The Final Three are three remaining contestants who are present at the Final Tribal Council to plead their case for the title of Sole Survivor. This is currently the only alternative format to the Final Two on the American version, though there have been rare instances of Final Fours on other editions.
Introduced during the finale of Survivor: Cook Islands, host Jeff Probst later explained that the reason for this change was to deny the winner of the final Immunity Challenge an easy win through voting out the bigger threat in favor of someone unlikely to receive as many jury votes.
Whilst fan reaction to Final Threes has been mostly positive, several players have adapted to the change by keeping as many unlikable or less strategically dominant allies around as long as possible, which in turn has coined a player who fits this mold as a "goat". More often than not, only two of the castaways in a Final Three receive votes.
This format has become more common than a Final Two and has been seen in twenty-seven seasons. A Final Three with a nine-person jury started in Survivor: Cook Islands and continued through Survivor: Fiji. This configuration has also been seen in six subsequent seasons, spanning from Survivor: Samoa through to Survivor: One World. A Final Three with a seven-person jury was seen in Survivor: China, Survivor: Gabon, and Survivor: Kaôh Rōng, while a Final Three with an eight-person jury was featured in seasons spanning from Survivor: Philippines to Survivor: Worlds Apart (except for Survivor: Cagayan), as well as in Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers and Survivor 41 through 44. A Final Three with a 10-person jury was first used in Survivor: Cambodia, and would later be used in Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, Survivor: Game Changers, Survivor: Ghost Island, Survivor: David vs. Goliath, and Survivor: Island of the Idols. However, Island of the Idols would have apparently had an 11-person jury had a castaway not been ejected. A Final Three with a 13-person jury was seen in Survivor: Edge of Extinction. A Final Three with a 16-person jury was seen in Survivor: Winners at War.
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- In seasons with a Final Three, the number of Sole Survivors based on the gender of the losing finalists have been:
- Against both of the opposite gender, twelve (Todd Herzog, Bob Crowley, Natalie White, Sophie Clarke, John Cochran, Sarah Lacina, Tony Vlachos, Erika Casupanan, Maryanne Oketch, Yam Yam Arocho, Dee Valladares, and Kenzie Petty).
- Against both of the same gender, three (Fabio Birza, Kim Spradlin, and Natalie Anderson).
- Against both of different genders, sixteen (Yul Kwon, Earl Cole, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Rob Mariano, Denise Stapley, Tyson Apostol, Mike Holloway, Jeremy Collins, Michele Fitzgerald, Adam Klein, Ben Driebergen, Wendell Holland, Nick Wilson, Chris Underwood, Tommy Sheehan, and Mike Gabler).
- China, Philippines, San Juan del Sur, Worlds Apart, and Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers are the only seasons whose respective Final Threes all received votes.
- Fiji is the only season to have the Final Three comprised only of African-American contestants.
- Winners at War is the only season where the Final Three was comprised of people from only one state; all three finalists were from New Jersey.
- Both seasons to have three female finalists (One World and San Juan del Sur) started out with blue and orange tribes, and had their winner come from a blue tribe.
- All purple merged tribes have produced Final Threes with one female finalist and two male finalists.
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