The Rites of Passage is a ritual performed by the final contestants before the Final Immunity Challenge. It occurs while the final two, three, or four contestants (depending on the season) travel to their Final Immunity Challenge. The contestants walk past the torches of their eliminated competitors, in the order of their elimination, and recite a few words about that player. They then collect items, or the torches of the contestants as the ritual continues. By the end of the ceremony, they burn the items as a way to pay respect.
The last Rites of Passage shown was during Survivor: Caramoan. The Rites of Passage in Survivor: Redemption Island wasn't aired, but was available on the CBS website.
Jeff Probst justified the extinction of the ritual, stating that it "meant more in earlier seasons and doesn't have any value in recent seasons."[1]
Trivia[]
- The Rites of Passage in Survivor: Africa was the first time that eliminated contestants spoke of their journey themselves.
- Although torches are usually used to represent the eliminated castaways during the Rites of Passage, in Survivor: Thailand, the final three castaways were asked to instead make wreaths (as part of Thai culture) for each of their fallen comrades.
- The Rites of Passage in Survivor: The Amazon is the only event that did not occur on the penultimate day of the game. Rather, an impromptu Rites of Passage was held by the Final Two of the last day of the game. Like in Thailand, torches were not used. Instead, the names of the eliminated contestants were written on the side of a crate.
- Osten Taylor from Survivor: Pearl Islands was the first castaway to not be included in the Rites of Passage due to the fact that he quit. However, during the Rites of Passage, the show cut to a shot of Osten's torch lying down at Tribal Council where he withdrew from the game, before airing footage of his time in the game (including his torch getting snuffed). In subsequent seasons, quitters had their torches laid down because they were not properly voted out. In Nicaragua, NaOnka and Kelly Shinn's shields at the Rites of Passage were grey with crosses instead of with an insignia.
- Torches were also used in Survivor: All-Stars's Rites of Passage, however, the final three were to go to a special paint stand and paint themselves to resemble Pearl Islands tribesmen; the torches were not collected during the path.
- Jonathan Libby and Wanda Shirk from Survivor: Palau were not included in the Rites of Passage because they were eliminated on Day 2, without being chosen to be on a tribe, thus not having the chance to go to Tribal Council and receive torches.
- Survivor: Cook Islands was the first time that four castaways went to the Rites of Passage rather than three seen in seasons prior as it was the first season to have a three-person Final Tribal Council.
- Survivor: South Pacific and every season since Survivor: Blood vs. Water has not had a Rites of Passage.
- The Rites of Passage in Survivor: Redemption Island wasn't aired, but was uploaded online instead.
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References[]
- ↑ Ross, Dalton (May 22, 2014). "'Survivor: Cagayan': Jeff Probst weighs in on the winner and Woo's crazy move". Entertaintment Weekly. http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/05/22/survivor-cagayan-jeff-probst-finale-reunion/. Retrieved May 22, 2014.