Survivor: Cook Islands on CBS

Survivor (TV Series)

Survivor is a popular reality television game show produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in a remote location and compete for cash and other prizes. Survivor, based on the successful Swedish show Expedition: Robinson, is commonly considered the mother of reality TV because it was the first highly-rated and profitable reality show on broadcast television. The show even has its own "reality coaster" at Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara, CA, called Survivor: The Ride!.

Premise

Except where noted, this text refers to the American version of the show. Small differences may exist between it and other versions. Also, rule changes instituted for one season are discussed below.

Tribes

At least 16 strangers (18 or 20 in some seasons) are stranded in a remote location and divided into 2-4 equally sized teams called tribes. Depending on the season, tribes are usually given a minimal number of tools to survive with: commonly, this has included a machete, water canteens, and a special water well created for the show which holds brackish water that the players will need to boil prior to drinking, thus necessitating a fire to do so. Tribes are encouraged to build shelters to protect themselves from the elements, and to forage on the local flora and fauna for nourishment. In some seasons, tribes have been able to start with food supplies (typically rice) provided by the show, while other seasons have given the tribes no additional help at the start of the game.

Initial tribe divisions have been made in several ways over the years. Early seasons tended to feature tribes separated by production based on a roughly equal distribution of age and gender within each tribe. Several seasons have features tribes split by gender, age, and/or racial background as specified by production. One season has had the tribes selected in a schoolyard pick (where the last selected member picks a player from those remaining of the opposite gender).

Challenges

During the time on the island, the players will compete against each other in competitions called Challenges. Players are given note of this by special messages left at a location near camp, dubbed as 'treemail' (due to this location being a basket hanging from a tree in Survivor: Borneo). These messages may include props that hint or may be useful for the upcoming challenge, and nearly always include a cryptic rhyme about what the challenge will be about. This allows teams and players to attempt some strategy prior to the challenge.

There are two types of Challenges: Reward Challenges and Immunity Challenges. Both types consist of endurance, problem solving, teamwork, dexterity, and/or will power.

In Reward Challenges, the contestants compete for luxuries that are not essential for survival but make their lives easier and/or more enjoyable. Examples of rewards have included food, flint, matches, rain gear, and even short vacations.
In Immunity Challenges, the contestants compete for immunity, meaning they get to stay in the game until at least the next Immunity Challenge. After the Immunity Challenge, the losing tribe must vote to remove one of their own members from the game at a voting ceremony called Tribal Council.

There have been several combined 'Reward/Immunity' challenges in later seasons. These have come in two approaches:
In cases where there are more than 2 teams, the challenge may give the reward to the winning team, and immunity to all but the losing team, which then will need to go to Tribal Council.
In latter seasons, when there are two tribes left, there have been challenges which result in both teams going to Tribal Council (one after another), but with the winning team getting an additional reward, such as a meal, while they watch the proceedings of the other tribe's Tribal Council.

Prior to the merge, all challenges are between tribes, resulting in tribal rewards and immunities. After the merge, challenges are performed on an individual basis. Individual rewards have often included the option to select one or more other tribe members to participate in the reward. There are also times that after the merge, a reward challenge is performed by randomly creating 2 or more teams from the remaining players, with the winning team reaping the reward benefits.
The challenges are usually held in a 3 day cycle - one day of rest, one day for the reward challenge, and one day for the immunity challenge and the Tribal Council.

Tribal merges and swaps

In seasons which start with more than two tribes (Survivor: All Stars, Survivor: Panama, Survivor: Cook Islands), there is typically an early merge of the tribes down into two tribes, typically after the second or third Tribal Council. In All Stars, the merge was done by two tribes selecting which members of the dissolving third tribe they wanted, while in the other seasons, the two new tribes were formed by a combination of schoolyard picking and random selection, resulting in two completely new tribes.

Starting in Survivor: Africa and continuing through to present seasons, except for Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: Palau, there has typically been a Tribal swap at some point before the merge, typically with between 11 to 13 players left in the game. In this, the members of each tribe are swapped around, typically not redistributing the tribal numbers. The mechanism for the swap has varied from a random shuffle to a schoolyard pick by two tribe 'captains'. There has also been a tribal swap accomplished by allowing players to 'mutiny' from their present tribe to join the other. This process typically defeats many early alliances and strategies, and has cost some players the game while saved other players from being eliminated early.

When there are at most 10 players left in the game (nine in All-Stars, Palau and Cook Islands, eight in Thailand), the separate tribes merge into a single tribe. From this point, Challenges are won on an individual basis.

Hidden immunity idol

Starting in Survivor: Guatemala and continuing into Survivor: Panama and Survivor: Cook Islands, a one-shot hidden immunity idol was made available. This idol, typically a small object that fits with the theme of the Survivor series, is hidden (near camp during Guatemala, and on the Exile Island during Panama and Cook Islands), with cumulative clues given to a select player (in Guatemala) or to exiled players (otherwise) as to its location. Once found, the player that possesses the idol may keep it or transfer it to another player prior to the start of Tribal Council, and it may not be stolen from that player. The player is not required to show this idol to other players, though may use it as a bargaining chip for alliance and voting purposes. Only in Guatemala, if the player feels like he or she is in danger of being voted out, then the idol must be presented before the vote, thus making the player immune from being voted out as the normal immunity idol. Starting in Panama, the player does not present the idol until after the vote. If the player that has this idol during Tribal Council receives the majority of the votes after the votes are tallied, that player can then reveal and use the idol to grant himself immunity, and the player with the next largest number of votes is then immediately voted out. If the hidden immunity idol holder is tied with the most votes with another player, then the other player is automatically voted out (based on the events during the final 4 Tribal Council of Cook Islands). During Guatemala, the hidden immunity idol was not returned to the game after its use. However, while the idol has not been used in Panama or Cook Islands, media interviews suggest that once the idol is used, it is hidden again back on Exile Island in a new location. The hidden immunity can only be used up until and including the Tribal Council of the final 4 players.

The hidden immunity idol will continue with Survivor: Fiji, however, there will be two idols active within the game, based on the preview shown at the end of the Cook Islands finale on December 17, 2006.

Exile island

Exile Island is a concept that started in Survivor: Palau and has continued to be used in Survivor: Panama, Survivor: Cook Islands, and Survivor: Fiji. A selected player is 'exiled' to a small island within boating distance of the main tribe camps, typically for at least a day following a reward challenge and returning immediately for the following immunity challenge. The player selected may be either the first loser of an immunity challenge (as was the case in Survivor: Palau), or may be a person selected by either the winning or the losing tribe or the reward winner (during individual challenges). Once selected, that person is immediately sent off to the island, where there are meager tools to survive on, typically a water canteen, a machete, and a limited amount of shelter. Because of the isolation, the use of Exile Island can be strategic to keep a certain player out of alliance conversations or to simply wear down a player due to the limited rations available on the island.
In both Survivor: Panama and Survivor: Cook Islands, the person on Exile Island is given one or more clues to the location of the hidden immunity idol that may be hidden on the island. Regardless if the idol is claimed or not, these clues are still given to the players, and thus a player may search pointlessly for the idol which was previously found earlier. It is unknown yet how, with two hidden immunity idols present, how clues will be given to the players in Survivor: Fiji.

Tribal Council

Tribal Council is held at the end of each episode. Here, the tribemates vote one person out of their tribe. The first time any player visits Tribal Council, they are asked to take a torch and light it from the fire pit omnipresent at every Council, with host Jeff Probst stating that "fire is life", a metaphor used commonly within the show's theme. If the formation of the Jury has started, Probst will ask them to silently enter and watch the proceedings. Probst then questions the players, often provoking revealing details from them of events and interactions since the tribe's previous tribal council. Immediately prior to the vote, if a player has been awarded individual immunity through an immunity challenge, he is then asked if he wants to transfer that to another player. Whomever has the immunity after this possible exchange cannot be voted for.
The players then vote for another player in secret and explain their vote at the voting confessional, and the player who receives the most votes must leave the game. Players cannot vote for themselves. During the Tribal Council portion of the episode as aired, these votes and confessionals are usually not shown except in select cases; this is done to maximize the suspense of the pending vote tally. However, the vote of each tribemember is revealed during the credits and the ousted player's confessional. When Probst reads the votes, the order that the votes are pulled has also usually been manipulated by production to extract the most suspense from the players during the tally; that is, if the ultimate vote for two players, John and Jane, is five to two respectively, Probst will likely read two votes for John then two for Jane, before revealing the remaining votes for John. Once the vote tally has exceeded the majority needed, Probst will stop the vote tally, pronouncing that player as eliminated from the game, keeping the remaining votes in secret to the players themselves; again, in the above example, once John has received 4 votes, that is sufficient to eliminate him from the game, and any votes yet unread will remain secret. In seasons with the hidden immunity idol, if the player with the most votes possesses that idol, they then reveal this to Probst, and the player with the next largest number of votes must leave the game.

The eliminated player takes his or her torch to Probst, who extinguishes it (also dubbed as snuffing), and declares "The tribe has spoken." The player then exits the Tribal Council area and delivers some final words that air at the end of the episode. The remaining tribe members are then told to return to camp with their torches; in some seasons, this has allowed a tribe access to a source of fire, while in other seasons, the tribe is not allowed to return to camp with their torches lit if they do not yet have their own source of fire or method of starting one.
In the event of a tie, a predetermined tie breaker is held and continues until there is a clear winner. First, there is usually a second vote, with the restriction that only the players involved in the tie can receive votes; these players are given a chance to plead their case to their fellow tribe members before they vote. If this vote does not resolve the tie, the tiebreaker method is then employed. There have been 3 methods for breaking a tie employed on the show to date.
The use of the previous number of votes (prior to that Tribal Council), with the person having the most number of votes being the one to leave the game. This appeared to only be in place through Survivor: The Australian Outback and Survivor: Africa, and is no longer used as the tiebreaker method.

The use of a bag of colored rocks to select the member to be voted off. In this situation, if the tribe cannot come to a majority for one player to vote off, then all players (except the one with immunity) must draw colored rocks from a bag. All but one rock are colored yellow, the other rock is purple. The player (who may have not been voted for at all) who draws the purple rock is then eliminated from the game. Because of this selection can target a player that was not necessarily at risk of leaving the game due to voting, this is known by fans as The Purple Rock of Death. While it has been used only once during Survivor: Marquesas, it was later determined that its use there was improper due to having only four players at the time. However, this is the rule that is still in place for all tiebreakers that involve more than four players.
If there are only four players in the vote and there is a tie, then instead of the rock selection, a head to head challenge is then performed between the two players that received votes. To date, this has always been a fire-starting challenge. The person that completes the challenge first survives, while the other player then must leave the game.

In the very rare case that a tribe (prior to the merge) is down to two players, as in Survivor: Palau, they will also perform the individual challenge to determine who is to leave the game.

Very rarely, a player may desire to quit the game. This first occurred in Survivor's seventh season, Survivor: Pearl Islands, when Osten Taylor expressed the desire to leave. After Probst verbally asked the other members of his tribe if they agreed to his quitting, Osten's torch was snuffed, and he was asked to leave. Osten was not given the opportunity for parting words, and his torch was laid next to the fire as a sign of disgrace. While it was long speculated that quitters of the game would not be permitted to participate on the jury, this was disproven when Survivor: Palau contestant Janu Tornell chose to step down from the game. She not only became the second member of the jury but also became the first quitting contestant to be given the opportunity to make parting words.

The Jury

All eliminated players, except the final nine (final twelve in Survivor: Cook Islands), leave the game altogether (The only exception was during Survivor: Pearl Islands where the first six eliminated players returned as part of an "Outcast" tribe for a one-shot chance to return to the game). The players who leave the game, excluding the final two (three for Survivor: Cook Islands), form the "jury", a group of people who vote to determine the winner of the game. Once the Jury starts to form, they are present at every Tribal Council, but are not allowed (except in very specific cases, i.e., Survivor: Cook Islands) to speak or interact with the players still in the game; they are only there to observe the questioning and voting that occurs. Jury members are sequestered until the end of the final Tribal Council, and are not allowed to discuss their voting or issues with the remaining contestants with other jury members or the final players as to prevent any possible cooperation or collusion from subgroups within the jury. This restriction continues through the game and up until the reveal of the winner of the game.

End of the game

The last two challenges (starting on the 3rd to last day of the competition) before the Final Tribal Council have always followed a similar pattern:
Prior to the second-to-last challenge, the players are usually treated to a small food reward (a hearty breakfast or similar meal) for making it this far. The second-to-last challenge tends to be a extremely grueling, multi-part challenge, and usually is the most elaborate challenge of the entire season. Typically this has been a race through a maze, but other forms have been used. Earlier seasons used a quiz that tested the players' knowledge of the players that have already been voted off. A Tribal Council is held to vote off one player at this point.

Prior to the last challenge, the remaining players typically go through a memorial activity appropriate for the theme of the show, where they pay respect for the players that have been eliminated previously. This then usually leads directly into the last challenge, one of balance and endurance which can last for minutes to almost a half-day. In most seasons, with only 3 players participating, winning immunity on this challenge allows that player to select whom he or she wants to go with to the Final Tribal Council, significantly improving their chance at winning the competition. Because of this, the challenges tend to allow for players to talk and try to make last minute deals, giving up immunity for assurance to be taken to the Final 2. A Tribal Council is again held to vote off the last eliminated player; at this point, the game is no longer is the remaining players' control, as the next day they face the Final Tribal Council where their fate will be decided.

Survivor: Cook Islands used a similar pattern to previous seasons for the end game, but the endurance challenge was held with the final four players left in the game, and had three players facing a final Tribal Council made up of the previous nine players that had been voted off. While ties are possible in this situation, it is unknown how they are resolved, though they appear to be resolved at the live finale when the votes are finally read, based on Cook Island season finale.

Final Tribal Council

On the last day of the competition, the final two (or three) players generally either clean up, tear down, or burn down their camp as tribute to surviving to the end of the game. They then arrive at the final Tribal Council.

During the final Tribal Council, the following events generally occur, though parts may be edited to fit within the time limitation for the show:
Each of the final players makes an introductory statement to the Jury about why they are deserving of the Jury's vote.

Each jury member, in turn, can ask each of the final players a question, which that player must respond to. In some cases, the juror may only be making a short speech which requires no answer but is meant to throw the player off guard. (The order for the questions is supposed to be in the order of each jury member making the jury, but this is usually edited to create the most tension with the last few questions[citation needed])
Each final player makes a closing statement, allowing them to respond to the overall questioning that the Jury had, again explaining why they are deserving of the vote.

Each Jury member then votes for one of the final players, indicating which player he or she wants to win the game.
After this vote, Jeff Probst takes the container with the votes. in Survivor: Borneo, the jury votes were revealed immediately after they were cast, just like any other Tribal Council. From Survivor: Australia and onward, Probst tells the final players that the vote will be revealed during the live finale, and secures them until the live finale of the show when the votes are revealed and the winner is announced
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Prizes

Every player receives a stipend for participating on Survivor depending on how long he or she lasts in the game. The known prizes for Survivor: All-Stars were as follows: 2nd = $250,000; 3rd = $125,000; 4th = $100,000. In most seasons, the runner-up receives $100,000, and third place wins $85,000. Sonja Christopher, the first player voted off in Survivor's first season, received $2,500. Tina Wesson, the first player voted off in Survivor: All-stars, received $25,000. The prizes in seasons with more than sixteen contestants are unknown. A player cannot choose to split the prize winnings with another Survivor contestant; doing so would result in disqualification.
The million-dollar winner has also won an automobile in every season, except in season 13 where viewers chose the winner, as does the winner of a specific reward challenge that has occurred in each season (except the first and the 13th). All players also receive an additional $10,000 for their appearance on the reunion show.

U.S. Survivor seasons

The United States version is produced by Mark Burnett and hosted by Jeff Probst. It airs Thursdays on CBS.

Survivor: Borneo (also called Survivor: Pulau Tiga, Survivor 1, or simply Survivor) was set in the South China Sea on the remote Malaysian island of Pulau Tiga. Corporate trainer Richard Hatch was its winner in a 4-3 vote over river raft guide Kelly Wiglesworth. This is the only season to have aired on Wednesdays; subsequent seasons would lead off CBS' primetime schedule on Thursdays with the finale on a Sunday.
Survivor: The Australian Outback was set in the Australian Outback (though the location was by Australian standards not particularly remote, nor was it arid). Tina Wesson won 4-3 over Colby Donaldson. During this series, Michael Skupin suffered burns and became the first contestant evacuated due to injuries. This is the only season to last more than 39 days, running 42 days total.
Survivor: Africa was set in Kenya's Shaba National Reserve, (previously home to the film Born Free). This was the first season to feature a tribal swap. Former USL player Ethan Zohn won, defeating retired teacher Kim Johnson by a vote of 5-2.
Survivor: Marquesas was set on Nuku Hiva, the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. For the first time the final three were all women. Vecepia Towery won by a vote of 4-3 over Neleh Dennis. This season was the only time the infamous Purple Rock tie breaker was ever used.
Survivor: Thailand was set on the island of Ko Tarutao off the coast of Thailand. For the first time the tribes were not predetermined by producers, but were rather picked by the two oldest players, Jake and Jan. Also, this season was the first to feature a "fake merge" and a delayed merge. Also, two opposing tribes lived together on the same beach. For the first time the final two were both men. Used car salesman Brian Heidik beat restaurant owner Clay Jordan by a vote of 4-3.
Survivor: The Amazon was set in the jungles of the Amazon River region of Brazil. This was the first time the two tribes were divided up by males and females. Student and model Jenna Morasca won by a vote of 6-1 over Matthew Von Ertfelda.
Survivor: Pearl Islands was set in the Pearl Islands off the coast of Panama. This season was the first time players who had been voted out were allowed to return to the game as part of the Outcast Tribe. Sandra Diaz-Twine defeated Lillian Morris by a vote of 6-1.
Survivor: All-Stars was also set in the Pearl Islands. The game featured eighteen past Survivor contestants divided into three tribes (the first time to use more than 16). This is the first season that featured an early merge of the 3 tribes down to 2. Amber Brkich won by a vote of 4-3 over Rob Mariano. Just before the live vote was revealed, Rob proposed to Amber. Survivor: America's Tribal Council was held four days later, and a second million-dollar prize was awarded to Rupert Boneham for being voted by the viewers as their favorite contestant (making him the only player in the show's history to win a million dollars on the show without actually being the "sole survivor").
Survivor: Vanuatu - Islands of Fire was set on islands in the archipelago nation of Vanuatu, located in the South Pacific Ocean. Chris Daugherty defeated Twila Tanner by a vote of 5-2.
Survivor: Palau was set in the island nation of Palau, located in the Philippine Sea. The season started with 20 contestants, but on day two, the number was reduced to 18 in a tribal selection process. The season concluded with firefighter Tom Westman prevailing over Katie Gallagher by a vote of 6-1. This Season was the only one in which one of the tribes (The Koror Tribe) won all immunity challenges. Due to this streak and the lack of any tribal swap, there was no usual tribal merge, instead the last remaining Ulong member simply becoming a member of Koror. This season was first to feature Exile Island, though only used once during the show.
Survivor: Guatemala - The Mayan Empire was set in the Yaxha National Park. 18 Survivors (16 new contestants plus Stephenie LaGrossa and Bobby Jon Drinkard from Survivor: Palau) were stranded amongst the ruins of the Maya civilization. This season was first to included a hidden immunity idol, hidden near camp, though was only available post-merge, and was not rehidden after it's use. The season concluded with Danni Boatwright defeating Stephenie LaGrossa by a 6-1 vote.
Survivor: Panama - Exile Island was set in the Pearl Islands of Panama, marking the third time this location has been used for Survivor. This is the first time the contestants were divided into four tribes: Younger Men, Younger Women, Older Men, and Older Women. This was also the first season to include Exile Island throughout the show, and to offer the hidden Individual Immunity Idol throughout, but could only be found by being exiled to Exile Island. Bruce Kanegai became the second person in the history of the show to leave due to a medical emergency. The season concluded with Aras Baskauskas defeating Danielle DiLorenzo by a vote of 5-2.
Survivor: Cook Islands took place on the Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Tribes were initially grouped into four tribes by race: African Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics, and Asians. Both Exile Island and the Hidden immunity idol were used throughout the season. This is the first time three castaways were involved in the final vote, and with a jury comprised of nine members (with some entering the jury before the merge). The season was won by Yul Kwon, who edged out Ozzy and Becky by a vote of 5-4, with Becky receiving no votes.
Survivor: Fiji will be the fourteenth season, taking place on the island of Fiji in the South Pacific Ocean. One tribe will have much better living conditions than the other tribe, and for the first time, the total number of castaways will start with an odd number (19 total). Both Exile island and the hidden immunity idol will return, though there will be 2 hidden idols in play. The season is scheduled to premiere sometime in February 2007. Mark Burnett has announced the new series in an interview with TV Guide and is shown in the issue for the week of December 11-17, 2006.