Survivor: Island of the Idols

Survivor: Island of the Idols is the thirty-ninth season of Survivor.

Tommy Sheehan was awarded the title of Sole Survivor over Dean Kowalski and Noura Salman in a 8-2-0 vote.

Production

Starting with this season, Canadian citizens are eligible to apply for Survivor.^[3]

The mentors, Rob Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine, were given creative control over the happenings on the Island of the Idols, from the lessons they will teach and how they will go about them. Host Jeff Probst stated that production would have built a shelter for Rob and Sandra, but the two refused and insisted to relive the Survivor experience and built their own.^[4][5] Rob and Sandra also attend Tribal Council, albeit in secret. They have a special hiding place in one of the huts in the Tribal Council set where they watch the proceedings.

Twists/Changes

• Mentors: Two former Survivor winners, Rob Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine, would return for this season as mentors to the castaways this season. Neither mentor is in contention to win the million dollar prize. The mentors also get to attend Tribal Council in a hideaway spot near the fire pit.
• Island of the Idols: A selected castaway will be sent to the eponymous Island of the Idols where they will be taught survival skills and game strategies by Rob and Sandra. The castaway may choose to be tested on what they learned from the mentors for a chance to win an advantage in the game. However, losing the mentors' challenge will disallow them from voting the next time the player attends Tribal Council. Host Jeff Probst describes the island as a "Survivor boot camp."^[6][7][8]
• Hidden Immunity Idol: A Hidden Immunity Idol is hidden at each camp. In addition, temporary Hidden Immunity Idols may be offered on the Island of the Idols which are only usable for two to three Tribal Councils after obtaining them.
• Vote Blocker: The castaways sent to Island of the Idols on Days 9 and 15 were eligible to win a Vote Blocker. Unlike its previous appearance where it had to be used at the following Tribal Council regardless if the holder would attend that Tribal Council or not, the Vote Blocker was reworked so that it could be used at any Tribal Council the holder attends up to the final six.
• Tribe Switch: On Day 12, a Tribe Switch occurred, spreading the sixteen remaining castaways across two tribes of eight.
• Safety Without Power: The castaway sent to the Island of the Idols on Day 17 would be eligible to win an advantage that allows them to leave Tribal Council before the vote, effectively making them immune, at the cost of not voting. This advantage is usable until the final seven.
• Early Merge: The merge occurred with thirteen players remaining.
• Double Elimination: The Lumuwaku tribe was briefly split into two groups (one of six and one of five) with each group attending a separate Tribal Council to vote out a member. Following the Immunity Challenge, one group remained at the Lumuwaku camp, while the other was sequestered at the old Lairo camp for the afternoon.
• Extra Vote: The castaway sent to the Island of the Idols on Day 34 would be given an option between this, an Idol Nullifier, or a Hidden Immunity Idol good for the next Tribal Council, if they win the mentor's test.
• Idol Nullifier: The castaway sent to the Island of the Idols on Day 34 would be given an option between this, an Extra Vote, or a Hidden Immunity Idol good for the next Tribal Council, if they win the mentor's test. The Idol Nullifier is usable until the final five.
• Simplified Final Four Tribal Council: Instead of a traditional vote, the person who wins the final four Immunity Challenge will get to choose one person to take with them to the Final Three. The remaining two castaways would compete in a fire-making challenge to determine who would be eliminated.
• Final Three and Expanded Jury: Three finalists faced a ten-person jury. The finalists would have faced an eleven-person jury instead had it not been for one contestant being ejected from the game during the jury stage
• Reformatted Final Tribal Council: Instead of having each jury member speak one by one, an open forum was held to ensure a more insightful rapport between the jury and finalists.

Castaways

Contestant		Tribe Affiliation			Finish	Votes Against
		Original Tribe	Switched Tribe	Merged Tribe
	Ronnie Bardah 36, Henderson, NV Professional Poker Player	Lairo			1st Voted Out Day 3	7
	Molly Byman 28, Durham, NC Law Student	Vokai			2nd Voted Out Day 6	7
	Vince Moua 27, Palo Alto, CA Admissions Counselor	Lairo			3rd Voted Out Day 8	7
	Chelsea Walker 27, Los Angeles, CA Digital Content Creator	Lairo			4th Voted Out Day 11	6
	Tom Laidlaw 60, Greenwich, CT Former NHL Player	Lairo	Lairo		5th Voted Out Day 14	6
	Jason Linden 32, New York City, NY Personal Injury Lawyer	Vokai	Vokai		6th Voted Out Day 16	6
	Jack Nichting 23, Harrisonburg, VA Graduate Student	Vokai	Lairo		7th Voted Out 1st Jury Member Day 19	2
	Kellee Kim 29, Philadelphia, PA MBA Student	Vokai	Lairo	Lumuwaku	8th Voted Out 2nd Jury Member Day 22	8
	Jamal Shipman 33, Providence, RI College Administrator	Vokai	Lairo		9th Voted Out 3rd Jury Member Day 24	6
	Aaron Meredith 36, Warwick, RI Gym Owner	Lairo	Vokai		10th Voted Out 4th Jury Member Day 27	5
	Missy Byrd 24, Tacoma, WA Air Force Veteran	Lairo	Vokai		11th Voted Out 5th Jury Member Day 27	3
	Elizabeth Beisel 26, Saunderstown, RI Olympic Medalist	Lairo	Vokai		12th Voted Out 6th Jury Member Day 30	8
	Karishma Patel 37, Houston, TX Personal Injury Lawyer	Lairo	Lairo		13th Voted Out 7th Jury Member Day 32	22
	Elaine Stott 41, Rockholds, KY Factory Worker	Lairo	Vokai		14th Voted Out 8th Jury Member Day 35	8
	Dan Spilo 48, Los Angeles, CA Talent Manager	Vokai	Vokai		Ejected Day 36	5
	Janet Carbin 59, Palm Bay, FL Chief Lifeguard	Vokai	Lairo		15th Voted Out 9th Jury Member Day 37	8
	Lauren Beck 29, Glendale, CA Nanny	Vokai	Vokai		Eliminated 10th Jury Member Day 38	1
	Noura Salman 36, North Potomac, MD Entrepreneur	Vokai	Lairo		Second Runner-Up	6
	Dean Kowalski 28, New York City, NY Tech Salesman	Lairo	Lairo		Runner-Up	5
	Tommy Sheehan 26, Long Beach, NY 4th Grade Teacher	Vokai	Vokai		Sole Survivor	2

Season Summary

The twenty castaways were divided into two tribes: Lairo and Vokai. Multiple castaways were sent to the Island of the Idols over the season and were mentored and challenged by former Survivor winners and legends Rob Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine for a chance to earn game advantages.

Vokai were the more cohesive unit and dominated the challenges, while Lairo was fractured by excessive politicking, with Missy Byrd being behind most of the strategies taking place and Karishma Patel being the perennial decoy target. The Tribe Switch allowed social in-roads between the tribes, with several players switching strategies and allegiances despite initial uneasiness. The pre-merge was generally characterized by players perceived to be threats being the primary targets, including some eliminations caused by Hidden Immunity Idol and advantages.

The merge was initially marred by controversy due to Kellee Kim's accusations about incidents of inappropriate touching involving Dan Spilo. The other women came forward to exclaim that they also felt violated by Dan, though Missy and Elizabeth Beisel exaggerated their claims for strategy and Kellee was voted out at the subsequent Tribal Council for being seen as a large threat. Dan was later ejected from the game for a separate, but similar offense. While initially the post-switch Vokai faction worked together, that changed when a Double Elimination occurred which saw Aaron Meredith and Missy get blindsided.

Lauren Beck and Tommy Sheehan used their social relationships to eliminate the remaining members of the Lairo Women's Alliance, but when only Dean Kowalski remained, he managed to make a resurgence and go on a power run by winning Immunity Challenges and finding or receiving, and using idols and advantages. The most consequential of these advantages was an Idol Nullifier which sealed Janet Carbin's elimination on Day 37. On the penultimate day, as a precautionary measure in case he failed to win the Final Immunity Challenge, Tommy convinced Noura Salman to take him to the Final Three. Noura did win and took Tommy, leaving Dean and Lauren to compete in a fire-making challenge. Dean defeated Lauren and secured his spot in the Final Three.

At the Final Tribal Council, Noura was praised for her impressive challenge performances, but was overshadowed by her personality quirks and emotional gameplay. Dean, on the other hand, was lauded for his strong endgame, but the jury felt that his social game was poor. It was Tommy's quiet yet strategic and social games and non-reliance on idols and advantages that won the jury over, winning him the title of Sole Survivor over Dean and Noura in an 8-2-0 vote.

Voting History

Survivor: Island of the Idols Voting History
Tribes		Original Tribes				Switched Tribes			Merged Tribe
Episode #:		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8		9		10		11	12		13
Voted out:		Ronnie	Molly	Vince	Chelsea	Tom	Jason	Jack	Kellee	Jamal	Aaron	Missy	Tie	Elizabeth	Karishma	Elaine	Dan	Janet	Lauren	Noura	Dean	Tommy
Vote:		7-2	7-2-1	5-3-1	6-2	5-2	4-3	2-03,4	8-5	6-3-03	5-1	3-2	1-1-03,4,5	7-0	5-34	5-2	No Vote6	4-17	No Vote8	8-2-0
►►	Tommy	—	Molly	—	—	—	Elaine	—	Kellee	Jamal	—	Missy	Karishma	Elizabeth	Karishma	Elaine	—	Janet	—	Jury Vote
►►	Dean	Ronnie	—	Karishma	Karishma	Karishma	—	Jack	Kellee	Jamal	Aaron	—	Karishma	Elizabeth	Karishma	Elaine	—	Janet	—
►►	Noura	—	Molly	—	—	None1	—	Jack	Dan	Jamal	Aaron	—	Karishma	Elizabeth	Karishma	Elaine	—	Janet	—
►►	Lauren	—	Molly	—	—	—	Elaine	—	Kellee	Karishma	Aaron	—	Karishma	Elizabeth	Karishma	Elaine	—	Janet	—			Tommy
►►	Janet	—	Molly	—	—	Tom	—	Dean	Dan	Jamal	Aaron	—	Karishma	None	Noura	Elaine	—	Lauren				Tommy
►►	Dan	—	Molly	—	—	—	Elaine	—	Kellee	Jamal	Aaron	—	Elizabeth	Elizabeth	Noura	Noura	Ejected
►►	Elaine	Ronnie	—	Vince	Chelsea	—	Jason	—	Kellee	Karishma	—	Missy	Karishma	Elizabeth	Karishma	Noura						Tommy
►►	Karishma	Ronnie	—	Vince	Chelsea	Tom	—	Dean	Dan	Janet	—	Missy	Janet	Elizabeth	Noura							Tommy
►►	Elizabeth	None1	—	Vince	Chelsea	—	Jason	—	Kellee	Karishma	—	Tommy	Karishma	None							Dean
►►	Missy	Ronnie	—	Vince	Chelsea	—	Jason	—	Kellee	Janet	—	Tommy										Tommy
►►	Aaron	Vince	—	Karishma	Chelsea	—	Jason	—	Kellee	Jamal	Janet										Dean
►►	Jamal	—	Jason	—	—	Tom	—	Dean	Dan	None1												Tommy
►►	Kellee	—	Molly	—	—	Tom	—	Dean	Dan													Tommy
►	Jack	—	Jason	—	—	Tom	—	Dean														Tommy
►	Jason	—	Molly	—	—	—	None2
►	Tom	Ronnie	—	Karishma	Chelsea	Karishma
	Chelsea	Ronnie	—	Vince	Karishma
	Vince	Ronnie	—	Tom
	Molly	—	Noura
	Ronnie	Vince
Notes: ^1 This castaway lost their right to vote for losing the mentors' test on the Island of the Idols. ^2 This castaway's vote was blocked by a Vote Blocker. ^3 A Hidden Immunity Idol was played, negating all votes against its user. ^4 A Hidden Immunity Idol was played, however, no votes were cast against its user. ^5 Tribal Council resulted in a tie. Per Survivor rules, a revote was held where the castaways involved in the tie would not vote and the remaining castaways could only vote for those involved in the tie. ^6 Dan was ejected from the game because of repeated inappropriate touching. No vote occurred for his removal and he would not be part of the jury. ^7 Dean used the Idol Nullifier on Janet, canceling out Janet's idol. ^8 Instead of a traditional vote, the person who won the Immunity Challenge, Noura, would take someone with them to the Final Three. She chose Tommy. The remaining two castaways, Dean and Lauren, would compete in a fire-making challenge to determine the last finalist.

Trivia

• This is the first, and currently only, season to not have a version of "Ancient Voices" released.
• The mentors wore Buffs from their winning seasons. Rob Mariano wore a Murlonio Buff from Survivor: Redemption Island, while Sandra Diaz-Twine wore both Balboa and Yin Yang Buffs from Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains respectively.
• This season marked the first ejection, with Dan Spilo being disqualified due to inappropriate behavior.
• This is the first season since Survivor: San Juan del Sur to start with two tribes and not introduce a third at a Tribe Switch.
  • A green colored Buff with a frog emblem was supposed to appear at some point in the season, but the idea was shelved for unknown reasons. However, decorative flags of the same color and design remained present at challenge sites.^[25][26]
• This season is tied with Survivor: Micronesia, Survivor: Game Changers, and Survivor: David vs. Goliath for the most LGBT contestants with three: Elaine Stott, Missy Byrd, and Vince Moua.
• Tommy Sheehan became the fifth male winner in a row dating back to Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, breaking the previous record of four male winners in a row (from Survivor: Panama to Survivor: China).

References