exception of Survivor: China. Generally, the exiled contestant is selected among the losers by the reward challenge victor immediately following their win, and returns at the immunity challenge, but there have been exceptions to this.

While being at Exile Island can be detrimental to a player, as they are away from camp and are unable to strategize with their fellow players, it can also be beneficial, as in every season except for its introduction in Palau, Exile Island holds clues to the location of a hidden immunity idol that can ensure a contestant's safety at Tribal Council.

Differences Between Seasons

 * In Palau, only one person was sent to Exile Island during the season. Janu Tornell was the first person to drop out of the tenth episode's immunity challenge and spent one night there. Janu found the time away from her tribemates refreshing, and she even made fire by herself for the first time. She returned to camp the next day and went to Tribal Council, where she decided to quit the game.


 * Panama turned Exile Island into a season-long twist. For the most part, one contestant was selected to go there by the winner of the reward challenge; however, there were a few instances where this wasn't the case (detailed below).


 * Cook Islands largely followed the same format as Panama, but in the first two episodes, it was the tribe that lost the immunity challenge that selected the exiled contestant (from one of the other tribes).


 * In Fiji, there were two hidden idols, but they were not found at Exile Island. Instead, the exiled contestants received clues to help them find one of the idols at their tribal camp.


 * For the pre-merge episodes of Micronesia, the winning tribe would select one member of the losing tribe as well as one member of their own to spend time at Exile Island.


 * While technically not an island, Exile remained a part of Gabon. In this season, the exiled contestant had a choice between getting a clue for the hidden idol or lounging in "idle comfort," eating fruit and lying in a hammock.