Survivor: Samoa
Encyclopedia
Survivor: Samoa is the nineteenth season of the American CBS
competitive reality television
series Survivor
. The season premiered on Thursday, September 17, 2009.
Participant applications were due by January 14, 2009. Approximately 800 might have been invited to be interviewed in several states. Following this, approximately 48 semi-finalists were invited to Los Angeles
in April 2009 for final interviews with the producers. From there, 20 finalists were selected to be contestants in the show, which was scheduled to occur between mid June and mid-July 2009 in Samoa. Similar to Survivor: Tocantins, the minimum age requirement
for this season was 18 for most states.
In the end, Natalie White defeated Russell Hantz and Mick Trimming with a vote of 7–2–0. Hantz ended up winning the "Sprint Player of the Season" Award, earning the fans' vote over Shannon "Shambo" Waters and Brett Clouser. This was the first season when the tribes merged at 12.
Russell Hantz was the only contestant from this season to take part in Heroes vs. Villains, where he finished in 3rd place. He then returned to compete again in Redemption Island
, and was the second person eliminated from the game.
to do so. After winning a reward challenge, Russell S. opted to send Shambo over to Foa Foa for one night, where she found the tribe had a strong work ethic and welcomed her.
Prior to the merge, two players were removed from the game due to fatigue: Mike and Russell S.; Shambo was given Galu's leadership role following Russell's departure. The two tribes merged with twelve players left; Galu had the advantage of eight players over Foa Foa's four, though Shambo clearly showed favoritism towards Foa Foa. Natalie was able to convince Galu to vote off Erik along with the rest of Foa Foa. At this vote, Russell H. had played his hidden immunity idol, but was able to find the idol in its new location, again without clues, before the next tribal council. Russell H. played his new idol there, saving himself from being voted off as he was targeted by every Galu member, and eliminating Kelly. As Shambo began to shift sides to the former Foa Foa's, the next vote first ended in a tie, but John, worried about being eliminated from the game by the rock-pulling tiebreaker, switched his vote on the tiebreaker, eliminating Laura. With the tribes now 5-4, the remaining Foa Foa members continued to hold together for the rest of the game, systematically eliminating the former Galu members, one-by-one. Their plans were halted when Brett went on an immunity challenge winning streak, resulting in Foa Foa having to turn on each other with Shambo and Jaison being voted out, but Brett lost the final immunity challenge and was voted off leaving the Final Three as Russell H., Natalie, and Mick.
At the Final Tribal Council, Mick was ignored by the jury, given his lack of leadership when assigned that role. Though Russell was confident that he had played the game well and that Natalie would be seen as a coattail rider, many of the jury disliked his brash attitude, and Natalie was ultimately named the Sole Survivor by a vote of 7–2–0.
Five additional votes were cast against Laura during a tie-breaker vote.
Because Russell H. played the Hidden Immunity Idol, seven votes against him did not count.
Three additional votes were cast against Natalie during a tie-breaker vote.
Combined Reward and Immunity
Challenge.
Russell S. collapsed during the challenge; even though Foa Foa was close of winning award Jeff cancelled the challenge with neither tribe winning the reward.
There was no Reward Challenge due to the tribal merge.
The observer rule was no longer applicable after the tribal merge, as there was only one tribe.
Russell H. played the Hidden Immunity Idol, therefore the seven votes against him did not count.
Laura was voted out after the first Tribal Council vote resulted in a 5–5 tie, but John switched his vote to Laura when the tribe revoted.
When the preselected tribes arrived ashore, Jeff handed each of the tribes pens and parchment and instructed the tribes that they would each elect a leader based solely on appearance. Mick and Russell S., the elected leaders for Foa Foa and Galu respectively, selected participants in the first Reward Challenge; as directed by Jeff, they chose the best swimmer, the strongest person, the most agile, and the smartest person on their tribes. When Foa Foa won the challenge, Jeff tossed maps to both tribes and sent them on their way. At Foa Foa, Mick downplayed his role of leader to stay "under the radar", believing that the leader always has a huge target on his head. Meanwhile, Russell H. quickly made "secret alliances" with Ashley, Betsy, Marisa, and Natalie; nevertheless, Betsy was suspicious and didn't trust him. At night in Foa Foa, Russell H. told a completely fabricated story to his tribe of his experience of Hurricane Katrina
in his house in New Orleans, Louisiana
; later, he emptied all the canteens and burned Jaison's socks. His strategy revolved around the idea that if he could control how his tribe felt, he could control how they think. Russell H.'s hard-core strategy began to make an effect on the tribe. When Foa Foa lost the Immunity Challenge, discussions of whom to vote out began when Mike talked about voting out the physically weakest: in his opinion, Ashley. Since Marisa was skeptical of Russell H.'s quickly-made alliance with her, the latter immediately targeted her for elimination. At Tribal Council, his plan to eliminate Marisa came together, and she was voted out 7–3.
Russell H. assumed a Hidden Immunity Idol was somewhere around camp and went searching for it. While his tribemates stood around oblivious to what he was doing, he located the idol, without the help of any clues, in the roots of a large tree. After taking the idol and hiding it in his underwear, he showed the idol to Jaison to create some trust between them. At the combined Reward and Immunity Challenge, Galu triumphed over Foa Foa. When the challenge ended, Jeff announced a twist—the leader of the winning tribe would select one member of the tribe to accompany the losing tribe back to their camp and observe them through the next Tribal Council. When Russell S. selected Yasmin, Jeff gave her a note to be read in private. Jeff also asked Mike to stay so the Survivor Medical Team could examine him due to the hard hits he received. The Survivor Medical Team determined that he would be unable to continue and pulled him from the game. At Galu, Shambo went spearfishing
with the tribe's new fishing gear; however, when she came back with no fish and a missing mouthpiece to the swim mask, Laura felt that Shambo had "signed her own death warrant". At Foa Foa, Yasmin, the observer, came off as rude to the Foa Foa members. Ben and Yasmin had a heated conversation involving racial controversy about Ben's "cheap shot". At Tribal Council, Betsy, knowing her head was on the chopping block, attempted to sway her tribe to vote out Ben; the attempt, however, proved ineffective, and she was voted out 7–1.
Upon returning from Tribal Council, Jaison talked to Mick about voting out Ben next because of what Jaison perceived as racist comments made by Ben about Yasmin. Multiple stories went around about who was "stirring up the pot". At the combined Reward and Immunity Challenge, Galu never lost their lead and won their third consecutive challenge. After the challenge was over, Jeff gave Russell S., Galu's leader, an option of trading the reward of comfort items for more functional items such as fishing gear, a pot, a lantern, and a tarp. Believing it would be delightful to the Galu women, Russell S. chose the comfort items. Many of the tribe's men disagreed with his choice. When Russell S. was also given the decision on whom to send as the observer to Foa Foa, he chose Shambo. Her visit with Foa Foa went great, and she began to feel more comfortable with them than Galu. When discussions arose about whom to vote out, Liz and Russell H., as well as Ben, gunned for Ashley, but Mick was unsure if he would agree with them or vote for Ben. Russell H. made an agreement with Mick that as long as the latter would not vote for him, Ben would be the next gone after Ashley. In an attempt to gain Mick's trust, Russell H. showed the Hidden Immunity Idol to him. At Tribal Council, Ben and Jaison voiced their disagreement about whether Ben's statements were racist. The tribe decided to vote against Ben, and he was voted out 6–1.
The day's tree mail instructed the tribe leaders to select two castaways to join them at the upcoming Reward Challenge; Russell S. chose Dave and Shambo, while Mick chose Natalie and Russell H. While his tribemates were not around, Erik began a search for the Hidden Immunity Idol at Galu and succeeded. Meanwhile, at Foa Foa's campsite, Russell H. pondered about changing his "final-two alliance" from Jaison to Natalie. Upon arriving at the challenge site, the six selected castaways realized Jeff was nowhere to be seen. After some hesitation, the six made a scramble towards a treasure chest and a cage of chickens. In the treasure chest, they discovered instructions that they were to do the challenge on their own. Dave won the challenge with a last ricochet shot. When the victorious Galu trio returned to Galu with the reward, Shambo was assigned to watch over the chickens, but she mistakenly let one loose. When Foa Foa broke Galu's Immunity Challenge win streak, deliberations began about how Tribal Council would go down. Brett and Kelly were both upset at Yasmin for doing nothing around camp, while Shambo and Yasmin wanted to vote out Monica because of her performance in the challenge. When Russell S. was told that the rest of the tribe was leaning towards voting out Yasmin, he was upset that the tribe was not following his lead. However, at Tribal Council, he followed the majority, and Yasmin was voted out 8–2.
Shambo felt more alienated from her tribe when she realized that she was the only one besides Yasmin to vote for Monica at Tribal Council, and she became more attached to her Foa Foa "tribemates". At the Reward Challenge, the chance for Foa Foa to win rested on Ashley's shoulders. After much taunting from the Galu bench, she quit the challenge and lost for her tribe. Per the rules, Galu's leader, Russell S., chose Shambo as the observer for the second time, a decision which infuriated her; he selected Shambo because he felt she had to pay for the loss of the chicken. Upon reaching the opposing tribe's camp, Shambo shared all of the clues to the Hidden Immunity Idol with the Foa Foa members. Liz presumed Russell H. to have the Hidden Immunity Idol, however, and confronted him about it. He denied he had it and then threatened Liz for confronting him. At the Immunity Challenge, Russell H. was the first to drop his net, and Liz dropped her net shortly afterward, losing the challenge for Foa Foa. Back at camp, rain had been pouring down for more than a day, and the Foa Foa members were forced to huddle together. Russell H. originally wanted Liz out because she had confronted him, but had second thoughts after seeing her strength in the Immunity Challenge. He also knew that Ashley was clearly the weakest link in the tribe. At Tribal Council, Russell H. put aside his vendetta and went with the rest of his tribe to vote out Ashley 5–1.
The rain continued for the fifth straight day, but ended soon thereafter. Both tribes were extremely thankful. At the Reward Challenge, Jeff announced that both tribes would be going to Tribal Council that night to vote somebody out of the game. Foa Foa selected Liz to be the guide with Jaison and Russell H. as cage-rollers, while Galu selected Laura to be the guide with Erik and Russell S. as cage-rollers. Towards the end of the cage-rolling stage, Russell S. became disoriented and struggled to make it to the puzzle table. When he collapsed at his station onto the puzzle table, Jeff called for a halt so the Survivor Medical Team could tend to Russell S. After examination, they announced that he had dangerously low blood pressure
and pulled him from the game. Jeff officially called off the challenge and stated that although neither tribe would be the victor, but both would still be going to Tribal Council. When the two tribes arrived at the site, he announced that Russell S. had been pulled from the game but was doing fine. Jeff made a final announcement that due to the unprecedented circumstances of the incomplete challenge, there would be no voting, and nobody would be going home. Before departing, Jeff told Galu that they would need to select a new tribe leader.
The men of Galu conspired to vote Shambo in as the new leader of the tribe to secure her loyalty to them, but they kept her in the dark about their plans. At the Reward Challenge, Brett, who was designated to make decisions on which items to keep, forfeited the first point to keep the then-uncovered fire starting kit. The remaining matched pairs were kept for points, and Galu easily won the challenge. Shambo chose Laura to miss the reward and observe Foa Foa, much to the anger of the latter. While at Foa Foa, Russell H. attempted to ally with Laura; unknown to him, though, Laura didn't trust him. When the Immunity Challenge was won by Galu, Russell H. considered voting Jaison instead of Liz due to his poor performance in the challenge. Although Liz thought she was safe, Russell H.'s plan to mislead her came together, and she was voted off 4–1.
The tribes arrived at the challenge site as instructed by tree mail. Jeff was not there, and a lone treasure chest
lay on the beach. When the castaways opened the chest, they saw new blue buffs and supplies to create a new tribe flag. The note stated that the newly-merged tribe would move to the old Galu campsite, and there was a feast down the beach for them. After the feast, the castaways settled on Aiga, meaning "extended family" in Samoan
, as a tribe name. Russell H. scrambled around camp, showing his Hidden Immunity Idol to John, Laura, and Monica and made conflicting deals with each of them to no avail. He then turned a disgruntled Shambo away from her tribe and gained support from her in voting out Laura. At the Immunity Challenge, Jeff explained that there would be an immunity necklace for the highest-scoring man and woman. With Laura's immunity win, Russell H.'s plan to vote out Laura collapsed. Laura informed Erik that the Hidden Immunity Idol was in Russell H.'s hands, and he conspired with others. When news of Erik's strategizing spread to Natalie, she campaigned for Erik's elimination. At Tribal Council, Russell H., concerned that he was the actual target, played his Hidden Immunity Idol. Not a single vote was cast against him. Erik, not noticing the blindside coming, was voted out 10–2 with the idol in his pocket.
In the morning, Natalie stumbled upon a rat and, out of hunger, smashed it for food. This surprised the rest of the tribe, as Natalie had provided a good breakfast for all. At the Reward Challenge, the purple team of Dave, John, Kelly, Monica, and Shambo took the win. While eating their picnic lunch, they received a clue to a new Hidden Immunity Idol. The group planned only tell Brett and Laura to keep the knowledge in Galu's hands. When the five discussed which former Foa Foa member to vote out next, Shambo's defense of Russell H. made Kelly suspicious of her loyalties. Upon returning from camp, Russell H. remarkably found his second Hidden Immunity Idol without the help of a clue and informed Shambo. In return, she told him about Galu's plot against him. At the Immunity Challenge, the pair's fear came true when Laura won immunity for the second time in a row. The whole of Foa Foa plus Shambo targeted Kelly. Galu still believed Russell H. would be going home. At Tribal Council, a massive blindside of Kelly occurred when Russell H. pulled out his second Hidden Immunity Idol, and the seven Galu votes against him were negated. The remaining votes sent Kelly home 4–0.
When the tribe returned to their campsite, Russell H. went searching for his third Hidden Immunity Idol. At the Reward Challenge, the purple team of Brett, Dave, Laura, Natalie, and Russell H. won the challenge; they were given a Palm Pre
to use during their picnic lunch. While flipping through the phone's photo gallery, Russell H. discovered a series of text, photo, and video clues to the Hidden Immunity Idol hidden under a rock. Upon returning from the reward, Russell immediately took off in search of it. He finally found the idol after a long chase through the forest. At the immunity challenge, Mick and Jaison each broke one of their tiles, Dave Ball broke one of Monica's tiles, but none of his, and Brett broke 2 of his tiles. In the final round, Mick came out on top with his spear closest to the center of the target to win his first immunity. When they arrived back from the Immunity Challenge, John and Russell H. debated on how the voting would go down; if John were to switch his vote to Laura after a tie, the next person voted out would be a former Foa Foa. John's first instinct was to let the Tribal Council vote to go the infamous "purple rock" tiebreaker and then hope that one of the former Foa Foa would be sent home. At Tribal Council, the vote came to a 5–5 tie between Laura and Natalie. Per the rules, a second vote was held where Laura and Natalie would not vote—the remaining eight castaways would have to vote for one of the two. When the votes were cast again, John changed his vote, and Laura was voted out 5–3.
The day's treemail contained envelopes full of US$
500, signaling a Survivor Auction. Unlike previous Survivor Auctions, money and food could not be shared. Jaison bid high on a note that would give him an advantage at the Immunity Challenge. At the challenge, Jaison opened the sealed container; the note stated that Jaison was able to move up two knots on his rope at any time during the challenge, giving him a significant advantage. Because he had the upper hand in regards to the note, Jaison won the Immunity Challenge. Back at camp, the tribe decided to eat the chickens won by Galu in a previous Reward Challenge. Shambo, the chickens' caretaker, took control of the cooking and insisted on boiling the chickens. She was infuriated when Dave, who had won the chickens for his tribe, suggested on another method of cooking. That night, Shambo had "a clairvoyant dream" in which the tribe had voted out Dave. The next day, Russell H. confronted John about the missing Hidden Immunity Idol and revealed to the latter the idol. Later, Russell H. realized that he had made a mistake in showing John the idol and felt that he needed get rid of John immediately to cover up the mistake. He organized a plan to vote John out with his Foa Foa alliance. John did not see through the Foa Foa pact, and at Tribal Council, the Foa Foa plan came together—stunning Shambo in the process—and John was voted out 7–1–1.
After returning to camp from Tribal Council, Shambo was stunned about the vote going against John. To calm down the infuriated Shambo, Russell H. said he voted out John because he was gunning for her. She bought the lie, but she insisted that Dave had to go next. The argument between Russell H. and his tribe about the former's US$1.7 million salary proved that there were cracks forming in the Foa Foa alliance. When the tribe arrived at the challenge site, Jeff announced they would be playing for immunity, not the expected reward.
Jaison took his second immunity win in a row, while Shambo reaffirmed her statement that Dave was going home at the next Tribal Council. After the challenge, Dave knew that he was the "lowest man on the totem pole" in the tribe. Russell H. debated between Dave and Shambo. However, at Tribal Council, Shambo got her wish, and Dave was voted out 7–1.
Russell H. thought that Brett was the biggest threat to him remaining as he was well liked by the jury, so he started to work on voting out Brett with the Foa Foa alliance. At the Immunity Challenge, Brett edged out Mick to win Individual Immunity, much to the alliance's disappointment. Brett's win solidified the Foa Foa theory that he could quite possibly win again, forcing the alliance to vote out one of their own at the next Tribal Council. Russell H. told the rest that Monica was to be voted out first. Monica stirred the pot by informing Russell H. that Natalie had previously told her about Russell H.'s salary—she later corrected herself and stated it was rather Jaison who revealed the information. Monica's plot to anger Russell H. worked, and he went off to confront his alliance members about Monica's story; after confronting Brett and Natalie, he went to Jaison, who denied it because he had forgotten he told Brett and Monica those stories. Jaison felt nervous around Russell H. and believed the latter should be eliminated soon. When the castaways sat down at Tribal Council, Russell H. flaunted the Hidden Immunity Idol pulled out it out and placed it around his neck. Monica commented that she was busy stirring the pot and infuriating Russell H. with her rumors. Russell H. felt that this earned her a trip home, and she was sent home 5–2.
In the tribe's shelter, Brett and Natalie felt a connection through their shared interest in religion as Brett recited verses of the Bible
from memory. At the Reward Challenge, the castaways drew stones to be team captains; when Natalie, one of the team captains, selected Brett first, Russell H. and Shambo were suspicious of an alliance that would need to be broken up immediately. This was partially brought up when Brett and Natalie joined hands as "prayer warriors" to help them through the challenge. After Jaison, Russell H., and Shambo won the challenge, they went on their reward trip. Jaison told Russell H he agreed to go to the top three together. The winning trio also discussed the possibility of a Brett–Natalie alliance and that they had to put a stop to it immediately by voting out Brett or Mick next. Back at camp, Brett suggested the three from the losing team create their own reward by spending the day at the beach hunting for snails. When Russell H. returned to camp, he talked with Natalie about her picking of Brett at the Reward Challenge. She reassured him that her and Russell H.'s "final two alliance" from early in the game was still strong. At the Immunity Challenge, Russell H. became worried when Brett won immunity for the second time in a row. Jaison figured the former Foa Foa needed to be as strong as possible in order to prevent Brett from winning any further Immunity Challenges, and told Russell H. that Shambo would need to go next due to her poor performance in challenges. When Shambo approached the conversation, Jaison quickly scrambled off. Russell H. told Shambo, suspicious that Jaison was hiding something, that Jaison was upset, that he wanted to vote out Mick, and that Russell H. agreed with the vote. Mick was surprised when Russell H. told him that Shambo was getting on his nerves and she needed to go. At Tribal Council, Russell H. once again openly wore his Hidden Immunity Idol, but did not use it the last time it could be played. Shambo was voted out 5–1.
The remaining four Foa Foa members concentrated on getting rid of Brett, feeling that he didn't deserve to be there. Russell H. talked to Natalie about how they could keep her in the game, warning her that if Brett were to win the next Immunity Challenge, she would be voted off in order to keep the strongest possible in the game in the hopes of voting off Brett. Russell H. was again extremely confident going into the Immunity Challenge, but while he had an early lead, Brett came from behind during the puzzle assembly stage and pulled off his third immunity win in a row.
Natalie and Russell H. again discussed what the plans were for Tribal Council. Russell H. wanted to keep Natalie around, as he felt that she would be seen by the jury members as "riding his coattails" and therefore not get any votes. Russell H. told Jaison that they had to keep Natalie and get rid of Mick in order to make it to the final three, which Jaison agreed with. Russell H. told Mick a different story: Jaison could not beat Brett in anything, and voting off Jaison would give them a better chance at beating Brett. Mick agreed with the plan, believing that Jaison wasn't mentally in the game while Natalie was. With the vote split—Jaison and Mick agreeing to vote for each other—the power of who went home fell to Natalie and Russell H. They decided to vote against Jaison, and he was sent home blindsided by a vote of 4–1.
Upon returning to camp, Brett knew that he had to win the next Immunity Challenge or he would be going home. Russell H. made a deal with Brett that should either of them win the next Immunity Challenge, that they would take each other to the final three. The final four took the traditional journey honoring the castaways voted out before heading to their Final Immunity Challenge. The challenge came down to Brett and Russell H.; with the poles at 7 feet (2.1 m) in length, Brett lost the balance on his pole and Russell H. won his first Individual Immunity.
Brett figured that his only hope to remain in the game was the deal he made with Russell H. Russell H. gloated about his challenge win to Mick and Natalie and said that he thought he had a great shot at the million dollars and was already rehearsing his jury speech. Mick was concerned that Russell H. had some secret plan and that Mick was going home, but Natalie reassured him that the former Foa Foa would stick together. Russell H. told Brett that he had a problem because he had made a deal with everybody to take them to the final three. Russell H. told Brett that Brett was the kind of guy that Russell H. wanted his kids to marry and he wished he was like Brett when he was young. Russell H. told Brett that Mick and Natalie would be voting against him and asked if Brett could win a fire starting challenge if Russell H. joined Brett in voting for Mick, forcing a tie.
At Tribal Council, Mick and Natalie stated that there was no doubt in their mind that Brett was going home. Jeff asked Russell H. if he could appreciate the competitor in Brett. Russell H. answered that he respected the game and that Brett deserved to be in the final three. Mick and Natalie emphasized that strategically, Russell H. had to vote out Brett. In the end, Russell H. voted against Brett and he became the final jury member by a vote of 3–1.
With only three Foa Foa members left, Mick, Natalie, and Russell H. celebrated with the traditional Day 39 breakfast. Russell H. pressed Natalie over what she was going to say to the jury and he continued to gloat over how he had locked up the necessary jury votes. The three then burned their encampment. At the final Tribal Council, the final three made their opening statements. Mick stated that he tried to play the game without overstepping his morals by trying not promise too much, overtly stomp on, lie, and mislead people, or treat them as pawns in the game. Natalie focused on how she came into the game wanting to gain the confidence in going outside her comfort zone and that she appreciated everybody on the jury. Russell H. went over many of his big strategic moves throughout the game and that he played the game better than Mick or Natalie.
The time then came for the jury to ask their questions to the final three. Jaison was up first, asking the three to tell the members of the jury who they really were and if they didn't, that he would. All three told the jury what they did, but Jaison pointed out that both Natalie and Russell H. had made a lot of money before coming on Survivor, that Mick had the potential to make a lot of money, and that the jury should not focus who was broke, but on other criteria. Shambo took the opportunity to apologize to America for dismantling Galu and that she questioned that judgment call. She called Mick's overall game play "feckless", which Mick did not know the meaning of. She used the word "coattail" to describe Natalie, to which Natalie defended that she purposefully tried not to be aggressive in the game. Shambo then said that there was no way that Mick and Natalie would get her vote and said nothing to Russell H. Brett asked nothing of Natalie or Russell H., but asked Mick what a "bro date" would be like with him to see to what level Mick invested in Brett as a human being. Kelly started with Natalie, telling her that she thought she was never on the field in the game and that Kelly always saw Natalie asking for help in the challenges, to which Natalie said that while she might not have been good in the challenges, but she gave 100% and that she got better as the game progressed. She asked Russell H. if he lied, cheated, and stole in real life as he did in the game, to which Russell H. said that he did not and that "honor, integrity, and loyalty" was the most important thing to him, which she had a hard time believing. She said nothing to Mick.
Next up was Monica, who asked Mick and Natalie why they felt the other two sitting beside them did not deserve to win. Mick said that Natalie rode out her alignment with Russell H. throughout the game and that Russell H. was willing to lie, pit people against each other, mislead, and had a giant ego. Russell H. interrupted Mick's answer by stating that both Natalie and Mick didn't mind when Russell H. was being a snake and was congratulating him all the way. Dave asked the three what they thought their chances were with the jury. Mick thought it was 20–25%, Natalie 30–40%, and Russell H. 55%. Laura asked nothing of Natalie or Mick, but asked Russell H. what he learned about her that enabled him to beat her. John asked nothing of Russell H., but asked Mick and Natalie for the "hard sell" of his vote. Mick repeated the theme of his opening statement that he was a stand up guy, while Natalie said that she saw how the aggressive women in the game were getting voted out and that she adapted her game after that.
Erik asked no questions of the final three and instead made statements to the three. He told Mick that he did nothing to deserve the title of being the tribe leader of Foa Foa. He told Russell H. that he played an unethical game and wondered if Russell H. got to the right place by behaving the wrong way and if Russell H. was proud of behaving in such a manner. Finally, Erik told Natalie that people would call her weak and undeserving, but asked that why are those characteristics were any less admirable than lying, cheating and stealing. He went on to say that maybe she would call herself the less deserving of the title Sole Survivor, but that in an environment filled with "arrogance" (pointing to Russell H.) and "delusional entitlement" (pointing to Mick), that the person who might thinks she is the least deserving, could probably be the most. Erik closed his speech by saying that Natalie had his vote and hoped she would get four more. The jury gave Natalie an additional six votes and she became the Sole Survivor over Russell H. and Mick by a vote of 7–2–0.
Mike was evacuated due to medical reasons, therefore no vote occurred for his removal from the game.
Russell S. was evacuated due to medical reasons, therefore no vote occurred for his removal from the game.
The first Tribal Council Vote resulted in a tie. Per the rules, a second vote was held where the castaways involved in the tie would not vote and the remaining castaways could only vote for the two tied.
Laura and Natalie were not eligible to vote in the second Tribal Council vote.
Notes
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
competitive reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series Survivor
Survivor (U.S. TV series)
Survivor is an American version of the Survivor reality television game show, itself derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson originally created in 1997 by Charlie Parsons. The series premiered on May 31, 2000 on CBS...
. The season premiered on Thursday, September 17, 2009.
Participant applications were due by January 14, 2009. Approximately 800 might have been invited to be interviewed in several states. Following this, approximately 48 semi-finalists were invited to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in April 2009 for final interviews with the producers. From there, 20 finalists were selected to be contestants in the show, which was scheduled to occur between mid June and mid-July 2009 in Samoa. Similar to Survivor: Tocantins, the minimum age requirement
Age of majority
The age of majority is the threshold of adulthood as it is conceptualized in law. It is the chronological moment when minors cease to legally be considered children and assume control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of...
for this season was 18 for most states.
In the end, Natalie White defeated Russell Hantz and Mick Trimming with a vote of 7–2–0. Hantz ended up winning the "Sprint Player of the Season" Award, earning the fans' vote over Shannon "Shambo" Waters and Brett Clouser. This was the first season when the tribes merged at 12.
Russell Hantz was the only contestant from this season to take part in Heroes vs. Villains, where he finished in 3rd place. He then returned to compete again in Redemption Island
Survivor: Redemption Island
Survivor: Redemption Island is the twenty-second season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor, which premiered on February 16, 2011. Applications were due in January 2010, and filming lasted from August to September 2010. The season was filmed in the vicinity of San...
, and was the second person eliminated from the game.
Season summary
The twenty contestants were already assigned tribes at the start of the game, but, based only on appearances, the tribes were told to vote one of their own as a "leader", who, for the first half of the game, would make critical decisions at certain challenges, in particular, selecting one member of their tribe to spend the day after reward challenges with the other tribe through which they would receive a clue to the hidden immunity idol. Foa Foa selected Mick as theirs, while Galu picked Russell S. as theirs. Galu took a strong lead in the game, winning most of the reward and immunity challenges, leading to a relaxed state at the camp, a condition that Shambo resented. Meanwhile, Foa Foa's Russell H. attempted to make living conditions harsher for his tribe by dumping water out of canteens and burning socks. Also, Russell H. managed to find a hidden immunity idol at his own camp without having any clues, being the first person since Gary from Survivor: GuatemalaSurvivor: Guatemala
Survivor: Guatemala — The Maya Empire, commonly referred to as Survivor: Guatemala, is the eleventh season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed in the Yaxhá-Nakúm-Naranjo National Park near the more popular Tikal National Park, located in...
to do so. After winning a reward challenge, Russell S. opted to send Shambo over to Foa Foa for one night, where she found the tribe had a strong work ethic and welcomed her.
Prior to the merge, two players were removed from the game due to fatigue: Mike and Russell S.; Shambo was given Galu's leadership role following Russell's departure. The two tribes merged with twelve players left; Galu had the advantage of eight players over Foa Foa's four, though Shambo clearly showed favoritism towards Foa Foa. Natalie was able to convince Galu to vote off Erik along with the rest of Foa Foa. At this vote, Russell H. had played his hidden immunity idol, but was able to find the idol in its new location, again without clues, before the next tribal council. Russell H. played his new idol there, saving himself from being voted off as he was targeted by every Galu member, and eliminating Kelly. As Shambo began to shift sides to the former Foa Foa's, the next vote first ended in a tie, but John, worried about being eliminated from the game by the rock-pulling tiebreaker, switched his vote on the tiebreaker, eliminating Laura. With the tribes now 5-4, the remaining Foa Foa members continued to hold together for the rest of the game, systematically eliminating the former Galu members, one-by-one. Their plans were halted when Brett went on an immunity challenge winning streak, resulting in Foa Foa having to turn on each other with Shambo and Jaison being voted out, but Brett lost the final immunity challenge and was voted off leaving the Final Three as Russell H., Natalie, and Mick.
At the Final Tribal Council, Mick was ignored by the jury, given his lack of leadership when assigned that role. Though Russell was confident that he had played the game well and that Natalie would be seen as a coattail rider, many of the jury disliked his brash attitude, and Natalie was ultimately named the Sole Survivor by a vote of 7–2–0.
Contestants
| Contestant | Original Tribe | Merged Tribe | Finish | Total Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marisa Calihan 26, Cincinnati, OH |
1st Voted Out Day 3 |
7 | ||
| Mike Borassi 62, Marina del Rey, CA Marina del Rey, California -Demographics:-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Marina del Rey had a population of 8,866. The population density was 6,094.6 people per square mile... |
Removed Due to Injury Day 5 |
0 | ||
| Betsy Bolan 48, Campton, NH Campton, New Hampshire Campton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,333 at the 2010 census. Campton, which includes the villages of Blair, Campton Hollow, Lower Campton and West Campton, is home to Blair State Forest and Livermore Falls State Forest... |
2nd Voted Out Day 6 |
7 | ||
| Ben Browning 28, Los Angeles, CA Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
3rd Voted Out Day 9 |
7 | ||
| Yasmin Giles 33, Los Angeles, CA Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
4th Voted Out Day 11 |
8 | ||
| Ashley Trainer 22, Maple Grove, MN Maple Grove, Minnesota As of the census of 2000, there were 50,365 people , 17,532 households, and 13,955 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,532.3 people per square mile . There were 17,745 housing units at an average density of 539.9 per square mile... |
5th Voted Out Day 14 |
9 | ||
| Russell Swan 42, Glenside, PA Glenside, Pennsylvania Glenside is a census-designated place in Abington, Cheltenham, and Springfield townships, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,384 at the 2010 census... |
Removed Due to Illness Day 15 |
0 | ||
| Elizabeth "Liz" Kim 33, New York City, NY New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... |
6th Voted Out Day 18 |
5 | ||
| Erik Cardona 28, Ontario, CA Ontario, California Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area... |
rowspan="12" | 7th Voted Out 1st Jury Member Day 21 |
10 | |
| Kelly Sharbaugh 25, West Hollywood, CA West Hollywood, California West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood... |
8th Voted Out 2nd Jury Member Day 24 |
4 | ||
| Laura Morett 39, Salem, OR Salem, Oregon Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood... |
9th Voted Out 3rd Jury Member Day 27 |
5 | ||
| John Fincher 25, Los Angeles, CA Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
10th Voted Out 4th Jury Member Day 30 |
7 | ||
| David "Dave" Ball 38, Los Angeles, CA Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
11th Voted Out 5th Jury Member Day 31 |
8 | ||
| Monica Padilla 25, San Diego, CA |
12th Voted Out 6th Jury Member Day 33 |
7 | ||
| Shannon "Shambo" Waters 45, Renton, WA Renton, Washington Renton is an Eastside edge city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 11 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Founded in the 1860s, Renton became a supply town for the Newcastle coal fields... |
13th Voted Out 7th Jury Member Day 36 |
6 | ||
| Jaison Robinson 28, Chicago, IL Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... |
14th Voted Out 8th Jury Member Day 37 |
7 | ||
| Brett Clouser 23, Los Angeles, CA Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
15th Voted Out 9th Jury Member Day 38 |
3 | ||
| Mick Trimming 33, Los Angeles, CA Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
2nd Runner-Up | 4 | ||
| Russell Hantz 36, Dayton, TX Dayton, Texas Dayton is a city in Liberty County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,242 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:... |
Runner-Up | 2 | ||
| Natalie White 26, Van Buren, AR Van Buren, Arkansas Van Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interstate 40 - Interstate 540 junction... |
Sole Survivor | 5 |
- The Total Votes is the number of votes a castaway has received during Tribal Councils where the castaway is eligible to be voted out of the game. It does not include the votes received during the final Tribal Council.
Five additional votes were cast against Laura during a tie-breaker vote.
Because Russell H. played the Hidden Immunity Idol, seven votes against him did not count.
Three additional votes were cast against Natalie during a tie-breaker vote.
The game
| Episode Titles | First air date | Challenges | Observer | Eliminated | Vote | Finish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reward | Immunity | ||||||
| "The Puppet Master" | September 17, 2009 | None | 7–3 | 1st Voted Out Day 3 |
|||
| "Taking Candy From a Baby" | September 24, 2009 | rowspan=2 colspan=2 | rowspan=2 | No vote | Removed Due to Injury Day 5 |
||
| 7–1 | 2nd Voted Out Day 6 |
||||||
| "It's Called a Russell Seed" | October 1, 2009 | colspan=2 | 6–1 | 3rd Voted Out Day 8 |
|||
| "Hungry for a Win" | October 8, 2009 | None | 8–2 | 4th Voted Out Day 11 |
|||
| "Walking on Thin Ice" | October 15, 2009 | 5–1 | 5th Voted Out Day 14 |
||||
| "This Is the Man Test" | October 22, 2009 | None | None | No vote | Removed Due to Illness Day 15 |
||
| "Houdini Magic" | October 29, 2009 | 4–1 | 6th Voted Out Day 18 |
||||
| "All Hell Breaks Loose" | November 5, 2009 | None | rowspan=4 | rowspan=2 | 10–2 | 7th Voted Out 1st Jury Member Day 21 |
|
| "Tastes Like Chicken" | November 12, 2009 | 4–0 | 8th Voted Out 2nd Jury Member Day 24 |
||||
| "The Day of Reckoning" | November 19, 2009 | 5–5 5-3 |
9th Voted Out 3rd Jury Member Day 27 |
||||
| "The First 27 Days" | November 26, 2009 | Recap Episode | |||||
| "Off With Their Heads!" | December 3, 2009 | Survivor Auction |
rowspan=6 | 7–1–1 | 10th Voted Out 4th Jury Member Day 30 |
||
| "Damage Control" | December 10, 2009 | None | 7–1 | 11th Voted Out 5th Jury Member Day 31 |
|||
| 5–2 | 12th Voted Out 6th Jury Member Day 33 |
||||||
| "Two Brains Are Better Than One" | December 17, 2009 | 5–1 | 13th Voted Out 7th Jury Member Day 36 |
||||
| "This Game Ain't Over" | December 20, 2009 | None | 4–1 | 14th Voted Out 8th Jury Member Day 37 |
|||
| 3–1 | 15th Voted Out 9th Jury Member Day 38 |
||||||
| "The Reunion" | December 20, 2009 | Jury Vote | 7–2–0 | 2nd Runner-Up | |||
| Runner-Up | |||||||
| Sole Survivor | |||||||
- In the case of multiple tribes or castaways who win reward or immunity, they are listed in order of finish, or alphabetically where it was a team effort; where one castaway won and invited others, the invitees are in brackets.
Combined Reward and Immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
Challenge.
Russell S. collapsed during the challenge; even though Foa Foa was close of winning award Jeff cancelled the challenge with neither tribe winning the reward.
There was no Reward Challenge due to the tribal merge.
The observer rule was no longer applicable after the tribal merge, as there was only one tribe.
Russell H. played the Hidden Immunity Idol, therefore the seven votes against him did not count.
Laura was voted out after the first Tribal Council vote resulted in a 5–5 tie, but John switched his vote to Laura when the tribe revoted.
Episode 1: "The Puppet Master"
- Reward Challenge: A designated swimmer would swim out into the ocean to retrieve a key and swim back. The swimmer would hand the key to the designated strong person to unlock a chain around two bundles of heavy logs. The logs would have to be carried to the next station where a designated agile person would use the log bundles to climb on top of a balance beam. The agile person would need to pull a second key along a rope twisted around the balance beam while remaining on top of the balance beam. At the final stage, a designated smart person would use the second key to unlock a bag of puzzle pieces and use them to assemble a statue. The first tribe to assemble their statue would win.
- Reward: Flint
- Immunity Challenge: Six members from each tribe would race across a series of three wooden A-framesA-FrameAn A-frame is a basic structure designed to bear a load in a lightweight economical manner. The simplest form of an A-frame is two similarly sized beams, arranged in a 45-degree or greater angle, attached at the top...
carrying three coils of rope. At the end of the course, the six would use the rope to pull a heavy wooden crate across a ramp and up to the finish platform. The four remaining tribe members would disassemble the crate to use as puzzle pieces. The first tribe to solve the puzzle would win.
When the preselected tribes arrived ashore, Jeff handed each of the tribes pens and parchment and instructed the tribes that they would each elect a leader based solely on appearance. Mick and Russell S., the elected leaders for Foa Foa and Galu respectively, selected participants in the first Reward Challenge; as directed by Jeff, they chose the best swimmer, the strongest person, the most agile, and the smartest person on their tribes. When Foa Foa won the challenge, Jeff tossed maps to both tribes and sent them on their way. At Foa Foa, Mick downplayed his role of leader to stay "under the radar", believing that the leader always has a huge target on his head. Meanwhile, Russell H. quickly made "secret alliances" with Ashley, Betsy, Marisa, and Natalie; nevertheless, Betsy was suspicious and didn't trust him. At night in Foa Foa, Russell H. told a completely fabricated story to his tribe of his experience of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in his house in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
; later, he emptied all the canteens and burned Jaison's socks. His strategy revolved around the idea that if he could control how his tribe felt, he could control how they think. Russell H.'s hard-core strategy began to make an effect on the tribe. When Foa Foa lost the Immunity Challenge, discussions of whom to vote out began when Mike talked about voting out the physically weakest: in his opinion, Ashley. Since Marisa was skeptical of Russell H.'s quickly-made alliance with her, the latter immediately targeted her for elimination. At Tribal Council, his plan to eliminate Marisa came together, and she was voted out 7–3.
Episode 2: "Taking Candy From a Baby"
- Reward/Immunity Challenge: In a walled off arena, three members of each tribe would battle for control of three balls. Once a castaway gets control of a ball, they would pass the ball to three other tribe members standing on a platform who would attempt to throw the ball through the opposing tribe's basket at the other end of the arena. One point would be scored when a ball is made in the basket. After every point, the tribes would change who was in the arena and on the platform. The first tribe to score three points would win. As this challenge, called "Schmergen Brawl", caused both the medical evacuation of Mike and an injury to a contestant's knee on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, CBS has deemed it too dangerous to be used again.
- Reward: Tribal Immunity and fishing gear
Russell H. assumed a Hidden Immunity Idol was somewhere around camp and went searching for it. While his tribemates stood around oblivious to what he was doing, he located the idol, without the help of any clues, in the roots of a large tree. After taking the idol and hiding it in his underwear, he showed the idol to Jaison to create some trust between them. At the combined Reward and Immunity Challenge, Galu triumphed over Foa Foa. When the challenge ended, Jeff announced a twist—the leader of the winning tribe would select one member of the tribe to accompany the losing tribe back to their camp and observe them through the next Tribal Council. When Russell S. selected Yasmin, Jeff gave her a note to be read in private. Jeff also asked Mike to stay so the Survivor Medical Team could examine him due to the hard hits he received. The Survivor Medical Team determined that he would be unable to continue and pulled him from the game. At Galu, Shambo went spearfishing
Spearfishing
Spearfishing is an ancient method of fishing that has been used throughout the world for millennia. Early civilizations were familiar with the custom of spearing fish from rivers and streams using sharpened sticks....
with the tribe's new fishing gear; however, when she came back with no fish and a missing mouthpiece to the swim mask, Laura felt that Shambo had "signed her own death warrant". At Foa Foa, Yasmin, the observer, came off as rude to the Foa Foa members. Ben and Yasmin had a heated conversation involving racial controversy about Ben's "cheap shot". At Tribal Council, Betsy, knowing her head was on the chopping block, attempted to sway her tribe to vote out Ben; the attempt, however, proved ineffective, and she was voted out 7–1.
Episode 3: "It's Called a Russell Seed"
- Reward/Immunity Challenge: A pair of castaways from each tribe would swim out into the ocean to retrieve one of four crates with a different color on each face of a crate. Between the beach and crates would be a "battle zone" marked off by four flags. Within this zone, an opposing tribe member would try to prevent the two castaways from crossing the zone and reaching the crate. Once the two castaways crossed the zone, they would bring a crate back to the beach, and a second pair of castaways would go out to retrieve another crate. Once all four crates were retrieved, the crates would need to be stacked so that one color didn't show more than once on each column. The first tribe to complete the puzzle would win.
- Reward: Comfort items of pillows, candles, mats, beach towels, and a hammock
Upon returning from Tribal Council, Jaison talked to Mick about voting out Ben next because of what Jaison perceived as racist comments made by Ben about Yasmin. Multiple stories went around about who was "stirring up the pot". At the combined Reward and Immunity Challenge, Galu never lost their lead and won their third consecutive challenge. After the challenge was over, Jeff gave Russell S., Galu's leader, an option of trading the reward of comfort items for more functional items such as fishing gear, a pot, a lantern, and a tarp. Believing it would be delightful to the Galu women, Russell S. chose the comfort items. Many of the tribe's men disagreed with his choice. When Russell S. was also given the decision on whom to send as the observer to Foa Foa, he chose Shambo. Her visit with Foa Foa went great, and she began to feel more comfortable with them than Galu. When discussions arose about whom to vote out, Liz and Russell H., as well as Ben, gunned for Ashley, but Mick was unsure if he would agree with them or vote for Ben. Russell H. made an agreement with Mick that as long as the latter would not vote for him, Ben would be the next gone after Ashley. In an attempt to gain Mick's trust, Russell H. showed the Hidden Immunity Idol to him. At Tribal Council, Ben and Jaison voiced their disagreement about whether Ben's statements were racist. The tribe decided to vote against Ben, and he was voted out 6–1.
Episode 4: "Hungry for a Win"
- Reward Challenge: Three castaways from each tribe would play a game similar to bocceBocceBocce is a ball sport belonging to the boules sport family, closely related to bowls and pétanque with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire...
. A flag would be placed in the center of a circle. The castaways would take turns tossing three balls each at the flag. The tribe who throws a ball closest to the flag would win.- Reward: Three chickens
- Immunity Challenge: The castaways would race across a net run carrying wooden blocks to a platform. When all of the blocks were at the platform, they would need to be stacked into a tower. The castways would then cross a rope bridge to a second platform where two nets would be tied together holding more wooden blocks. After the nets were untied, the blocks would have to be stacked into another tower. The first tribe to stack both towers would win.
The day's tree mail instructed the tribe leaders to select two castaways to join them at the upcoming Reward Challenge; Russell S. chose Dave and Shambo, while Mick chose Natalie and Russell H. While his tribemates were not around, Erik began a search for the Hidden Immunity Idol at Galu and succeeded. Meanwhile, at Foa Foa's campsite, Russell H. pondered about changing his "final-two alliance" from Jaison to Natalie. Upon arriving at the challenge site, the six selected castaways realized Jeff was nowhere to be seen. After some hesitation, the six made a scramble towards a treasure chest and a cage of chickens. In the treasure chest, they discovered instructions that they were to do the challenge on their own. Dave won the challenge with a last ricochet shot. When the victorious Galu trio returned to Galu with the reward, Shambo was assigned to watch over the chickens, but she mistakenly let one loose. When Foa Foa broke Galu's Immunity Challenge win streak, deliberations began about how Tribal Council would go down. Brett and Kelly were both upset at Yasmin for doing nothing around camp, while Shambo and Yasmin wanted to vote out Monica because of her performance in the challenge. When Russell S. was told that the rest of the tribe was leaning towards voting out Yasmin, he was upset that the tribe was not following his lead. However, at Tribal Council, he followed the majority, and Yasmin was voted out 8–2.
Episode 5: "Walking on Thin Ice"
- Reward Challenge: Two castaways would face off against each other by spinning a rouletteRouletteRoulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
-like wheel with various food items on it that would be blended together and have to be drunk by the castaways. The castaway would score one point if they were able to drink the whole glass. The challenge would not be a race and there was no time limit on getting the food item down. The first tribe to score five points would win.- Reward: Steaks, sausages, and onions
- Immunity Challenge: One man and one woman from each tribe would hold on to a rope that would suspend a net. The castaways from the other tribe would attempt to toss coconuts into the net which would weigh it down. The castaway who held on to the rope the longest without letting the net touch the ground would win for their tribe.
Shambo felt more alienated from her tribe when she realized that she was the only one besides Yasmin to vote for Monica at Tribal Council, and she became more attached to her Foa Foa "tribemates". At the Reward Challenge, the chance for Foa Foa to win rested on Ashley's shoulders. After much taunting from the Galu bench, she quit the challenge and lost for her tribe. Per the rules, Galu's leader, Russell S., chose Shambo as the observer for the second time, a decision which infuriated her; he selected Shambo because he felt she had to pay for the loss of the chicken. Upon reaching the opposing tribe's camp, Shambo shared all of the clues to the Hidden Immunity Idol with the Foa Foa members. Liz presumed Russell H. to have the Hidden Immunity Idol, however, and confronted him about it. He denied he had it and then threatened Liz for confronting him. At the Immunity Challenge, Russell H. was the first to drop his net, and Liz dropped her net shortly afterward, losing the challenge for Foa Foa. Back at camp, rain had been pouring down for more than a day, and the Foa Foa members were forced to huddle together. Russell H. originally wanted Liz out because she had confronted him, but had second thoughts after seeing her strength in the Immunity Challenge. He also knew that Ashley was clearly the weakest link in the tribe. At Tribal Council, Russell H. put aside his vendetta and went with the rest of his tribe to vote out Ashley 5–1.
Episode 6: "This Is the Man Test"
- Reward Challenge: One castaway would be strapped into a wooden spherical cage and would have to guide two blindfolded castaways in rolling the cage through a maze through the forest. At the end of the maze would be a labyrinthLabyrinth (game)Labyrinth: The Computer Game is a graphic adventure computer game, inspired by the Jim Henson fantasy film, Labyrinth. The game was developed by Lucasfilm Games and published by Activision in 1986 for the Apple IIe and IIc, Commodore 64/128, and MSX2...
-like table maze. The castaway inside the cage would then have to guide four blindfolded castaways in solving the table maze. The first tribe to finish the table maze would win.- Reward: Pizza while observing the losing tribe at Tribal Council
The rain continued for the fifth straight day, but ended soon thereafter. Both tribes were extremely thankful. At the Reward Challenge, Jeff announced that both tribes would be going to Tribal Council that night to vote somebody out of the game. Foa Foa selected Liz to be the guide with Jaison and Russell H. as cage-rollers, while Galu selected Laura to be the guide with Erik and Russell S. as cage-rollers. Towards the end of the cage-rolling stage, Russell S. became disoriented and struggled to make it to the puzzle table. When he collapsed at his station onto the puzzle table, Jeff called for a halt so the Survivor Medical Team could tend to Russell S. After examination, they announced that he had dangerously low blood pressure
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, BP varies...
and pulled him from the game. Jeff officially called off the challenge and stated that although neither tribe would be the victor, but both would still be going to Tribal Council. When the two tribes arrived at the site, he announced that Russell S. had been pulled from the game but was doing fine. Jeff made a final announcement that due to the unprecedented circumstances of the incomplete challenge, there would be no voting, and nobody would be going home. Before departing, Jeff told Galu that they would need to select a new tribe leader.
Episode 7: "Houdini Magic"
- Reward Challenge: The castaways would play a variation of ConcentrationConcentration (game)Concentration, also known as Memory, Pelmanism, Shinkei-suijaku, Pexeso or simply Pairs, is a card game in which all of the cards are laid face down on a surface and two cards are flipped face up over each turn. The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards...
with thirteen pairs of survival items plus four unpaired dummy items hidden under covers. One tribe member at a time would uncover two items. If the items matched, they would score one point for their tribe. However, the tribe leaders would have the option of forfeiting the point and taking the uncovered pair. The tribe with the most points at the end of the challenge would win.- Reward: A sailing trip aboard a three-masted barqueBarqueA barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
and lunch, and the items collected for the points forfeited for either tribe.
- Reward: A sailing trip aboard a three-masted barque
- Immunity Challenge: The tribes would paddle out into the ocean to retrieve six sets of fish-shaped puzzle pieces. Once back on the beach, three tribe members would have to assemble the puzzle pieces. The first tribe to assemble their puzzle would win.
The men of Galu conspired to vote Shambo in as the new leader of the tribe to secure her loyalty to them, but they kept her in the dark about their plans. At the Reward Challenge, Brett, who was designated to make decisions on which items to keep, forfeited the first point to keep the then-uncovered fire starting kit. The remaining matched pairs were kept for points, and Galu easily won the challenge. Shambo chose Laura to miss the reward and observe Foa Foa, much to the anger of the latter. While at Foa Foa, Russell H. attempted to ally with Laura; unknown to him, though, Laura didn't trust him. When the Immunity Challenge was won by Galu, Russell H. considered voting Jaison instead of Liz due to his poor performance in the challenge. Although Liz thought she was safe, Russell H.'s plan to mislead her came together, and she was voted off 4–1.
Episode 8: "All Hell Breaks Loose"
- Immunity Challenge: The castaways would play a variation of T-ballTee BallTee Ball or T-Ball is a sport based on baseball and is intended as an introduction for children to develop baseball skills and have fun. The name Tee Ball is a registered trademark while T-Ball is the generic name, although many sources use Tee Ball as a generic title.- Description :In T-Ball, the...
with the men competing against the men and the women against the women. The playing field would be divided into sections with different point values. Each castaway would take one swing at the ball. Wherever the ball comes to a stop would be that castaway's score. Two castaways, one man and one woman, with the highest score would win immunity.
The tribes arrived at the challenge site as instructed by tree mail. Jeff was not there, and a lone treasure chest
Treasure Chest
Treasure Chest was a Catholic-oriented comic book series created by Dayton, Ohio publisher George A...
lay on the beach. When the castaways opened the chest, they saw new blue buffs and supplies to create a new tribe flag. The note stated that the newly-merged tribe would move to the old Galu campsite, and there was a feast down the beach for them. After the feast, the castaways settled on Aiga, meaning "extended family" in Samoan
Samoan language
Samoan Samoan Samoan (Gagana Sāmoa, is the language of the Samoan Islands, comprising the independent country of Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa. It is an official language—alongside English—in both jurisdictions. Samoan, a Polynesian language, is the first language for most...
, as a tribe name. Russell H. scrambled around camp, showing his Hidden Immunity Idol to John, Laura, and Monica and made conflicting deals with each of them to no avail. He then turned a disgruntled Shambo away from her tribe and gained support from her in voting out Laura. At the Immunity Challenge, Jeff explained that there would be an immunity necklace for the highest-scoring man and woman. With Laura's immunity win, Russell H.'s plan to vote out Laura collapsed. Laura informed Erik that the Hidden Immunity Idol was in Russell H.'s hands, and he conspired with others. When news of Erik's strategizing spread to Natalie, she campaigned for Erik's elimination. At Tribal Council, Russell H., concerned that he was the actual target, played his Hidden Immunity Idol. Not a single vote was cast against him. Erik, not noticing the blindside coming, was voted out 10–2 with the idol in his pocket.
Episode 9: "Tastes Like Chicken"
- Reward Challenge: The tribe would split into two teams of five, with one castaway sitting out the challenge. Two castaways at a time, the teams would race out into a field to collect a series of poles with black and white colored coconuts. The poles would have to be arranged so that the white coconuts form a four digit number. One blindfolded team member would then have to use their sense of touch to unlock a multiple-dial combination lock using the four digit number. The first team to unlock their lock would win.
- Reward: A trip to a waterfall rock slide and a picnic lunch
- Immunity Challenge: The castaways would have to toss a grappling hookGrappling hookA grappling hook is an anchor with multiple hooks , attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hold. Generally, grappling hooks are used to temporarily secure one end of a rope. They may also be used to dredge...
to retrieve two bags with a wooden peg in each bag. The first three castaways to retrieve their bags would move on to the final puzzle round. In the final round, the castaways would untie the bags and try to insert one of the uniquely shaped pegs into board, which would release another peg. That peg would fit into another hole, which releases another peg, and so on until the board was completely full. The first castaway to complete their puzzle would win.
In the morning, Natalie stumbled upon a rat and, out of hunger, smashed it for food. This surprised the rest of the tribe, as Natalie had provided a good breakfast for all. At the Reward Challenge, the purple team of Dave, John, Kelly, Monica, and Shambo took the win. While eating their picnic lunch, they received a clue to a new Hidden Immunity Idol. The group planned only tell Brett and Laura to keep the knowledge in Galu's hands. When the five discussed which former Foa Foa member to vote out next, Shambo's defense of Russell H. made Kelly suspicious of her loyalties. Upon returning from camp, Russell H. remarkably found his second Hidden Immunity Idol without the help of a clue and informed Shambo. In return, she told him about Galu's plot against him. At the Immunity Challenge, the pair's fear came true when Laura won immunity for the second time in a row. The whole of Foa Foa plus Shambo targeted Kelly. Galu still believed Russell H. would be going home. At Tribal Council, a massive blindside of Kelly occurred when Russell H. pulled out his second Hidden Immunity Idol, and the seven Galu votes against him were negated. The remaining votes sent Kelly home 4–0.
Episode 10: "The Day of Reckoning"
- Reward Challenge: The tribe would be split into two teams. One castaway from each tribe would be hoisted aloft in a cradle held up by four ropes controlled by the other team members. The castaway in the cradle would have to be maneuvered around the playing field to collect fifteen numbered flags in order and placed into a slot in a log. The first team to collect all fifteen flags would win.
- Reward: A plane trip to Savai'iSavai'iSavaii is the largest and highest island in Samoa and the Samoa Islands chain. It is also the biggest landmass in Polynesia outside Hawaii and New Zealand. The island of Savai'i is also referred to by Samoans as Salafai, a classical Samoan term used in oratory and prose...
and a picnic lunch at a waterfall
- Reward: A plane trip to Savai'i
- Immunity Challenge: Each castaway would throw one stone at a set of three hanging tiles. For each tile broken, they would earn one spear to be used in the next round. The castaways would use a crossbowCrossbowA crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
to shoot the spears they earned at a target. The castaway that shoots their spear closet to the center of the target would win.
When the tribe returned to their campsite, Russell H. went searching for his third Hidden Immunity Idol. At the Reward Challenge, the purple team of Brett, Dave, Laura, Natalie, and Russell H. won the challenge; they were given a Palm Pre
Palm Pre
The Palm Pre is a multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Palm with a multi-touch screen and a sliding keyboard. The smartphone was the first to use Palm's Linux based mobile operating system, webOS...
to use during their picnic lunch. While flipping through the phone's photo gallery, Russell H. discovered a series of text, photo, and video clues to the Hidden Immunity Idol hidden under a rock. Upon returning from the reward, Russell immediately took off in search of it. He finally found the idol after a long chase through the forest. At the immunity challenge, Mick and Jaison each broke one of their tiles, Dave Ball broke one of Monica's tiles, but none of his, and Brett broke 2 of his tiles. In the final round, Mick came out on top with his spear closest to the center of the target to win his first immunity. When they arrived back from the Immunity Challenge, John and Russell H. debated on how the voting would go down; if John were to switch his vote to Laura after a tie, the next person voted out would be a former Foa Foa. John's first instinct was to let the Tribal Council vote to go the infamous "purple rock" tiebreaker and then hope that one of the former Foa Foa would be sent home. At Tribal Council, the vote came to a 5–5 tie between Laura and Natalie. Per the rules, a second vote was held where Laura and Natalie would not vote—the remaining eight castaways would have to vote for one of the two. When the votes were cast again, John changed his vote, and Laura was voted out 5–3.
Episode 11: "Off With Their Heads!"
- Reward Challenge: Instead of a Reward Challenge, a Survivor Auction was held. Items won were the following:
Contestants Item(s) Brett Nothing Dave Nothing Jaison A sealed container with a note that will help him at the next Immunity Challenge John Clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol, slice of apple pie Mick Cheeseburger CheeseburgerA cheeseburger is a hamburger with cheese that has been added to it. Traditionally, the cheese is placed on top of the patty, but the burger can include many variations in structure, ingredients, and composition...
, french friesFrench friesFrench fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
, and a beerMonica Whole roasted chicken (Mystery item) Natalie Peanut butter and jelly sandwich Peanut butter and jelly sandwichThe peanut butter and jelly sandwich or PB&J is a sandwich, popular in North America, that includes a layer of peanut butter and either jam or jelly on bread, commonly between two slices, but sometimes eaten open-faced....
, a showerRussell H. Nothing Shambo Sea noodles and sea slug guts with grated Parmesan cheese (Mystery item) - Immunity Challenge: With one hand, the castaways would hang on to a rope with several knots tied into it. The rope would be tied to one end of a heavy log. The other end of the log would be connected to a pivot point on a platform that the castaways would stand on. The castaways would start at the knot closest to the end of the log. Every three minutes, they would change hands and move one knot further down the rope. This would increase the angle of the log at the pivot point and increase the weight that the castaways would have to hold. The castaway who held on to the rope the longest would win.
The day's treemail contained envelopes full of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
500, signaling a Survivor Auction. Unlike previous Survivor Auctions, money and food could not be shared. Jaison bid high on a note that would give him an advantage at the Immunity Challenge. At the challenge, Jaison opened the sealed container; the note stated that Jaison was able to move up two knots on his rope at any time during the challenge, giving him a significant advantage. Because he had the upper hand in regards to the note, Jaison won the Immunity Challenge. Back at camp, the tribe decided to eat the chickens won by Galu in a previous Reward Challenge. Shambo, the chickens' caretaker, took control of the cooking and insisted on boiling the chickens. She was infuriated when Dave, who had won the chickens for his tribe, suggested on another method of cooking. That night, Shambo had "a clairvoyant dream" in which the tribe had voted out Dave. The next day, Russell H. confronted John about the missing Hidden Immunity Idol and revealed to the latter the idol. Later, Russell H. realized that he had made a mistake in showing John the idol and felt that he needed get rid of John immediately to cover up the mistake. He organized a plan to vote John out with his Foa Foa alliance. John did not see through the Foa Foa pact, and at Tribal Council, the Foa Foa plan came together—stunning Shambo in the process—and John was voted out 7–1–1.
Episode 12: "Damage Control"
- Immunity Challenge: The castaways would compete in a bowlingTen-pin bowlingTen-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
tournament. The castaways would be randomly matched against another castaway and given two rolls. The castaway who knocks down the most pins moves on to the next round. The remaining castaways would compete in another round and so forth until a winner is determined.
After returning to camp from Tribal Council, Shambo was stunned about the vote going against John. To calm down the infuriated Shambo, Russell H. said he voted out John because he was gunning for her. She bought the lie, but she insisted that Dave had to go next. The argument between Russell H. and his tribe about the former's US$1.7 million salary proved that there were cracks forming in the Foa Foa alliance. When the tribe arrived at the challenge site, Jeff announced they would be playing for immunity, not the expected reward.
Jaison took his second immunity win in a row, while Shambo reaffirmed her statement that Dave was going home at the next Tribal Council. After the challenge, Dave knew that he was the "lowest man on the totem pole" in the tribe. Russell H. debated between Dave and Shambo. However, at Tribal Council, Shambo got her wish, and Dave was voted out 7–1.
- Immunity Challenge: The castaways would swim out into the ocean to retrieve one of three bags. They would then swim back and have to launch the bag up into a basket on top of a tower by jumping on a plank setup like a seesawSeesawA seesaw is a long, narrow board pivoted in the middle so that, as one end goes up, the other goes down.-Mechanics:Mechanically a seesaw is a lever and fulcrum....
. The first castaways to get their three bags into the basket would win.
Russell H. thought that Brett was the biggest threat to him remaining as he was well liked by the jury, so he started to work on voting out Brett with the Foa Foa alliance. At the Immunity Challenge, Brett edged out Mick to win Individual Immunity, much to the alliance's disappointment. Brett's win solidified the Foa Foa theory that he could quite possibly win again, forcing the alliance to vote out one of their own at the next Tribal Council. Russell H. told the rest that Monica was to be voted out first. Monica stirred the pot by informing Russell H. that Natalie had previously told her about Russell H.'s salary—she later corrected herself and stated it was rather Jaison who revealed the information. Monica's plot to anger Russell H. worked, and he went off to confront his alliance members about Monica's story; after confronting Brett and Natalie, he went to Jaison, who denied it because he had forgotten he told Brett and Monica those stories. Jaison felt nervous around Russell H. and believed the latter should be eliminated soon. When the castaways sat down at Tribal Council, Russell H. flaunted the Hidden Immunity Idol pulled out it out and placed it around his neck. Monica commented that she was busy stirring the pot and infuriating Russell H. with her rumors. Russell H. felt that this earned her a trip home, and she was sent home 5–2.
Episode 13: "Two Brains Are Better Than One"
- Reward Challenge: Coconuts would be suspended in the air by intertwined ropes on a frame. The castaways would be split into two teams. One at a time, each castaway would select a rope to remove, which would cause coconuts to be released and drop to the ground. The first team to cause 100 coconuts to drop would lose.
- Reward: A trip to a local village with a feast and overnight stay
- Immunity Challenge: The castaways would run out into a field to six different stations and count the number of objects (pigs, crabs, rocks, coconuts, octopi, and fish) at each station. The count of the objects would be used to unlock a combination lock. The first castaway to open his or her lock and break the tile would win.
In the tribe's shelter, Brett and Natalie felt a connection through their shared interest in religion as Brett recited verses of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
from memory. At the Reward Challenge, the castaways drew stones to be team captains; when Natalie, one of the team captains, selected Brett first, Russell H. and Shambo were suspicious of an alliance that would need to be broken up immediately. This was partially brought up when Brett and Natalie joined hands as "prayer warriors" to help them through the challenge. After Jaison, Russell H., and Shambo won the challenge, they went on their reward trip. Jaison told Russell H he agreed to go to the top three together. The winning trio also discussed the possibility of a Brett–Natalie alliance and that they had to put a stop to it immediately by voting out Brett or Mick next. Back at camp, Brett suggested the three from the losing team create their own reward by spending the day at the beach hunting for snails. When Russell H. returned to camp, he talked with Natalie about her picking of Brett at the Reward Challenge. She reassured him that her and Russell H.'s "final two alliance" from early in the game was still strong. At the Immunity Challenge, Russell H. became worried when Brett won immunity for the second time in a row. Jaison figured the former Foa Foa needed to be as strong as possible in order to prevent Brett from winning any further Immunity Challenges, and told Russell H. that Shambo would need to go next due to her poor performance in challenges. When Shambo approached the conversation, Jaison quickly scrambled off. Russell H. told Shambo, suspicious that Jaison was hiding something, that Jaison was upset, that he wanted to vote out Mick, and that Russell H. agreed with the vote. Mick was surprised when Russell H. told him that Shambo was getting on his nerves and she needed to go. At Tribal Council, Russell H. once again openly wore his Hidden Immunity Idol, but did not use it the last time it could be played. Shambo was voted out 5–1.
Episode 14: "This Game Ain't Over"
- Immunity Challenge: The castaways would race across a rope net and a balance beam to retrieve a bag of puzzle pieces. Once back with the bag, they would climb up a steep wall to a platform where they would assemble the puzzle pieces. The first castaway to assemble their puzzle, the Survivor: Samoa logo, would win.
The remaining four Foa Foa members concentrated on getting rid of Brett, feeling that he didn't deserve to be there. Russell H. talked to Natalie about how they could keep her in the game, warning her that if Brett were to win the next Immunity Challenge, she would be voted off in order to keep the strongest possible in the game in the hopes of voting off Brett. Russell H. was again extremely confident going into the Immunity Challenge, but while he had an early lead, Brett came from behind during the puzzle assembly stage and pulled off his third immunity win in a row.
Natalie and Russell H. again discussed what the plans were for Tribal Council. Russell H. wanted to keep Natalie around, as he felt that she would be seen by the jury members as "riding his coattails" and therefore not get any votes. Russell H. told Jaison that they had to keep Natalie and get rid of Mick in order to make it to the final three, which Jaison agreed with. Russell H. told Mick a different story: Jaison could not beat Brett in anything, and voting off Jaison would give them a better chance at beating Brett. Mick agreed with the plan, believing that Jaison wasn't mentally in the game while Natalie was. With the vote split—Jaison and Mick agreeing to vote for each other—the power of who went home fell to Natalie and Russell H. They decided to vote against Jaison, and he was sent home blindsided by a vote of 4–1.
- Immunity Challenge: The castaways would balance a wooden statue on top of a pole which they would have to keep upright holding the bottom of the pole. At regular intervals, an additional 1-foot (30-cm) section would be added to the end of the pole, making the pole longer and harder to balance. The last castaway still holding the statue up would win.
Upon returning to camp, Brett knew that he had to win the next Immunity Challenge or he would be going home. Russell H. made a deal with Brett that should either of them win the next Immunity Challenge, that they would take each other to the final three. The final four took the traditional journey honoring the castaways voted out before heading to their Final Immunity Challenge. The challenge came down to Brett and Russell H.; with the poles at 7 feet (2.1 m) in length, Brett lost the balance on his pole and Russell H. won his first Individual Immunity.
Brett figured that his only hope to remain in the game was the deal he made with Russell H. Russell H. gloated about his challenge win to Mick and Natalie and said that he thought he had a great shot at the million dollars and was already rehearsing his jury speech. Mick was concerned that Russell H. had some secret plan and that Mick was going home, but Natalie reassured him that the former Foa Foa would stick together. Russell H. told Brett that he had a problem because he had made a deal with everybody to take them to the final three. Russell H. told Brett that Brett was the kind of guy that Russell H. wanted his kids to marry and he wished he was like Brett when he was young. Russell H. told Brett that Mick and Natalie would be voting against him and asked if Brett could win a fire starting challenge if Russell H. joined Brett in voting for Mick, forcing a tie.
At Tribal Council, Mick and Natalie stated that there was no doubt in their mind that Brett was going home. Jeff asked Russell H. if he could appreciate the competitor in Brett. Russell H. answered that he respected the game and that Brett deserved to be in the final three. Mick and Natalie emphasized that strategically, Russell H. had to vote out Brett. In the end, Russell H. voted against Brett and he became the final jury member by a vote of 3–1.
With only three Foa Foa members left, Mick, Natalie, and Russell H. celebrated with the traditional Day 39 breakfast. Russell H. pressed Natalie over what she was going to say to the jury and he continued to gloat over how he had locked up the necessary jury votes. The three then burned their encampment. At the final Tribal Council, the final three made their opening statements. Mick stated that he tried to play the game without overstepping his morals by trying not promise too much, overtly stomp on, lie, and mislead people, or treat them as pawns in the game. Natalie focused on how she came into the game wanting to gain the confidence in going outside her comfort zone and that she appreciated everybody on the jury. Russell H. went over many of his big strategic moves throughout the game and that he played the game better than Mick or Natalie.
The time then came for the jury to ask their questions to the final three. Jaison was up first, asking the three to tell the members of the jury who they really were and if they didn't, that he would. All three told the jury what they did, but Jaison pointed out that both Natalie and Russell H. had made a lot of money before coming on Survivor, that Mick had the potential to make a lot of money, and that the jury should not focus who was broke, but on other criteria. Shambo took the opportunity to apologize to America for dismantling Galu and that she questioned that judgment call. She called Mick's overall game play "feckless", which Mick did not know the meaning of. She used the word "coattail" to describe Natalie, to which Natalie defended that she purposefully tried not to be aggressive in the game. Shambo then said that there was no way that Mick and Natalie would get her vote and said nothing to Russell H. Brett asked nothing of Natalie or Russell H., but asked Mick what a "bro date" would be like with him to see to what level Mick invested in Brett as a human being. Kelly started with Natalie, telling her that she thought she was never on the field in the game and that Kelly always saw Natalie asking for help in the challenges, to which Natalie said that while she might not have been good in the challenges, but she gave 100% and that she got better as the game progressed. She asked Russell H. if he lied, cheated, and stole in real life as he did in the game, to which Russell H. said that he did not and that "honor, integrity, and loyalty" was the most important thing to him, which she had a hard time believing. She said nothing to Mick.
Next up was Monica, who asked Mick and Natalie why they felt the other two sitting beside them did not deserve to win. Mick said that Natalie rode out her alignment with Russell H. throughout the game and that Russell H. was willing to lie, pit people against each other, mislead, and had a giant ego. Russell H. interrupted Mick's answer by stating that both Natalie and Mick didn't mind when Russell H. was being a snake and was congratulating him all the way. Dave asked the three what they thought their chances were with the jury. Mick thought it was 20–25%, Natalie 30–40%, and Russell H. 55%. Laura asked nothing of Natalie or Mick, but asked Russell H. what he learned about her that enabled him to beat her. John asked nothing of Russell H., but asked Mick and Natalie for the "hard sell" of his vote. Mick repeated the theme of his opening statement that he was a stand up guy, while Natalie said that she saw how the aggressive women in the game were getting voted out and that she adapted her game after that.
Erik asked no questions of the final three and instead made statements to the three. He told Mick that he did nothing to deserve the title of being the tribe leader of Foa Foa. He told Russell H. that he played an unethical game and wondered if Russell H. got to the right place by behaving the wrong way and if Russell H. was proud of behaving in such a manner. Finally, Erik told Natalie that people would call her weak and undeserving, but asked that why are those characteristics were any less admirable than lying, cheating and stealing. He went on to say that maybe she would call herself the less deserving of the title Sole Survivor, but that in an environment filled with "arrogance" (pointing to Russell H.) and "delusional entitlement" (pointing to Mick), that the person who might thinks she is the least deserving, could probably be the most. Erik closed his speech by saying that Natalie had his vote and hoped she would get four more. The jury gave Natalie an additional six votes and she became the Sole Survivor over Russell H. and Mick by a vote of 7–2–0.
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Mike was evacuated due to medical reasons, therefore no vote occurred for his removal from the game.
Russell S. was evacuated due to medical reasons, therefore no vote occurred for his removal from the game.
The first Tribal Council Vote resulted in a tie. Per the rules, a second vote was held where the castaways involved in the tie would not vote and the remaining castaways could only vote for the two tied.
Laura and Natalie were not eligible to vote in the second Tribal Council vote.
U.S. Nielsen ratings
| Episode | Rating | Share | Rating/Share Nielsen Ratings Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States... (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
Weekly Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Puppet Master" | 6.8 | 11 | 3.6/11 | 11.66 | #12 |
| "Taking Candy From a Baby" | 6.7 | 11 | 3.7/11 | 11.66 | #22 |
| "It's Called a Russell Seed" | 6.9 | 11 | 3.7/11 | 11.54 | #22 |
| "Hungry for a Win" | 7.0 | 11 | 3.4/10 | 11.69 | #19 |
| "Walking on Thin Ice" | 7.1 | 11 | 3.5/10 | 11.78 | #19 |
| "This Is the Man Test" | 7.7 | 12 | 4.0/11 | 12.88 | #17 |
| "Houdini Magic" | 6.9 | 11 | 3.7/10 | 12.19 | #15 |
| "All Hell Breaks Loose" | 7.3 | 11 | 3.7/10 | 12.44 | #20 |
| "Tastes like Chicken" | 7.5 | 12 | 4.0/11 | 12.94 | #18 |
| "The Day of Reckoning" | 7.2 | 11 | 3.8/11 | 12.33 | #19 |
| "The First 27 Days" | 5.3 | 11 | 3.1 | 9.94 | #23 |
| "Off With Their Heads!" | 7.5 | 12 | 3.9/11 | 12.82 | #7 |
| "Damage Control" | 7.6 | 12 | 4.2/12 | 13.25 | #11 |
| "Two Brains Are Better Than One" | 7.3 | 12 | 3.9/12 | 12.46 | #16 |
| "This Game Ain't Over" | 7.6 | 12 | 4.4/11 | 13.97 | #12 |
| "The Reunion" | 6.4 | 11 | 3.8/10 | 11.68 | #17 |
Australian ratings
| Episode | Original airdate | Five-city metropolitan figures | Total | Rank | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... |
Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... |
Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of... |
Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million... |
Perth Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000.... |
Night | Week | ||||
| "The Puppet Master" | 1 December 2009 | 247,000 | 274,000 | 106,000 | 56,000 | 105,000 | 788,000 | #14 | — | |
| "Taking Candy From a Baby" | 8 December 2009 | 283,000 | 347,000 | 124,000 | 72,000 | 85,000 | 911,000 | #8 | #24 | |
| "It's Called a Russell Seed" | 15 December 2009 | 226,000 | 258,000 | 148,000 | 52,000 | 98,000 | 781,000 | #14 | #39 | |
| "Hungry for a Win" | 246,000 | 301,000 | 123,000 | 57,000 | 103,000 | 830,000 | #9 | #30 | ||
| "Walking on Thin Ice" | 22 December 2009 | 252,000 | 184,000 | 135,000 | 49,000 | 83,000 | 702,000 | #16 | — | |
| "This Is the Man Test" | 277,000 | 223,000 | 106,000 | 60,000 | 96,000 | 762,000 | #13 | — | ||
| "Houdini Magic" | 29 December 2009 | 211,000 | 237,000 | 123,000 | 71,000 | 84,000 | 727,000 | #10 | — | |
| "All Hell Breaks Loose" | 238,000 | 253,000 | 110,000 | 78,000 | 84,000 | 762,000 | #8 | — | ||
| "Tastes like Chicken" | 5 January 2010 | — | — | — | — | — | 837,000 | #7 | — | |
| "The Day of Reckoning" | — | — | — | — | — | 815,000 | #8 | — | ||
| "The First 27 Days" | 12 January 2010 | — | — | — | — | — | 838,000 | #9 | — | |
| "Off With Their Heads!" | — | — | — | — | — | 919,000 | #6 | — | ||
| "Damage Control" | 19 January 2010 | — | — | — | — | — | 895,000 | #9 | — | |
| "Two Brains Are Better Than One" | — | — | — | — | — | 897,000 | #8 | — | ||
| "This Game Ain't Over"The finale ("This Game Ain't Over") was split into two parts by the Australian broadcaster, the Nine Network Nine Network The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia... . This practice is commonly employed in Australian television finales, in particular reality series finales, to increase average audience figures across the broadcast. |
2 February 2010 | 233,000 | 291,000 | 166,000 | 88,000 | 114,000 | 892,000 | #13 | — | |
| 249,000 | 290,000 | 176,000 | 88,000 | 102,000 | 906,000 | #11 | — | |||
| "The Reunion" | 243,000 | 253,000 | 147,000 | 80,000 | 82,000 | 804,000 | #16 | — | ||
| An "—" indicates either insufficient data to determine figures/rankings from references, or the episode failed to rank in the weekly top 100 programs. | ||||||||||
Notes