The Immunity Necklace (also called the Talisman in earlier seasons) is awarded to an individual, or in rare cases individuals, who have won an individual Immunity Challenge post-merge.
About[]
Similar to the Tribal Immunity Idol that grants a group of castaways an exemption from Tribal Council, the Immunity Necklace grants one castaway individual safety. Unlike Tribal Immunity, the safe individual still attends and casts a vote at Tribal Council. However, the other players cannot cast a vote against the safe individual.
When a contestant is in possession of the necklace, it is brought back to camp and typically placed on the shelter. While other castaways can "try on" the necklace, ownership lies solely with the winner and cannot be stolen by another, unless the winner decides to give up the necklace.
From Survivor: Borneo to Survivor: Africa, the necklace was non-transferable, leaving allies vulnerable. Starting from Survivor: Marquesas, the necklace became a transferable item, permitting a castaway to hand it to another. The necklace can only be transferred before the votes are cast. In recent seasons, Jeff Probst has stopped asking the castaways if they want to give up the Immunity Necklace, but castaways can still give it up on their own terms if they wish to.
Design[]
Typically, the Necklace will fit with the motif of the season, with some tribal design or small tiki attached. Other designs include feathers, tiki heads, skulls, and even teeth. A winning contestant will wear the necklace at Tribal Council around their neck to indicate their exemption from being voted against.
One-time only Necklaces[]
The dual Immunity Necklaces from Nicaragua.
During Survivor: Nicaragua, both tribes competed for individual immunity. In previous seasons, two necklaces would both be similar in appearance; however, La Flor and Espada had their very own unique designs and tribal colors, with either a Fleur de Lis or a Sword.
One-time only Immunity Idol[]
During Survivor: Micronesia, as a part of a first challenge, a special idol is placed on the front of the rafts of both the Airai and Malakal tribes. The rule is almost the same as the necklace, only the possession right lasts until their tribe's first Tribal Council. The Immunity Idol was found by Yau-Man Chan and Kathy Sleckman respectively (technically, Jon Dalton found the idol first; however, he mistook the opposing tribe's idol for his, and Yau-Man reached theirs first). The two idols were both removed from the game by Day 6, as both tribes went to Tribal Council once each in the first six days.
In Survivor: Gabon, there were two individual Immunity Idols, one for each tribe. The Idols was placed at the top of the hill. The first person to each the idol gets it for their tribe. Marcus Lehman and GC Brown got to the Immunity Idols for their respective tribes. The idols were both removed from the game by Day 9.
List of U.S. Immunity Necklaces[]
- Survivor: Borneo: A small tiki with a colorful face with a necklace of shells.
- Survivor: The Australian Outback: A necklace of beads and artifacts with small bones.
- Survivor: Africa: A colorful cloth necklace.
- Survivor: Marquesas: A necklace with shells and a small painted tiki.
- Survivor: Thailand: A golden necklace with jewels and points.
- Survivor: The Amazon: A large feather necklace.
- Survivor: Pearl Islands: A large sword and its scabbard.
- Survivor: All-Stars: A necklace of thread and coins.
- Survivor: Vanuatu: A necklace adorned with shells and four boar tusks.
- Survivor: Palau: A necklace prominently featuring a shark's jaw laced with shark teeth and beads.
- Survivor: Guatemala: A necklace of turquoise beads and ancient Mayan faces.
- Survivor: Panama: A large necklace made of cloth, beads, artifacts and a carved face.
- Survivor: Cook Islands: A necklace of wooden spikes with a hei matau in the middle.
- Survivor: Fiji: A necklace of bones.
- Survivor: China: A metallic necklace of symbols and thread.
- Survivor: Micronesia: A necklace of many shells and tiki faces.
- Survivor: Gabon: A necklace of many Gabonese faces and many artifacts.
- Survivor: Tocantins: A colorful feather necklace with symbols and faces at the top.
- Survivor: Samoa: A necklace of artifacts and a hei matau hook.
- Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains: A necklace of tan, brown and green tiki faces.
- Survivor: Nicaragua: A golden necklace with artifacts and a cross with a red gem in the center.
- Survivor: Redemption Island: A necklace of a set of golden faces with designs and jade stones.
- Survivor: South Pacific: A necklace of shark teeth with a large central tiki.
- Survivor: One World: A necklace of wood, artifacts and a small painted skull.
- Survivor: Philippines: A metallic necklace of beads and a red gem.
- Survivor: Caramoan: An Igorot necklace of teeth and a small skull.
- Survivor: Blood vs. Water: A metallic necklace of carved stone and red threads.
- Survivor: Cagayan: A necklace of golden carvings resembling the rangda.
- Survivor: San Juan del Sur: A necklace of beads, artifacts and an ancient face.
- Survivor: Worlds Apart: A necklace of shells, green stones and wood surrounding a compass.
- Survivor: Cambodia: A large red and gold necklace with golden designs, attachments and artifacts.
- Survivor: Kaôh Rōng: A colorful beaded necklace with a set of faces.
- Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X: A necklace of wood, bones and shells around a large tiki face.
- Survivor: Game Changers: A necklace made of rope and nautical objects.
- Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers: A colorful metal necklace with several medallions around it.
- Survivor: Ghost Island: A painted shell necklace with driftwood carvings.
- Survivor: David vs. Goliath: A necklace of painted brown shells, with a large nautilus shell in the center.
- Survivor: Edge of Extinction: A necklace of white medallions, shells, and red tassels.
- Survivor: Island of the Idols: A necklace of teeth, shells, and two moai faces.
- Survivor: Winners at War: A necklace with skull beads threaded in a bib, a skull and crossbones medallion in the center of the bib and a pair of faux Fire Tokens to the left and right of the medallion.
- Survivor 41: A necklace of tan tiki faces, brown wood and grey rocks tied together with twine. The wood and rocks have the merge insignia carved on them.
- Survivor 42: A necklace of red stones and large teeth, surrounding a snake with its tail in its mouth.
- Survivor 43: A necklace of large teeth, teal beads and a monkey skull engraved with the Gaia tribe symbol in the center.
- Survivor 44: A necklace of metal dragon scales with a miniature shield depicting a yellow and red dragon in the center.
- Survivor 45: A necklace of orange and blue feathers and beads adorned with three bird skulls.
- Survivor 46: A necklace of red and brown beads adorned with carved golden lizards and a white jewel in the center.
List of International Immunity Necklaces[]
- For the list of Immunity Necklaces from non-U.S. versions, see Immunity Necklace/International.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The object that symbolized individual immunity on Survivor: Pearl Islands was the only one to not actually be a necklace, instead being a cutlass in a scabbard.
- The Immunity Necklace from Survivor: Micronesia was repurposed as a Hidden Immunity Idol in Survivor: Ghost Island as a reminder to its finder Wendell Holland about its history, with Erik Reichenbach giving it away to Natalie Bolton and then being voted out.
Firsts[]
- First contestant to win individual immunity: Greg Buis (Borneo).
- First woman to win individual immunity: Kelly Wiglesworth (Borneo).
- First non-binary contestant to win individual immunity: Evvie Jagoda (Survivor 41).
- First contestant to win individual immunity multiple times: Kelly Wiglesworth (Borneo).
- First man to win individual immunity multiple times: Keith Famie (The Australian Outback).
- Both Kelly and Keith won their individual Immunity Challenges consecutively.
- First contestant to win individual immunity multiple times non-consecutively: Lex van den Berghe (Africa).
- First woman to win individual immunity multiple times non-consecutively: Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien (Marquesas).
- First contestant to win immunity in more than one season: Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien (Marquesas and All-Stars).
- First man to win immunity in more than one season: Tom Buchanan (Africa and All-Stars).
- First contestant to win immunity for the first time as a returnee: Rob Mariano (All-Stars, did not win immunity on Marquesas).
- First woman to win immunity for the first time as a returnee: Shii Ann Huang (All-Stars, did not win immunity on Thailand).
- First contestant to win individual immunity in the tribal phase of the game: John Kenney (Vanuatu).
- First woman to win individual immunity in the tribal phase of the game: Kathy Sleckman (Micronesia)
- The first woman to possess individual immunity in the tribal phase of the game was Ami Cusack (Vanuatu), however, she was given immunity by John Kenney as part of his reward, and did not win it herself.
- Candice Woodcock (Heroes vs. Villains) was the first woman to win individual immunity pre-merge in the form of the Immunity Necklace, as Kathy's immunity was in the form of a one-time Immunity Idol.
- First contestant to give away immunity: Jenna Morasca (The Amazon).
- First man to give away immunity: Burton Roberts (Pearl Islands). Due to the Outcasts twist, he still had individual immunity.
- First contestant to give away immunity, and be voted out: Erik Reichenbach (Micronesia). He was also the first man to give away individual immunity without having another form of immunity.
- First contestant to give away Final Immunity: Chris Underwood (Edge of Extinction).
- First contestant to possess individual immunity without winning the Immunity Challenge: Heidi Strobel (The Amazon, given to her by Jenna Morasca).
- First man to possess individual immunity without winning the Immunity Challenge: Rupert Boneham (Pearl Islands, given to him by Burton Roberts).
- First contestant to win immunity twice in one day: Sophie Clarke (South Pacific).
Records[]
- Most immunity wins in a single season: Colby Donaldson (The Australian Outback), Tom Westman (Palau), Terry Deitz (Panama), Ozzy Lusth (Cook Islands), Mike Holloway (Worlds Apart), and Brad Culpepper (Game Changers) - 5 wins.
- Most immunity wins by a woman in a single season: Kelly Wiglesworth (Borneo), Jenna Morasca (The Amazon), Kim Spradlin (One World), and Chrissy Hofbeck (Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers) - 4 wins.
- Most individual immunity wins across multiple seasons: Rob Mariano - 9 (4 wins in All-Stars, 1 win in Heroes vs. Villains, 4 wins in Redemption Island).
- Most individual immunity wins by a woman across multiple seasons: Kim Spradlin-Wolfe - 5 (4 wins in One World, 1 win in Winners at War).
By Age[]
- Oldest contestant to win individual immunity: Rudy Boesch (Borneo) at the age of 72 years, 2 months, and 19 days.
- Oldest woman to win individual immunity: Kim Johnson (Africa) at the age of 56 years, 10 months, and 30 days.
- Oldest contestant to win individual immunity multiple times: Bob Crowley (Gabon) at the age of 57 years, 5 months, and 4 days.
- Oldest woman to win individual immunity multiple times: Kim Johnson (Africa) at the age of 56 years, 10 months, and 30 days.
- Youngest contestant to win individual immunity: Will Wahl (Millennials vs. Gen X) at the age of 18 years, 8 months, and 14 days.
- Youngest woman to win individual immunity: Julia Sokolowski (Kaôh Rōng) at the age of 19 years, 0 months, and 14 days.
References[]