Survivor: Cagayan

Survivor: Cagayan, also unofficially known as Survivor: Cagayan — Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty, is the twenty-eighth season of . Three tribes of six players each were established at the beginning of the season, each being defined by traits that its members tended to employ in their daily lives. The season saw one quit, and has to date produced six returning players (Kass McQuillen, Sarah Lacina, Spencer Bledsoe, Tasha Fox, Tony Vlachos, and Woo Hwang) for subsequent seasons.
Cagayan is famed among Survivor seasons for its unpredictability as well as the strategic and emotional dynamism of its cast. The post-merge game in particular was characterized by a higher-than-usual number of betrayals and blindsides, and there were several bitter disputes between contestants. Highlights included the frenetic scheming of Tony Vlachos, the up-and-down fortunes of Spencer Bledsoe, and the polarizing conduct of Kass McQuillen. The season culminated with Tony winning the title of Sole Survivor in an 8-1 vote over Woo Hwang.
==Production==
The season was filmed shortly after filming for cost-cutting purposes, a tradition in the U.S. series since . It was said that several cast and crew decided to stay to enjoy the town's beaches and other natural wonders.
Jeff Probst claimed that the season format (initially code-named as "B.B.B.") was due to popular demand.
While the season was filmed in the Philippines, the theme of the season was mostly inspired by Indonesian culture (predominantly Balinese), with the logo of the season, torches, and the tribal Immunity Idol bearing Balinese demon designs.
 winner Parvati Shallow continued to be the host of the Survivor After Show for this season.
==Twists/Changes==
* Three Tribes: The castaways are divided into three tribes of six members each.
* Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty: The division of the tribes is based on the most prominent personal attributes of each castaway: brawn, brains, and beauty.
* Tribe Leaders: At the beginning of the game, all tribes vote for a tribe leader, who will be tasked with making decisions (only the first impressions' vote) for the tribe as a whole.
* First Impressions: The leaders of the tribes must choose who they think is the weakest on their respective tribe. The 3 chosen contestants (one from each tribe) get to ride to camp in the chopper and get there faster. At the camp, they choose between a clue for the Hidden Immunity Idol or an extra bag of rice for the tribe.
* Hidden Immunity Idol: While the current format of the Hidden Immunity Idol still applies, an additional Hidden Immunity Idol will be in play post-merge. The said idol is to be used after the votes have been read and can be only used by its finder. This format is similar to how the idol was supposed to be used back in and .
* Tribe Switch: On Day 12, Luzon is disbanded, and the remaining fourteen castaways are shuffled and randomly distributed into the new Aparri and Solana tribes.
* Merge: This season merged with eleven castaways in the game.
* Final Two and Nine-Person Jury: For the first time in history, two finalists would face a 9-person jury. This is also the first time since to have a Final Tribal Council with only two players.
==Castaways==
Contestant	Contestant 	Tribe Affiliation	Tribe Affiliation	Tribe Affiliation	Finish	VotesAgainst
Contestant	Contestant 	Original Tribe 	Switched Tribe 	Merged Tribe 	Finish	VotesAgainst
 	David Samson45, Plantation, FLMiami Marlins President 	 	 	 	 	4
 	Garrett Adelstein27, Santa Monica, CAProfessional Poker Player	 	 	 	 	3
 	Brice Johnston27, Philadelphia, PASocial Worker 	 	 	 	 	5
 	J'Tia Taylor31, Chicago, ILNuclear Engineer 	 	 	 	 	7
 	Cliff Robinson46, Buffalo, NYFormer NBA All-Star 	 	 	 	 	4
 	Lindsey Ogle29, Kokomo, INHairstylist 	 	 	 	 	0
 	Alexis Maxwell21, Addison, ILStudent 	 	 	 	 	8
 	Sarah Lacina29, Cedar Rapids, IAPolice Officer 	 	 	rowspan="11" 	 	6
 	Morgan McLeod21, San Jose, CAEx-NFL Cheerleader 	 	 	 	8 	
 	LJ McKanas34, Boston, MAHorse Trainer 	 	 	 	8 	
 	Jeremiah Wood34, Dobson, NCMale Model 	 	 	 	9 	
 	Jefra Bland23, Campbellsville, KYMiss Kentucky Teen USA 	 	 	 	9 	
 	Tasha Fox36, St. Louis, MOAccountant 	 	 	 	4 	
 	Trish Hegarty47, Needham, MAPilates Trainer 	 	 	 	5 	
 	Spencer Bledsoe21, Chicago, ILEconomics Student 	 	 	 	8 	
 	Kass McQuillen41, Tehachapi, CAAttorney 	 	 	 	2 	
 	Woo Hwang29, Newport Beach, CAMartial Arts Instructor 	 	 	Runner-Up 	4 	
 	Tony Vlachos39, Jersey City, NJPolice Officer 	 	 	Sole Survivor 	5 	
==Season Summary==
The eighteen new castaways were divided into three tribes based on primary attributes: Aparri (Brawn), Luzon (Brains), and Solana (Beauty). The Brains tribe stumbled out of the gate early, losing three of the first four Immunity Challenges and being reduced to only Tasha, Kass, and Spencer. The Beauty tribe, led by LJ, only lost one member, while the Brawn tribe went undefeated in challenges. 
With 14 players remaining, the castaways were shuffled into two tribes of seven: Aparri—featuring the three Brains, three Beauty, and Sarah from the Brawn tribe— and Solana, consisting of Beauties LJ and Jefra, and the other five Brawn. The Brawn initially planned to hold strong and get rid of LJ, but he and Jefra convinced Tony and Trish to turn on the original Brawn tribe, voting out physical threat Cliff instead.
The two tribes merged with 11 players remaining, five from Solana and six from Aparri. While the swapped tribes looked like they were going to stick together, Tony attempted to sway his old ally Sarah back to the Brawn-heavy Solana Alliance, but Sarah was indecisive. Instead, Trish persuaded Kass to swap to defect from Aparri to Solana, which she did, eliminating Sarah and putting the post-swap Solana in power.
Despite being part of the majority group, Tony's paranoia continually got the better of him as he and Woo navigated between the two alliances to blindside potential threats. He also found multiple hidden Immunity Idols, including a special one that could be used after the votes were read. Tony lied about the idol's "different powers" and successfully managed to avoid being targeted out of fear, ending up in the final three with Kass and Woo.
Woo won the Final Immunity Challenge; and while Kass seemed like an easy choice to take to the end after betraying her initial alliance, Tony convinced Woo to honor their bond as tribe mates throughout the entire game, and Woo took Tony to the Final Tribal Council. At the Final Tribal Council, a majority of the jury grilled Tony (for his aggressive game play), and only Spencer criticized Woo (for riding Tony's coattails), but ultimately Tony was awarded the title of Sole Survivor with eight of the nine jury votes.
==Voting History==
==Trivia==
* The font used for Cagayan's logo is a modified version of "Kemasyuran Jawa."
* Cagayan is the third season to have a three-tribe format, following and .
** Cagayan is the first three-tribe season to not contain returning players.
** Cagayan is the first three-tribe season to have its tribes divided by theme.
* Cagayan is the first season since where a Hidden Immunity Idol may be played after the votes are revealed. This only applied to the special post-merge idol.
* Cagayan is the only season where the first three castaways voted out were men.
* Cagayan is the first season since to have its finale air on a Wednesday, and the first since to not have the finale air on a Sunday.
* Cagayan is the fourth season to have an all-male Final Tribal Council, and the third to have an all-male Final Two.
* Cagayan is the first season since to have a Final Two.
* Cagayan is the first season to have a Final Two with a 9-person jury.
* Cagayan is currently the most recent season to have all finalists come from the same starting tribe.
* Cagayan is one of three seasons to have all final four contestants return in future seasons. The other two are Borneo and .
* All six returning players from Cagayan are featured on the DVD cover.
* All four players who won individual immunity during this season returned for .
* Cagayan has produced the most winning games with three: Tony Vlachos in this season and , and Sarah Lacina in .
** This season has also produced the most Final Tribal Council appearances with six: Tony and Woo Hwang in this season, Spencer Bledsoe and Tasha Fox in Cambodia, Sarah in Game Changers, and Tony again in Winners at War.
==References==
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Category:Survivor (U.S.)
Category:Survivor: Cagayan
Category:Seasons with a reused location