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Survivor 44 is the forty-fourth season of the CBS competitive reality television series Survivor.

Billed by Jeff Probst as one of the most intense and unpredictable seasons in the series, Survivor 44 stuck to the formula established by the previous seasons in the "new era" and featured an exuberant cast, new twists, and intertribal dynamics that contributed to a generally unpredictable early game. Amidst the chaos of the merge, the Tika Three took charge and discreetly controlled the game all the way until Day 26. At Final Tribal Council, Yam Yam Arocho was recognized for being one of the key driving forces to his alliance's strategic success and was awarded the title of Sole Survivor in a 7-1-0 vote over Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt and Carolyn Wiger.

Survivor 44 has produced one returning player, Bruce Perreault, for a future season.

Production[]

The 44th season was filmed in the same production cycle as Survivor 43, with the same COVID-19-related modified protocols.

The season was accompanied by an official Survivor podcast, On Fire with Jeff Probst, which provided behind-the-scenes insights and discussion regarding each week's episode.[4] On the podcast, Jeff confirmed that, even with the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, future seasons will continue to play as 26-day games, with the exception of "special" seasons that will revert to the 39-day format.[5]

The season's art direction had a medieval motif, with the Immunity Idol being a sword and shield. The Tribal Council set was a ruined castle.

Twists/Changes[]

  • 26-Day Game
  • Tribe Division: The 18 castaways were divided into 3 tribes of 6. No unifying theme was used in dividing the tribes.
  • Penalties for Losing Immunity Challenges
  • Shot in the Dark
  • Hidden Immunity Idol: Each tribe has a locked birdcage containing a bag. Hidden somewhere at their camp is a key that unlocks the birdcage and thus the Hidden Immunity Idol inside the bag. The bag also contains a tribe-colored trinket which has no power and whose utility is left to whomever opens the cage to decide. The appearance of the Hidden Immunity Idols is different for each tribe—a bracelet for Ratu, a medallion for Soka, and a coin for Tika—and each tribe's real idol matches the appearance of another tribe's powerless trinket—Ratu's medallion, Soka's coin, and Tika's bracelet. Re-hidden idols and idols introduced after the merge were hidden as usual at camp.
  • Journeys: Castaways from different tribes were taken to another island. Separately and in private, each castaway would draw from a bag containing three packages: two will cause them to lose their vote at their next Tribal Council, while one contains an advantage. If the castaway draws the advantage, their task is complete. If they find that they have lost their vote, they may choose to draw one of the two remaining packages. They may either receive an advantage, or find that they have lost their vote for the next two Tribal Councils that they attend.
    • Bank Your Vote Advantage: The advantage holder is allowed to keep a blank parchment at any Tribal Council instead of casting a vote, allowing them to vote twice at a future Tribal Council.
    • Inheritance Advantage: This advantage allows its holder to pocket all advantages and Hidden Immunity Idols that are played at any Tribal Council up until the final seven. Its holder must play the advantage when casting their vote.
    • Temporary Hidden Immunity Idols: On Day 8, the three castaways who went on the summit each received an idol that would expire when the individual phase of the game began. The castaways did not have to risk their vote to receive the idol.
    • Tribe Switch: Also on Day 8, the three castaways who went on the journey were instructed to drop their buffs and pick a new buff at random to switch tribes.
  • Earn the Merge: The final 12 players were divided into 2 teams of 6 by random draw. The teams competed in an Immunity Challenge where the members of the winning team won individual immunity, a spot on the merge tribe, and the merge feast.
  • Post-merge Team Immunity Challenge: In the first round as a merged tribe, the group split into two teams. The winning group would be immune from Tribal Council under the rules of tribal immunity, but would observe Tribal Council from the jury bench.
    • Control a Vote Advantage: The winning team was given the chance to search for an advantage that allowed them to control one vote of any of the losing team members at Tribal Council. The advantage holder will announce their intent to play the advantage at Tribal Council, publicly stating both the target and the person whom the target will vote for; the target must vote as the holder dictates. As clarified at Tribal Council, this advantage affects only a single vote, so a person with an extra vote still holds autonomy over that second vote.
  • Simplified Final Four Tribal Council
  • Expanded Jury and Final Three: The Final Tribal Council was held with a Final Three facing an eight-person jury.
  • Reformatted Final Tribal Council: Instead of having each jury member speak individually, an open forum was held to ensure a more insightful rapport between the jury and finalists. The discussion was divided into three portions—"social", "physical", and "strategic".

Castaways[]

Contestant Tribe Affiliation Finish Votes
Against
Original Tribe Switched Tribe Merged Tribe
S44 bruce t Bruce Perreault
45, Warwick, RI
Insurance Agent
Tika Evacuated
Day 1
0
S44 maddy t Maddy Pomilla
28, Brooklyn, NY
Charity Projects Manager
Ratu 1st Voted Out
Day 3
1
S44 helen t Helen Li
28, San Francisco, CA
Product Manager
Tika 2nd Voted Out
Day 5
3
S44 claire t Claire Rafson
25, Brooklyn, NY
Tech Investor
Soka 3rd Voted Out
Day 7
4
S44 sarah t Sarah Wade
26, Chicago, IL
Management Consultant
Tika Tika 4th Voted Out
Day 9
2
S44 matthew t Matthew Grinstead-Mayle
43, Columbus, OH
Barbershop Owner
Ratu Ratu Quit
Day 11
0
S44 josh t Josh Wilder
34, Atlanta, GA
Surgical Podiatrist
Soka Tika 5th Voted Out
Day 13
9
S44 matt t Matt Blankinship
27, San Francisco, CA
Security Software Engineer
Soka Soka Va Va 6th Voted Out
1st Jury Member
Day 14
3
S44 brandon t Brandon Cottom
29, Newtown, PA
Security Specialist
Ratu Ratu 7th Voted Out
2nd Jury Member
Day 15
6
S44 kane t Kane Fritzler
24, Saskatoon, SK
Law Student
Ratu Ratu 8th Voted Out
3rd Jury Member
Day 17
6
S44 frannie t Frannie Marin
23, Cambridge, MA
Research Coordinator
Soka Soka 9th Voted Out
4th Jury Member
Day 19
11
S44 danny t Danny Massa
31, Bronx, NY
Firefighter
Soka Soka 10th Voted Out
5th Jury Member
Day 21
5
S44 jaime t Jaime Lynn Ruiz
35, Mesa, AZ
Yogi
Ratu Soka 11th Voted Out
6th Jury Member
Day 23
5
S44 lauren t Lauren Harpe
30, Mont Belvieu, TX
Elementary School Teacher
Ratu Ratu 12th Voted Out
7th Jury Member
Day 24
3
S44 carson t Carson Garrett
20, Atlanta, GA
NASA Engineering Student
Tika Ratu Eliminated
8th Jury Member
Day 25
2
S44 carolyn t Carolyn Wiger
35, Hugo, MN
Drug Counselor
Tika Tika Second
Runner-Up
3
S44 heidi t Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt
42, Pittsburgh, PA
Engineering Manager
Soka Soka Runner-Up 8
S44 yam yam t Yam Yam Arocho
35, San Juan, PR
Salon Owner
Tika Tika Sole Survivor 6

Season Summary[]

Survivor 44 retained most of the game mechanics introduced in Survivor 41. A new feature unique to the season was the introduction of Hidden Immunity Idols locked in cages along with a purposely crafted fake idol for an added layer of deception.

Ratu experienced a chaotic first Tribal Council, but managed to put aside their differences and win the remaining Immunity Challenges. On Soka, the pairs of Frannie and Matt, and Danny and Heidi formed a strong alliance which carried them to the merge, after losing only one Immunity Challenge. Tika suffered the most misfortunes; following the medical evacuation of their strongest member Bruce and a string of Immunity Challenge losses, they entered the merge with only three members: Carolyn, Carson, and Yam Yam.

At the merge, both Ratu and Soka targeted one another, with Tika in the middle. By pitting both sides against one another, the Tika Three managed to make it intact to the final four alongside Heidi. Though the trio nearly succeeded in reaching the Final Three, Heidi forfeited her immunity at the final four and took on Carson, the favorite to win, in the fire-making showdown. She succeeded, joining Carolyn and Yam Yam at the Final Tribal Council.

At Final Tribal Council, Carolyn was praised for successfully using her eccentricity to hide her strategic prowess, but the jury still associated her with more emotional gameplay. Heidi was lauded for taking out Carson in the fastest fire-making challenge on record, but her body of work paled in comparison to that of her fellow finalists. In the end, it was Yam Yam whose happy-go-lucky personality and incisive gameplay helped him to win the title of Sole Survivor in a landslide 7-1-0 vote.

Episode Air Date Challenges Journey Eliminated
(vote)
Finish Viewers
(in millions)
Ratings/Share
(18-49)
Reward Immunity
1 "I Can't Wait to See Jeff" March 1, 2023 Soka Soka Lauren1 Bruce
(no vote)
Evacuated
Day 1
4.76[6] 0.6/7[6]
Matt1
Tika Maddy
(1-0)2,3
1st Voted Out
Day 3
Sarah1
2 "Two Dorky Magnets" March 8, 2023 Ratu4 None Helen
(3-1)
2nd Voted Out
Day 5
4.95[7] 0.7/7[7]
Soka4
3 "Sneaky Little Snake" March 15, 2023 Ratu4 None Claire
(4-0)
3rd Voted Out
Day 7
4.99[8] 0.7/7[8]
Tika4
4 "I'm Felicia" March 22, 2023 Soka Soka Jaime5 Sarah
(2-0)2
4th Voted Out
Day 9
5.17[9] 0.7/7[9]
Josh5
Ratu Ratu
Carson5
5 "The Third Turd" March 29, 2023 Ratu4 Brandon Matthew
(no vote)
Quit
Day 11
5.25[10] 0.8/7[10]
Danny
Soka
Carolyn
6 "Survivor with a Capital S" April 5, 2023 Brandon, Carolyn,
Carson, Frannie,
Jaime, Matt4
Josh
(7-3-1)
5th Voted Out
Day 13
5.19[11] 0.7/7[11]
7 "Let's Not Be Cute About It" April 12, 2023 Brandon Matt
(3-2)
6th Voted Out
1st Jury Member
Day 14
5.34[12] 0.7/7[12]
Frannie
(Carolyn, Danny,
Heidi, Kane)
[Carson]4,6
8 "Don't Get Cocky, Kid" April 19, 2023 None Lauren Brandon
(4-0)2
7th Voted Out
2nd Jury Member
Day 15
5.29[13] 0.8/7[13]
9 "Under the Wing of a Dragon" April 26, 2023 None Frannie Kane
(5-3-1-1)
8th Voted Out
3rd Jury Member
Day 17
5.22[14] 0.7/7[14]
10 "Full Tilt Boogie" May 3, 2023 Frannie
[Carolyn,
Heidi,
Lauren]
Carson Frannie
(5-2-1)
9th Voted Out
4th Jury Member
Day 19
4.96[15] 0.7/6[15]
11 "I'm Not Worthy" May 10, 2023 None Yam Yam Danny
(3-2-0)2
10th Voted Out
5th Jury Member
Day 21
4.78[16] 0.7/8[16]
12 "I'm the Bandit" May 17, 2023 Carson,
Lauren,
Yam Yam
Lauren Jaime
(4-2)7
11th Voted Out
6th Jury Member
Day 23
4.71[17] 0.7/8[17]
13 "Absolute Banger Season" May 24, 2023 Carson4 Lauren
(3-1-1)
12th Voted Out
7th Jury Member
Day 24
4.41[18] 0.7/7[18]
[Yam Yam]
None Heidi8 Carson
(no vote)8
Eliminated
8th Jury Member
Day 25
Jury Vote Carolyn
(7-1-0)
Second Runner-Up
Heidi
(7-1-0)
Runner-Up
Yam Yam
(7-1-0)
Sole Survivor
14 "Aftershow"
Notes:
^1 During the journey on Day 2, Lauren won the Bank Your Vote advantage, while Sarah lost her vote at her next Tribal Council but won the Inheritance Advantage, and Matt lost his vote at his next two Tribal Councils.
^2 A Hidden Immunity Idol was played, negating all votes against its user.
^3 A Shot in the Dark was successfully played; however, no votes were cast against its user.
^4 Combined Reward and Immunity Challenge.
^5 During the journey on Day 8, Carson, Jaime, and Josh each received a temporary Hidden Immunity Idol.
^6 Carson drew the grey rock and had to sit out of the challenge, but if he guessed the winning team correctly, he would win reward and immunity as well. Carson guessed correctly.
^7 A Hidden Immunity Idol was played; however, no votes were cast against its user.
^8 Instead of a traditional vote, the winner of the Immunity Challenge, Heidi, would choose someone to take with them to the Final Three. She chose to save both Carolyn and Yam Yam and compete against Carson in a fire-making challenge to determine the last finalist.

Voting History[]

Original Tribes Switched Tribes Merged Tribe
Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Voted Out S44 bruce t
Bruce
S44 maddy t
Maddy
S44 helen t
Helen
S44 claire t
Claire
S44 sarah t
Sarah
S44 matthew t
Matthew
S44 josh t
Josh
S44 matt t
Matt
S44 brandon t
Brandon
S44 kane t
Kane
S44 frannie t
Frannie
S44 danny t
Danny
S44 jaime t
Jaime
S44 lauren t
Lauren
S44 carson t
Carson
S44 carolyn t
Carolyn
S44 heidi t
Heidi
S44 yam yam t
Yam Yam
Vote No vote1 1-02 3-1 4-0 2-02 No vote7 7-3-1 3-28 4-02 5-3-1-1 5-2-1 3-2-02 4-211 3-1-1 No vote12 7-1-0
Yam Yam Helen Josh Josh Matt Frannie Kane Frannie Danny Jaime Heidi Jury Vote
Heidi Claire Josh Brandon Kane Danny Carson Jaime Lauren
Carolyn Helen Sarah Kane Brandon Kane Heidi Danny Jaime Lauren
Carson Helen Josh Frannie Kane Frannie Danny Jaime Lauren Eliminated Yam Yam
Lauren None5 Josh Yam Yam9 Frannie Heidi Frannie Heidi Carolyn Yam Yam Yam Yam
Jaime None4 Josh Matt Frannie Heidi Frannie Heidi Carolyn Yam Yam
Heidi10
Danny Claire Josh Brandon Kane Frannie Carson Heidi
Frannie Claire Josh Brandon Jaime Heidi Yam Yam
Kane Brandon Yam Yam Frannie Danny Yam Yam
Brandon Maddy Yam Yam Matt Frannie Yam Yam
Matt None6 None6 Yam Yam Yam Yam
Josh Claire Sarah Yam Yam
Matthew None3 Quit
Sarah None6 Josh
Claire None3
Helen Carolyn
Maddy Brandon
Bruce Evacuated
Notes:
^1 Bruce was evacuated due to a head injury. No vote occurred for his removal.
^2 A Hidden Immunity Idol was played, negating all votes against its user.
^3 This castaway played their Shot in the Dark, making them ineligible to vote at Tribal Council. The scroll they selected, however, read "Not Safe", thus all votes against them remained valid.
^4 This castaway played their Shot in the Dark, making them ineligible to vote at Tribal Council. The scroll they selected read "Safe", but no votes were cast against them.
^5 This castaway played the Bank Your Vote advantage, abstaining from the vote in exchange for an Extra Vote that can be played at a future Tribal Council.
^6 This castaway lost their vote at the summit, thus they were unable to cast a vote.
^7 Matthew elected to quit the game due to his shoulder injury. No vote occurred for his removal.
^8 The Va Va tribe was divided into two teams before the Immunity Challenge, and only the losing team voted at Tribal Council.
^9 This castaway's vote was controlled by another player.
^10 This castaway played an Extra Vote advantage, allowing them to vote twice at Tribal Council.
^11 A Hidden Immunity Idol was played; however, no votes were cast against its user.
^12 Instead of a traditional vote, the winner of the Immunity Challenge, Heidi, would choose someone to take with them to the Final Three. She chose to save both Carolyn and Yam Yam and compete against Carson in a fire-making challenge to determine the last finalist.

Trivia[]

  • Survivor 44 is the first season to include a contestant residing in a U.S. territory at the time of filming.
  • Survivor 44 contains the most LGBT contestants of any season, with 6: Carolyn, Claire, Frannie, Josh, Matthew, and Yam Yam.
    • This is the first season with 3 openly LGBT female contestants at the time of airing.
    • This is the first season with multiple LGBT finalists.
  • Survivor 44 is the first season since Ghost Island to not have a blue tribe.
  • Survivor 44 is the first season since Winners at War where a Hidden Immunity Idol negated the majority of the votes at a Tribal Council.
  • Survivor 44 is the second season, after Survivor 42, where three different tribes attended the first three Tribal Councils.
  • Survivor 44 is the first season since Winners at War with a tribe switch.
    • Survivor 44 is the first season since One World where the number of members on each tribe did not change after the switch, and the first season since China to do so when the numbers were not previously equal.
  • Survivor 44 is tied with One World, Survivor 45 and Survivor 46 for the fewest people voted out during the tribal phase of the game, with four.
    • Survivor 44 is the first season where only women were voted out during the tribal phase of the game.
  • Survivor 44 is tied with The Australian Outback, David vs. Goliath, and Survivor 46 for the fewest pre-merge Tribal Councils, with five.
  • Survivor 44 is the third season, after Micronesia and David vs. Goliath, to have both an evacuation and a quit.
  • Survivor 44 holds the record for fewest elimination votes cast, with only 77.
  • Survivor 44 is the fourth consecutive season where the jury vote was 7-1-0.

References[]

  1. https://www.truedorktimes.com/s44/calendar.htm
  2. https://twitter.com/DaltonRoss/status/1635698884449120258
  3. https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/survivor-season-44-ratings/
  4. https://ew.com/tv/survivor-on-fire-with-jeff-probst-podcast/
  5. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/controversial-twists/id1673596832?i=1000610798404
  6. 6.0 6.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-3-1-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  7. 7.0 7.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-3-8-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  8. 8.0 8.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-3-15-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  9. 9.0 9.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-3-22-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  10. 10.0 10.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-3-29-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  11. 11.0 11.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-4-5-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  12. 12.0 12.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-4-12-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  13. 13.0 13.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-4-19-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  14. 14.0 14.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-4-26-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  15. 15.0 15.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-5-3-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  16. 16.0 16.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-5-10-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  17. 17.0 17.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-5-17-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html
  18. 18.0 18.1 https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-5-24-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html

Survivor (U.S.) Seasons
BorneoThe Australian OutbackAfricaMarquesasThailandThe AmazonPearl IslandsAll-StarsVanuatuPalauGuatemalaPanamaCook IslandsFijiChinaMicronesiaGabonTocantinsSamoaHeroes vs. VillainsNicaraguaRedemption IslandSouth PacificOne WorldPhilippinesCaramoanBlood vs. WaterCagayanSan Juan del SurWorlds ApartCambodiaKaôh RōngMillennials vs. Gen XGame ChangersHeroes vs. Healers vs. HustlersGhost IslandDavid vs. GoliathEdge of ExtinctionIsland of the IdolsWinners at WarSurvivor 41Survivor 42Survivor 43Survivor 44Survivor 45Survivor 46Survivor 47
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