Family Visit

Family Visit
Recurring Survivor Challenge
Description:	An event in the game where the castaways meet their loved ones whether on location, through the internet, or video.
Appearances:	Every season (except Fiji, Samoa, Kaôh Rōng, and the Blood vs. Water seasons)

The family visit is a point in the game where the castaways meet their loved ones.

It often contains a Loved Ones Challenge, in which the castaways' loved ones compete with or for them in a challenge.

About

Prior to filming, contestants are asked to invite at least two loved ones they would like to see in the challenge: one loved one would actually be flown on location, while the other is an alternate. If a castaway is eliminated close enough to the day of the family visit, their loved one may be brought to Ponderosa instead.

Description

Castaways typically compete in a Reward Challenge to earn the right to spend the day with their loved ones, though there are times where the loved ones either compete alongside or for their castaway counterparts. In some seasons, the castaways may either receive videos pre-recorded by their loved ones or get to chat with their loved ones through the internet if the loved ones are not (or not yet) flown on location.

In rare cases, the host allows the castaways to spend time with their loved ones without having to compete in a challenge, as was the case in Survivor: Cagayan and Survivor: Winners at War.

In Survivor: Redemption Island and Survivor: South Pacific, the winner of the Redemption Island duel won the right to grant (or deny) their fellow castaways their family visit.

In Survivor: Thailand and Survivor: Vanuatu, the loved ones briefly returned to compete in the Immunity Challenge.

Variations per Season

Season	Episode	Mode of Contact			Competing Party in Reward Challenge			Loved Ones		Free Pass
		Video	Internet chat	On Location	Castaway	Loved Ones	Both	As Survivor Auction Item	Assisted in Immunity Challenge
Borneo	"Thy Name Is Duplicity"
	"Long Hard Days"
The Australian Outback	"Enough Is Enough"
	"The Final Four"
Africa	"The Big Adventure"
Marquesas	"Marquesan Vacation"
Thailand	"Desperate Measures"
	"A Big Surprise... and Another"
The Amazon	"Sour Grapes"
Pearl Islands	"The Great Lie"
All-Stars	"A Thoughtful Gesture or a Deceptive Plan"
	"A Chapera Surprise"
Vanuatu	"Surprise and... Surprise Again!"
Palau	"We'll Make You Pay"
Guatemala	"Price for Immunity"
Panama	"Bamboozled"
Cook Islands	"Arranging a Hit"
China	"Going for the Oscar"
Micronesia	"I'm Gonna Fix Her!"
Gabon	"The Good Things in Life Aren't Easy"
Tocantins	"The Ultimate Sacrifice"
Heroes vs. Villains	"Loose Lips Sink Ships"
Nicaragua	"This Is Going to Hurt"
Redemption Island	"You Mangled My Nets"
South Pacific	"Ticking Time Bomb"
One World	"It's Gonna Be Chaos"
Philippines	"Shot into Smithereens"
Caramoan	"Don't Say Anything About My Mom"
Cagayan	"It's Do or Die"
Worlds Apart	"It's a Fickle, Fickle Game"
Cambodia	"Tiny Little Shanks to the Heart"
Millennials vs. Gen X	"About to Have a Rumble"
Game Changers	"It Is Not a High Without a Low"
Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers	"Not Going to Roll Over and Die"
Ghost Island	"A Giant Game of Bumper Cars"
David vs. Goliath	"So Smart They're Dumb"
Edge of Extinction	"Awkward"
Island of the Idols	"A Very Simple Plan"
Winners at War	"The Full Circle"

History

The first appearance of the challenge was in Borneo, host Jeff Probst showed everyone a sneak peek of videos recorded by their family members which included Richard Hatch's adopted son Chris, Kelly Wiglesworth's boyfriend Tracy, Greg Buis's sister Julie, Susan Hawk's husband Tim and their dog, Colleen Haskell's parents and cat, Rudy Boesch's wife Marge and their granddaughter, Sean Kenniff's parents, brother, and sister, and Gervase Peterson's girlfriend and daughter. Jenna Lewis, however, did not see hers because production never received a video from her family. Greg won the challenge, and as a reward, he saw his home video from his sister Julie and got the chance to send one back to her. In "Long Hard Days", after winning the Reward Challenge, Sean was surprised by his dad Jim at the yacht. He brought his dad Jim back to camp to meet everyone. The latter attempted to update them on current events and the stock market, and before he left, gave each contestant a care package from their loved ones.

In The Australian Outback, Tina Wesson's husband Dale and children Katie and Taylor, Elisabeth Filarski's parents Elisabeth and Kenneth and brother Ken, Rodger Bingham's wife Pat, daughter Angela, and son-in-law Kevin, Keith Famie's girlfriend Katherine, and Colby Donaldson's mom Gay answered the questions for their castaways. Tina's family got four answers correct and won more time to spend with her. Each person got one final goodbye, and Keith took the opportunity to propose to Katherine, who said yes. In "The Final Four", Colby won reward and received a Pontiac Aztek and a good night's sleep, a hot shower, and meal. After the dinner, Colby's mom Gay showed up to spend the night with him. Colby brought his mom back to camp, who gave everyone a big hug and updated everyone on what was going on at home. She brought care packages from everyone's families.

In Africa, the Moto Maji members were to be asked a series of personal questions which their family had previously been asked on videotape. The loved ones included Kim Johnson's husband, children, and grandchildren, Teresa Cooper's husband Brian, children Tyler and Ellie, and her parents, Ethan Zohn's mother and siblings, Tom Buchanan's wife, son Bucky, and Tom's father, Kim Powers's mother, and Lex van den Berghe's wife and sons. If each tribe member's answer matched the answer their family gave, they would score a point. The winner would take a plane to an exclusive resort in the Masai Mara, go on safari to see the migrating wildebeest, sleep in a real bed, and enjoy fabulous food, all charged to a Visa credit card. Demonstrating a great familiarity between himself and his wife, Lex won the challenge. As Lex was about to board the plane, he was given the opportunity to choose someone to accompany him. He chose Tom, and they hopped on the small plane and took off for the resort.

In Marquesas, the loved ones would be competing in the challenge, instead of the castaways. The loved ones were Neleh Dennis's mom Rebecca, Robert DeCanio's sister Diana, Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien's son Patrick, Sean Rector's friend Darryl, Vecepia Towery's husband Leander, and Paschal English's wife Beverly. After a close finish, it was Kathy's son Patrick who won the challenge. Jeff informed the tribe and a highly emotional Kathy that her son would be joining the tribe for an overnight stay at Soliantu beach.

In Thailand, after each castaway was given a brief preview of their loved ones, Jeff explained the rules and the reward for the challenge. In the end, Brian Heidik outwitted Helen Glover and won the right to watch the entire video from his wife. In "A Big Surprise... and Another", the castaways were surprised by their loved ones showing up at the Reward Challenge; the loved ones were Helen's husband Jim, Ted Rogers Jr.'s brother Aljuwan, Brian's wife CC, Jake Billingsley's wife Jenny, Clay Jordan's wife Linda, and Jan Gentry's son Jeff. Jeff then explained that the loved ones would be competing in the challenge for the right to stay 24 hours at the camp. The final round came down to Helen's husband Jim against Jake's wife Jenny. Jim ate his way to victory as he devoured a boiled tarantula and scorpion. At the Immunity Challenge, the contestants were surprised again by their loved ones showing up to compete alongside with them. In a close finish, Ted and his brother Aljuwan outwitted the rest and won immunity for Ted.

In The Amazon, Matthew von Ertfelda won the Reward Challenge and a visit from his mom. Jeff then proposed to him to give up his reward for his tribemates have the chance to meet with their loved ones. Matthew accepted the proposition and the other Jacaré members were given the chance to briefly talk with their family members; Butch Lockley's wife Cindy, Christy Smith's boyfriend Brent, Rob Cesternino's mother Roseanne, Heidi Strobel's mother Kathy, and Jenna Morasca's father Michael. After everyone had left for camp, Jeff rewarded Matthew with a dinner with his mother in an Amazonian village.

In Pearl Islands, Sandra Diaz-Twine's husband Marcus, Tijuana Bradley's high school sweetheart and still best friend William, Burton Roberts's mom Didi, Lillian Morris's husband Loonie, Darrah Johnson's boyfriend Bradley, Christa Hastie's fiancé Peter, and Jon Dalton's best friend Dan arrived. Before the challenge started, Jon was saddened to hear from Dan that his grandmother had "died". With Lillian's husband Loonie and Jon's friend Dan left on the challenge, Burton was the one who decided which one would jump off the plank. Feeling sorry for Jon, Burton sent Lillian's husband off the plank. When Jon won reward, he learned that he and Dan would share the Balboa camp on their own, with the other castaways banished to a separate island without their loved ones.

In All-Stars, each castaway was given a brief preview of a video recorded by their loved ones, then they were divided in two teams of four and competed in an obstacle course, with the first team to finish winning a reward of rain ponchos and letters from home. The members of the winning team then competed in a individual Immunity Challenge consisting of a slide puzzle, where the winner also gets to see their full video. Rob Mariano won the challenge, but offered Jeff to forfeit seeing the video from his brother so that everyone could receive their letters from home, which Jeff accepted. In "A Chapera Surprise", as in Thailand, the loved ones would compete in the challenge. Amber Brkich's mother Cheryl, Shii Ann Huang's mother Lily, Jenna Lewis's brother Jai, Rob M.'s brother Mike, Tom Buchanan's son Bucky Bo, and Rupert Boneham's wife Laura competed. After Jenna L.'s brother Jai broke the rules by drinking water during a tarantula dish, it came down to Rob M.'s brother Mike and Tom's son Bo. Bo quickly ate the final item, winning a night at the old Chapera camp. Tom was offered the chance to invite one other castaway and their loved one to join them. He chose Rob M. and Mike to join him.

In Vanuatu, Jeff shocked the castaways by announcing that the winner would get to communicate with their loved one for one hour using a computer satellite hook-up. The castaways were given a one-minute taste of the contact before the challenge started. The challenge came down to Eliza Orlins and Julie Berry, with Eliza winning reward. Jeff shocked Eliza by telling her that she would actually spend a whole night with her mother Susan. Jeff invited the loved ones, including Eliza's mother Susan, Chris Daugherty's fiancée Lorie, Ami Cusack's girlfriend Crissy, Leann Slaby's best friend Teri, Julie's best friend Justin, Scout Cloud Lee's life partner Annie, and Twila Tanner's son James, for a tearful reunion with the castaways. At the Immunity Challenge, the castaways were surprised again when they told that their loved ones would compete with them. It came down to Ami and her girlfriend, and Chris and his fiancée. Ami and Crissy completed the puzzle before Chris and Lorie to win Ami immunity.

In Palau, Gregg Carey won the challenge and selected Jenn Lyon and Katie Gallagher for a yacht trip where they were surprised by the visit of their loved ones (Gregg's best friend also named Greg, Jenn's sister Kim, and Katie's brother-in-law Stan; Katie's sister was unable to attend due to having recently given birth).

In Guatemala, the castaways were given the right to buy an overnight at the camp with their loved ones at the Survivor Auction. Judd Sergeant's wife Kristen, Cindy Hall's twin sister Mindy, and Stephenie LaGrossa's boyfriend Michael were permitted to stay overnight at camp.

In Panama, Terry Deitz won and he chose himself and his wife Trish, along with Shane Powers and his son, Boston, to spend the night at a villa. He also chose Cirie Fields's husband H.B. to spend the night at Gitanos camp, Aras Baskauskas to just get a hug from his mother Teresa, and Danielle DiLorenzo to get a few words with her mom Denise from where she was standing before being sent to Exile Island.

In Cook Islands, at the Reward Challenge, the castaways were surprised by the arrival of their loved ones, who partnered up with them in the challenge. An injured Parvati Shallow was able to work through her injury and win. Her reward was a picnic with her dad Mike and the right to send somebody to Exile Island. Mike was allowed to select two other castaways to join in the picnic without any input from Parvati. He selected Sundra Oakley and her mom Jeannette, and Adam Gentry and his dad George.

In China, the castaways' loved ones showed up oat the Reward Challenge set to compete with them. The loved ones were Erik Huffman's mother Denise, Amanda Kimmel's sister Katrina, Peih-Gee Law's father Lawrence, Todd Herzog's sister Brandi, Courtney Yates's father Graham, and Denise Martin's husband Robert. The team of Denise and Robert won, and selected Amanda and Todd, along with their sisters, Katrina and Brandi, respectively, to join them on the reward and spend the night at Hae Da Fung camp.

In Micronesia, the loved ones were Parvati Shallow's mother Gail, Erik Reichenbach's brother Kurt, Natalie Bolton's mother Rockie, Alexis Jones's brother Nathan, Amanda Kimmel's sister Katrina, James Clement's father James Sr., and Cirie Fields's husband H.B.. Alexis won the challenge to take a trip to Jellyfish Lake with Nathan and opted to take along Cirie and H.B., and Natalie and Rockie.

In Gabon, at the Reward Challenge, the castaways got to view a short video clip from their loved ones. Bob Crowley won the challenge and while he was watching the video from his wife Peggy, she stepped out from behind a tree to surprise him. Bob and Peggy then walked hand in hand to the Nobag camp to meet the rest of the castaways. After introducing his wife to the tribe, Bob turned and whistled to signal the other castaways' loved ones to make an appearance, including Sugar Kiper's sister Rena, Matty Whitmore's girlfriend Jamie, Ken Hoang's sister Jenny, Crystal Cox's boyfriend Andre, Susie Smith's husband Todd, and Corinne Kaplan's brother Chad. Matty proposed to his girlfriend, while Sugar and her sister spread their late father's ashes in Gabon. The loved ones departed camp before sundown.

In Tocantins, on the last item up for bid at the Survivor Auction, Jeff presented a cell phone loaded with a video message from loved ones at home and announced that the usual auction rules would be suspended and that the castaways could pool their money in order to get one of the castaways to win. Everybody gave their remaining money to Taj Johnson-George so that she could win the item uncontested. At the very end of the video message, Taj's husband, Eddie George, said that he would see them back at camp. After pointing out the last line in the video, Jeff told Taj that only Eddie would be back at camp, but if Taj offered to go to Exile Island where Eddie would join her, the other castaways' loved ones would be at the Forza camp. She immediately accepted the offer. Back at camp, the castaways were joined by Coach Wade's assistant coach, Debbie Beebe's husband, Erinn Lobdell's father, J.T. Thomas's younger sister, and Stephen Fishbach's brother.

In Heroes vs. Villains, the loved ones included Parvati Shallow's father Mike, Jerri Manthey's sister Jennifer, Russell Hantz's wife Melanie, Colby Donaldson's brother Reid, Rupert Boneham's wife Laura, and Sandra Diaz-Twine's uncle Fernando. After emotional introductions to the castaway's loved ones, the challenge was won by the team of Jerri and Jennifer. After winning the challenge, Jeff told Jerri that she could pick another castaway and their loved one to go along with them. Jerri chose Parvati and Mike. Jerri then asked Jeff if she could take one more pair. Jeff agreed and Jerri picked Sandra and Fernando.

In Nicaragua, at the Reward Challenge, Jeff introduced the castaways' loved ones. The team of Chase Rice and his mother won the challenge. Chase then selected Sash Lenahan and his mother, and Holly Hoffman and her husband Charles to join them on a sailboat along the Nicaraguan coast with food and drinks.

In Redemption Island, the loved ones included Natalie Tenerelli's mother Tracy, Andrea Boehlke's father Royal, Phillip Sheppard's sister Tracy, Rob Mariano's sister Heather, Grant Mattos's brother-in-law Steve, Ashley Underwood's mother Terry, Ralph Kiser's friend Ronnie, Matt Elrod's brother Burton, and Mike Chiesl's mother Jane. When the castaways arrived at the Redemption Island duel, Jeff announced that the first winner of the duel would get to spend time with their loved one in person. Mike Chiesl won the challenge and when his mother arrived at the Redemption Island Arena, Jeff gave him three choices: he could take the visit from his mother, he could opt to forgo the visit with his mother and instead give Matt and Ralph a visit from their loved ones, or he could forgo the visit with his mother and give the remaining members of the Murlonio tribe a visit from their loved ones. All of the loved ones entered the Redemption Island Arena while Mike made his decision. Mike took inspiration from the Bible to give the most good to the most people and chose to give visits to the Murlonio tribe. Murlonio then headed back to camp to spend the afternoon with their loved ones. Of note, Steve Wright received a video message from his loved one via Sprint phone, and would've seen them in-person had be not been eliminated at the duel.

In South Pacific, the loved ones included Albert Destrade's mother Annie, Sophie Clarke's father Thurston, Brandon Hantz's father Sean, Edna Ma's sister Debbie, Coach Wade's brother Pete, and Rick Nelson's wife Katie. At the Redemption Island duel, Jeff announced that there was a twist to the duel, but that he would get to it later. After Ozzy Lusth won the duel, Jeff brought out all of the castaways' loved ones. Jeff then told Ozzy he had to choose one person to spend some time with their loved ones. He picked Albert and his mother. Jeff then told Ozzy to select another and he picked Coach and his brother. Jeff then said to pick one final person and he picked Brandon and his father. After the other Te Tuna members left the Arena, Jeff handed a phone to Ozzy and told the seven that they would be spending their time at Redemption Island.

In One World, the loved ones included Kat Edorsson's cousin Robby, Kim Spradlin's sister Beth, Alicia Rosa's sister Leticia, Christina Cha's father Sung, Sabrina Thompson's brother Tony, Chelsea Meissner's father Ken, and Tarzan Smith's wife Terri. When the castaways arrived at the Reward Challenge site, Jeff brought out their loved ones for a reunion. Kat and her cousin Robby just barely beat out Kim and her sister Beth in the challenge. Jeff told Kat to pick one other pair to join them on the picnic and she selected Kim and Beth. Kat was then told to pick another pair and she picked Alicia and her sister Leticia. Kat explained that she picked Alicia and Kim because she wanted to spend time together as friends.

In Philippines, the castaways' loved ones joined them on Day 31's Reward Challenge. The loved ones were Michael Skupin's son also named Michael, Carter Williams's mother Dionne, Denise Stapley's husband Brad, Lisa Whelchel's brother Justice, Abi-Maria Gomes's mother Vera, and Malcolm Freberg's brother Miles. Malcolm and Miles won the challenge. Jeff told Malcolm to pick another castaway and their loved one to stay overnight at camp and he picked Lisa and Justice. Michael then told Malcolm to ask Jeff to let him pick another. Jeff granted the request and Malcolm selected Michael and his son Michael.

In Caramoan, the loved ones included Eddie Fox's father Edward, Dawn Meehan's husband David, John Cochran's mother Arlene, Erik Reichenbach's brother Richard, Brenda Lowe's father Raymond, and Sherri Biethman's husband Jared. At the Reward Challenge, Brenda's father Raymond scored the last point to take the win. Jeff called Brenda over and gave her the offer to select one other castaway and his loved one to join them and she selected Dawn and her husband. Jeff then pulled out a cellphone that had a video announcing that, not one, but two loved ones were on the island for the visit. Jeff then told Brenda that she could give up both hers and Dawn's visit with their loved ones in exchange for the other four castaways to see their loved ones on the boat. Brenda called the decision a "no brainer" and gave up the reward. The second loved ones included Eddie's mother Elizabeth, Cochran's father, a second brother of Erik's, and Sherri's son, Parker; had Brenda kept the reward, Dawn's friend Whitney and Brenda's sister would've visited.

In Worlds Apart, the challenge appeared as the final five Reward Challenge. Mike Holloway won the right to spend the day with his mother at camp and an advantage at the next Immunity Challenge.

In Cambodia, the challenge appeared as the final eight Reward Challenge. Former castaways Val Collins and Dale Wentworth returned as loved ones for castaways Jeremy Collins and Kelley Wentworth respectively, and a pregnant Val informed Jeremy that they are excepting a son. The other loved ones were Tasha Fox's cousin Christina, Spencer Bledsoe's girlfriend Marcella, Keith Nale's wife Dana, Abi-Maria Gomes's mother Vera, Joe Anglim's dad Pat, and Kimmi Kappenberg's father Robert. The challenge had castaways dig four bags of puzzles pieces, all attached to a rope, out of the sand, spin around a handle to release the rope, then propel across a beam, retrieve the fifth bag and decipher a word puzzle that spelt out Nourishment. Kelley won the challenge and chose Abi-Maria, Joe, Keith, Kimmi, and their loved ones to share the reward.

In Millennials vs. Gen X, the challenge appeared at the final nine Reward Challenge. The loved ones were Sunday Burquest's husband Jeff, Jay Starrett's sister Melanie, Adam Klein's brother Evan, Ken McNickle's brother William, Bret LaBelle's father Don, Zeke Smith's father Sam, David Wright's father Doug, Will Wahl's mother Irene, and Hannah Shapiro's mother Liz. Jay won the challenge and he choose Adam, Sunday, Will, and their respective loved ones to join him and his sister on the reward.

In Game Changers, the loved ones appearing were Sarah Lacina's partner Wyatt, Andrea Boehlke's mother Linda, Aubry Bracco's sister Carrie, Sierra Dawn Thomas's father Dan, Michaela Bradshaw's mother Candi, Troyzan Robertson's brother Todd, Tai Trang's husband Mark, Brad Culpepper's wife and previous two-time castaway Monica Culpepper, and Cirie Fields's son Jared. Unlike previous Loved Ones Challenges which were individual, the castaways were paired into teams of three. The team of Andrea, Aubry, and Brad won a barbeque with their loved ones and chose Cirie, Sarah, and their respective loved ones to join them on the reward.

In Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, the loved ones visiting were Ashley Nolan's father Jim, Ryan Ulrich's father Steve, Mike Zahalsky's wife Mary, Lauren Rimmer's sister Sunny, Chrissy Hofbeck's husband Keith, Devon Pinto's mother Sonja, and Ben Driebergen's wife Kelly. The castaways and loved ones would draw either a white or black rock from their respective bags and they had to draw the same colored rock to win. Chrissy and her husband managed to win over Ben and his wife after they drew the same colored rock. Chrissy chose Ashley, Mike, Ryan, and their respective loved ones to join them on the reward.

In Ghost Island, the loved ones visiting were Wendell Holland's father Wendell Sr., Kellyn Bechtold's brother Clay, Donathan Hurley's aunt Patty, Angela Perkins' daughter Paige, Chelsea Townsend's sister Sidney, Laurel Johnson's brother Frank, Sebastian Noel's sister Grace, and Domenick Abbate's wife Kristin. Sebastian won the challenge and selected Domenick, Donathan, Wendell, and their respective loved ones to join him and his sister on the reward. However, Sebastian was then given a task to either forfeit the reward and send himself or one of the other three to Ghost Island; if they failed to decide, the decision would then fall to the four not chosen for the reward. Wendell volunteered to go to Ghost Island and gave up his and his loved one's spot on the reward.

In David vs. Goliath, the loved ones visiting were Davie Rickenbacker's mother Hazel, Alison Raybould's mother Willa, Kara Kay's brother Eric, Nick Wilson's dad Jim, Gabby Pascuzzi's mother Carnita, Angelina Keeley's mother Anna, Mike White's boyfriend Josh, and Christian Hubicki's girlfriend Emily. The castaways were paired into two tethered together. The pair of Angelina and Nick won a barbecue with their loved ones and they selected Davie, Mike, and their respective loved ones to join them on the reward.

In Edge of Extinction, the loved ones visiting were Rick Devens's wife Becca, Julie Rosenberg's husband Mark, Lauren O'Connell's father Joey, Ron Clark's husband Lloyd, Victoria Baamonde's father Rock, Aurora McCreary's brother Shane, and Gavin Whitson's wife Carly. The challenge was won by Ron and Lloyd where they won a picnic back at camp. They selected Gavin, Julie, and their respective loved ones to join them on the reward.

In Island of the Idols, the loved ones visiting were Lauren Beck's husband Matt, Tommy Sheehan's girlfriend Nicole, Karishma Patel's husband Drew, Noura Salman's sister Lana, Janet Carbin's husband John, Dean Kowalski's mother Laurie, Dan Spilo's son Ryan, and Elaine Stott's fiancée Tanya. Due to being visually impaired, Jeff allowed Noura's sister Lana to watch the challenge up close beside him. The team of Janet and Tommy won a feast with their loved ones. They selected Dan, Lauren, and their respective loved ones to join them on the reward.

Seasons Without a Loved Ones Challenge

The challenge was cancelled on Fiji because of a coup d'état led by Fiji's military leader, Frank Bainimarama. This prevented the families of the cast members from coming to Fiji.

Blood vs. Water and San Juan del Sur did not have Loved Ones Challenges, due to the Blood vs. Water twist.

In Cagayan, the loved ones showed up on Day 37 to have a picnic with the final four and watch the Immunity Challenge. However, they were not involved with the challenge. The loved ones included Kass McQuillen's husband Mark, Spencer Bledsoe's sister Taryn, Tony Vlachos's best friend Arnold, who informed Tony that his wife, Marissa, chose to stay home with their four-month old daughter, and Woo Hwang's cousin Mikey.

In Winners at War, not only one, but multiple loved ones appeared on Day 24. Rather than having a challenge, all of the castaways⁠⁠ ⁠— including those inhabiting the Edge of Extinction — were able to be with their loved ones at their respective camps for the whole day. For the castaways in the game, the loved ones were Kim Spradlin-Wolfe's husband Bryan and their three kids, Ben Driebergen's wife Kelly and their two kids, Sophie Clarke's fiancé Bobby, Sarah Lacina's partner Wyatt and their son, Denise Stapley's husband Brad and their daughter, Nick Wilson's fiancée Grisel, Tony Vlachos's wife Marissa and their two kids, Michele Fitzgerald's sister Kim, Tyson Apostol's wife and former castaway Rachel Foulger and one of their daughters, and Jeremy Collins's wife and former castaway Val Collins and their four kids. Jeff revealed that there was no challenge at all, and let everyone go back to camp with their loved ones. On the Edge of Extinction, the loved ones were Natalie Anderson's twin sister and former castaway Nadiya Anderson and her daughter, Amber Mariano and Rob Mariano's four daughters and Rob's parents, Danni Boatwright's mother and one of her sons, Ethan Zohn's wife, Parvati Shallow's husband and former castaway John Fincher and their daughter, Yul Kwon's wife and two daughters, Wendell Holland's father, and Adam Klein's father. Sandra Diaz-Twine, who left the Edge before the loved ones arrived, confirmed that her family also visited her at Ponderosa.

The Loved Ones Challenge also did not appear in Samoa and Kaôh Rōng for unknown reasons.

Loved Ones Challenge Winners

Season	Challenge	Winner(s)
Borneo "Thy Name Is Duplicity"	Survivor Archery	Greg Buis
Borneo "Long Hard Days"	Survivor Quiz Show	Sean Kenniff
The Australian Outback "Enough Is Enough"	Survivor.com	Tina Wesson
The Australian Outback "The Final Four"	Survivor Pentathlon	Colby Donaldson
Africa "The Big Adventure"	Know Your Loved One	Lex van den Berghe
Marquesas "Marquesan Vacation"	Turtle Roll	Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien
Thailand "Desperate Measures"	Wicker Ball Relay	Brian Heidik
Thailand "A Big Surprise... and Another"	Thai Menu	Helen Glover
	Cube Crisis	Ted Rogers, Jr.
The Amazon "Sour Grapes"	Paddle	Matthew von Ertfelda
Pearl Islands "The Great Lie"	Loved Ones Overboard	Jon Dalton
All-Stars "A Thoughtful Gesture or a Deceptive Plan"	Big Bad-O Course	Rob Mariano
All-Stars "A Chapera Surprise"	Survivor Smorgasbord	Tom Buchanan
Vanuatu "Surprise and... Surprise Again!"	Played Out	Eliza Orlins
	Love Is Blind	Ami Cusack
Palau "We'll Make You Pay"	First Quencher Q&A	Gregg Carey
Guatemala "Price for Immunity"	Survivor Auction	Judd Sergeant
Panama "Bamboozled"	Second Chance	Terry Deitz
Cook Islands "Arranging a Hit"	Pass the Bucket	Parvati Shallow
China "Going for the Oscar"	Marco Polo	Denise Martin
Micronesia "I'm Gonna Fix Her!"	Body Slam	Alexis Jones
Gabon "The Good Things in Life Aren't Easy"	Now or Never	Bob Crowley
Tocantins "The Ultimate Sacrifice"	Survivor Auction	Taj Johnson-George
Heroes vs. Villains "Loose Lips Sink Ships"	Pass the Bucket	Jerri Manthey
Nicaragua "This Is Going to Hurt"	Poolin' Around	Chase Rice
Redemption Island "You Mangled My Nets"	Rock Block	Mike Chiesl
South Pacific "Ticking Time Bomb"	Puppet Master	Ozzy Lusth
One World "It's Gonna Be Chaos"	Connecting With Loved Ones	Kat Edorsson
Philippines "Shot into Smithereens"	Mud Slinging	Malcolm Freberg
Caramoan "Don't Say Anything About My Mom"	Dizzy Gillespie	Brenda Lowe
Worlds Apart "It's a Fickle, Fickle Game"	The Home Stretch	Mike Holloway
Cambodia "Tiny Little Shanks to the Heart"	Jungle Love	Kelley Wentworth
Millennials vs. Gen X "About to Have a Rumble"	Rope a Dope	Jay Starrett
Game Changers "It Is Not a High Without a Low"	Full Tilt Boogey	Andrea, Aubry, Brad
Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers "Not Going to Roll Over and Die"	Love on the Rocks	Chrissy Hofbeck
Ghost Island "A Giant Game of Bumper Cars"	A Quick Affair	Sebastian Noel
David vs. Goliath "So Smart They're Dumb"	Ringo Starz	Angelina & Nick
Edge of Extinction "Awkward"	Stuck in Love	Ron Clark
Island of the Idols "A Very Simple Plan"	Full Tilt Affair	Janet & Tommy

Gallery

The loved ones compete in Marquesas.

The Loved Ones Challenge in Thailand.

The loved ones compete in All-Stars.

The Loved Ones Challenge in One World.

Family Reward Challenge in Philippines.

The final six compete in the Loved Ones Challenge in Caramoan.

The loved ones await in Cambodia.

The loved ones spectate in Millennials vs. Gen X.

Trivia

• Borneo, The Australian Outback, Thailand, All-Stars, and Vanuatu are the only seasons to have more than one challenge as the Loved Ones Challenge. Thailand is the only season to have three Loved Ones Challenges.
• Africa is the only season featuring a Loved Ones Challenge to never have the loved ones flown on location, as they only appeared on videotapes.
• Parvati Shallow is the first person to compete in this challenge three times. She has won the challenge once and has partaken in the reward twice. She would be followed by Cirie Fields, who has never won, but has partaken in the reward all three times.
• Gabon contestant Randy Bailey had no loved one to visit him. Luckily for Production, he was eliminated the round before the Loved Ones Challenge.
• Caramoan is the first season to feature two loved ones coming to the island instead of one.
• Katie Collins and Laura Boneham are the first "loved ones" to compete in a future season after appearing as a loved one in an earlier season.
  • According to Laura's husband Rupert Boneham in an interview for Blood vs. Water, past loved ones were at one point ineligible to play in future seasons of Survivor.
• There have been some instances where the contestants did not know that the challenge (or Survivor Auction) was the Loved Ones Challenge. Some of those instances include Palau, Guatemala, and Tocantins.
• Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien's son Patrick in Marquesas is the first loved one to experience life at camp.
• Jenna Lewis's brother Jai in All-Stars is the first loved one to be disqualified from the Loved Ones Challenge.
• Natalie Anderson's niece, Trinity Noël Taylor, is the youngest person to appear as a loved one, doing so at 6 months old.
• Taj Johnson-George's husband Eddie George in Tocantins is the first loved one to be sent to Exile Island.
• Dale Wentworth and Val Collins are the first Survivor alumni to return as loved ones for a castaway, being the loved ones for their San Juan del Sur partners Kelley Wentworth and Jeremy Collins respectively in Cambodia. They would be followed by Monica Culpepper, who was her Blood vs. Water partner Brad Culpepper's loved one in Game Changers.  Val, Rachel Foulger, John Fincher, and Nadiya Anderson were loved ones for their Winners at War partners Jeremy, Tyson Apostol, Parvati Shallow, and Natalie Anderson respectively.