Survivor: Guatemala

Survivor: Guatemala, also known as Survivor: Guatemala — , is the eleventh season of .
Filmed among the ancient Mayan ruins, the season pitted 16 new castaways against returning players Bobby Jon Drinkard and Stephenie LaGrossa, who had become famed during their outing on for weathering the Ulong tribe's decimation. The season also saw the birth of the Hidden Immunity Idol twist, which would become a permanent fixture of Survivor from this point forward.
In the end, Danni Boatwright's combination of stealthy social gameplay and tenacity as the final member of her alliance earned her the title of Sole Survivor after beating Stephenie in a 6-1 landslide, only losing the vote of Rafe Judkins. To date, it has produced two returning players (Danni Boatwright and Stephenie LaGrossa) for subsequent seasons.
==Production==
Originally, this season was supposed to be filmed in a location on the , with scouting taking place in , , and in November 2004. However, the forced the plans to be scrapped. Guatemala was chosen as the backup location."Survivor: Palau" Cast Revealed
Applications were due January 14, 2005. Around March, 800 applicants were selected for an interview by CBS. Out of these 800, 48 semi-finalists were selected to go to Los Angeles sometime around April 2005. There, 16 of the nominees were chosen to participate on the show. Shooting began in June and ended in August.
This season also features the return of fan favorites Stephenie LaGrossa and Bobby Jon Drinkard, raising the number of contestants to 18. Other notable contestants include former beauty queen and model-turned radio announcer Danni Boatwright and ex-NFL quarterback Gary Hogeboom.
==Twists/Changes==
* One Returnee per Tribe: Two former contestants, Bobby Jon Drinkard and Stephenie LaGrossa, returned for another chance to win. Each tribe was assigned one of the returning players.
* Tribe Switch: On Day 9, a tribe switch occurred.
**Summit: As part of the tribe switch mechanic, two members of each tribe were sent on a picnic where they could get to know each other before they returned to their respective tribe camps to find that the tribes had been switched.
* Double Tribal Council: On Day 15, both tribes attended Tribal Council. They played for reward, with the winners competing for individual immunity and the opportunity to observe the losing tribe's Tribal Council, and vote for one person to receive immunity.
* Hidden Immunity Idol: Located around the Xhakúm campsite was a small wooden totem that could be used as a form of individual immunity. Clues are given to winners of challenges. The idol was to be played before the vote to detract particular voting blocs from targeting the player in question. Once the idol was played, it was discarded.
==Castaways==
Contestant	Contestant 	Tribe Affiliation	Tribe Affiliation	Tribe Affiliation	Finish	VotesAgainst
Contestant	Contestant 	 	 	 	Finish	VotesAgainst
 	Jim Lynch63, Northglenn, CORetired Fire Captain 	 	 	 	 	8
 	Morgan McDevitt21, Decatur, ILMagician's Assistant 	 	 	 	 	8
 	Brianna Varela21, Edmonds, WARetail Salesperson 	 	 	 	 	7
 	Brooke Struck25, Hood River, ORLaw Student 	 	 	 	 	5
 	Blake Towsley24, Dallas, TXReal Estate Broker 	 	 	 	 	5
 	Margaret Bobonich43, Chardon, OHNursing Practitioner 	 	 	 	 	7
 	Brian Corridan22, New York City, NYIvy League Student 	 	 	 	 	7
 	Amy O'Hara39, Revere, MAPolice Sargeant 	 	 	 	 	4
 	Brandon Bellinger22, Manhattan, KSFarmer 	 	 	rowspan="10" 	 	6
 	Bobby Jon Drinkard28, Los Angeles, CA 	 	 	 	8 	
 	Jamie Newton24, North Hollywood, CAWater Ski Instructor	 	 	 	10 	
 	Gary Hogeboom46, Grand Haven, MIFormer NFL Quarterback 	 	 	 	8 	
 	Judd Sergeant34, Ridgefield, NJHotel Doorman 	 	 	 	5 	
 	Cindy Hall30, Naples, FLZookeeper 	 	 	 	6 	
 	Lydia Morales42, Lakewood, WAFishmonger 	 	 	 	10 	
 	Rafe Judkins22, Pittsburgh, PAWilderness Guide 	 	 	 	2 	
 	Stephenie LaGrossa25, Toms River, NJ 	 	 	Runner-Up 	2 	
 	Danni Boatwright29, Tonganoxie, KSSports Radio Host 	 	 	Sole Survivor 	1 	
==Season Summary==
Sixteen players were split into two tribes named Nakúm and Yaxhá after two Maya cities. Each tribe was joined by a contestant from , Bobby Jon Drinkard, who was assigned to Nakúm, and Stephenie LaGrossa, who was assigned to Yaxhá. Yaxhá struggled early on, losing two of the first three Immunity Challenges to Nakúm.
After a tribe switch on Day 9, Stephenie, Rafe, and Jamie formed a new alliance with Judd to take control of Nakúm, prompting Judd to betray his original tribemates. However, Yaxhá went on a losing streak, with the former Nakúm members opting to eliminate the original Yaxhá members. Thus, the original Yaxhá entered the merge with a 6-4 deficit against Nakúm.
Upon merging, the new tribe was informed that a Hidden Immunity Idol was located in the jungle. Judd received a clue to the whereabouts of the Hidden Immunity Idol after winning a Reward Challenge. However, Gary found the idol and used it at Tribal Council prevented him from being eliminated.
The threat of the Hidden Immunity Idol made the post-switch Nakúm vote out Bobby Jon, though Gary soon followed after the idol was used. Danni survived this Pagonging by winning immunity on Day 33 and making a deal with Rafe. Eventually, Stephenie, Danni, and Rafe worked together and reached the Final Three. When Danni won the Final Immunity Challenge, she voted Rafe out after he released her from their prior deal.
At the Final Tribal Council, Stephenie was berated for her multiple betrayals, losing to Danni in a 6-1 decision, with the jury praising her effective, stealthy game despite being the last person standing in her alliance.
==Voting History==
==Trivia==
* Guatemala is the first season of to include both new players and returning players.
** This is the first season of the "one returnee per tribe" format.
*** This is the only season with the "one returnee per tribe" format to contain a female returnee.
** This is the first season where a new player defeated a returning player in the Final Tribal Council.
* Guatemala is the only U.S. season with no African-American contestants.
* Guatemala is the most recent season of Survivor to have a Final Two without any evacuation or quit.
* After Danni was voted out on , all of the castaways from Guatemala have been voted out at some point.
** It is the fifth season to gain this distinction, after , , , and .
==References==
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Category:Survivor (U.S.)
Category:Survivor: Guatemala
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