Battle of the Sexes is a tribe division twist which divides the tribes based on contestants' gender. A popular mechanism, the twist has been used in other seasons using the same format or adjusting it slightly.
History[]
The Amazon[]
The tribes consisted of Jaburu for the women, while the men were part of Tambaqui. On Day 13, a Tribe Switch occurred, mixing up the men and the women. The new Jaburu tribe consisted of Deena Bennett, Jenna Morasca, Shawna Mitchell, Alex Bell, Matthew von Ertfelda, and Rob Cesternino. The new Tambaqui tribe consisted of Butch Lockley, Dave Johnson, Roger Sexton, Christy Smith, Heidi Strobel, and Jeanne Hebert.
Vanuatu[]
The men were Lopevi, whilst the women were called Yasur. On Day 11, a tribe switch switched the two tribes. Julie Berry and Twila Tanner were switched to Lopevi while Rory Freeman and Travis Sampson were switched to Yasur.
Panama[]
The difference between this season compared to previous gender-divided tribes was that the tribes were separated into four tribes. The younger men were Viveros, the older men were La Mina, the younger women were Bayoneta, and the older women were Casaya. On Day 4, Bayoneta and Viveros were dissolved, with Aras Baskauskas, Bobby Mason, Courtney Marit, Danielle DiLorenzo, and Shane Powers becoming Casaya members and Austin Carty, Misty Giles, Nick Stanbury, Ruth Marie Milliman, and Sally Schumann joining the new La Mina tribe. Bruce Kanegai was sent to Exile Island as a result of not being chosen by either tribe. After Casaya voted out Melinda Hyder at the following Tribal Council, Bruce took her place on the tribe.
One World[]
The women were assigned to Salani, while the men were known as Manono. After the Day 12 tribe switch, Alicia Rosa, Christina Cha, and Monica Culpepper became members of the Manono tribe, while Jay Byars, Michael Jefferson, and Troyzan Robertson became part of the new Salani tribe.
Reception[]
Fans fully embraced the twist during The Amazon due to the differences in camp life and eventual strategies that came out of it. However, subsequent divisions have been less than successful until One World, when both tribes were placed on the same beach, allowing the groups to interact with one another.
Trivia[]
- Every season that featured this twist also featured a Tribe Switch, integrating the men and women.
- Tribe switches in the four Battle of the Sexes seasons have occurred with 12 people (The Amazon), 13 people (Vanuatu), 14 people (One World), and 15 people (Panama) left in the game.
- Currently, the amount of men and women to win these seasons is even at 2-2 (Chris Daugherty and Aras Baskauskas for the men; Jenna Morasca and Kim Spradlin for the women).