Survivor South Africa: Philippines

Survivor South Africa: Philippines is the sixth season of Survivor South Africa. 
Following a four-year hiatus, Survivor South Africa returned with Philippines, whose game format was modified to align more closely with the flagship American series. From the start of the season, the castaways played aggressively, leading to numerous blindsides and the earliest rock draw to occur in franchise history. Upon the merge, the game took a lull as Werner Joubert's Luzon Alliance marched to the end with little effective resistance. After Werner was voted out, Jeanne Michel and Tom Swartz emerged as the season's Final Two. Though both were chastised for riding on Werner's coattails, Tom was able to sway an apparently unfavorable jury to his side as he defeated Jeanne in a 6-1 jury vote to become the Sole Survivor.
To date, Philippines has produced five returning players (Palesa Tau, PK Phetoe, Seamus Holmes, Tevin Naidu, and Toni Tebbutt) for a future season.
==Production==
Philippines was filmed between January and February 2018 in El Nido, located in Palawan, a province of the Philippines. This was the first season to be produced by , taking over from .
==Twists/Changes==
* Longer Game: The game lasted 39 days, twelve days longer than the previous four seasons.
* Hidden Immunity Idol: Hidden Immunity Idols were hidden at camp, at challenge sites, and at Tribal Council. Each Hidden Immunity Idol this season was distinct in appearance, making it more difficult for the players to know if the idols are real or fake.
** Idol Transfer Rules: In a change from the previous season, idols could no longer be stolen from other castaways.
*Tribe Expansion: On Day 9, a third tribe, , was introduced, spreading the fifteen remaining castaways across three tribes of five.
*Double Tribal Council: On Day 16, only one tribe won immunity at the Immunity Challenge, with both losing tribes jointly attending Tribal Council, and each tribe voting out one member.
** Mock Vote: In a surprise twist, the castaways who were voted out were instead switched to the opposite tribe, and had to choose one tribemate to switch along with them.
*: On Day 30, the winner of the combined Reward/Immunity Challenge had to choose two people to be exiled.
*Extra Vote: An Extra Vote advantage was offered to the players that were sent to Exile Island on Day 30. The advantage was good until the final five.
*Juror Removal: The winner of the Final Immunity Challenge also earned the right to eliminate a juror of their choice, blocking them from voting at the Final Tribal Council.
*Reformatted Final Tribal Council: Instead of having each jury member speak one by one, an open forum was held to ensure a more insightful rapport between the jury and finalists.
==Castaways==
Contestant	Contestant 	Tribe Affiliation	Tribe Affiliation	Tribe Affiliation	Tribe Affiliation	Finish	VotesAgainst
Contestant	Contestant 	Original Tribe 	Expanded Tribe 	Switched Tribe 	Merged Tribe 	Finish	VotesAgainst
 	Seamus Holmes25, Durban, KZNProperty Broker 	 	 	 	 	 	5
 	Neil Voller55, Johannesburg, GPHR Executive 	 	 	 	 	 	0
 	Stacey-Lee Valentyn27, Cape Town, WCBusiness Analyst 	 	 	 	 	 	6
 	Ace Chetty28, Johannesburg, GPGraphic Designer 	 	 	 	 	 	3
 	Murishca Martheze34, Cape Town, WCMarketing Manager 	 	 	 	 	 	3
 	Marthunis Oosthuizen29, Durban, KZNInvestment Adviser 	 	 	 	 	 	0
 	Tevin Naidu24, Durban, KZNMedical Doctor 	 	 	 	 	 	3
 	Josie Eveleigh28, Cape Town, WCTravel Writer 	 	 	 	 	 	10
 	Vusi Mafulela35, Johannesburg, GPLogistics Manager 	 	 	 	rowspan="10" 	 	5
 	Chané Mynhardt28, Bloemfontein, FSAdmin Clerk 	 	 	 	 	7 	
 	Palesa Tau28, Johannesburg, GPRadio Presenter 	 	 	 	 	8 	
 	Toni Tebbutt38, Johannesburg, GPContent Developer 	 	 	 	 	5 	
 	PK Phetoe28, Pretoria, GPMining Technician 	 	 	 	 	13 	
 	Katinka Oosthuizen19, Mossel Bay, WCSocial Media Influencer	 	 	 	 	7 	
 	Werner Joubert34, Secunda, MPPastor/Biokineticist 	 	 	 	 	9 	
 	Annalize Sainsbury44, Cape Town, WCCaterer 	 	 	 	 	11 	
 	Jeanne Michel34, Cape Town, WCRadio Producer 	 	 	 	Runner-Up 	4 	
 	Tom Swartz41, Port Elizabeth, ECAdventure Camp Manager 	 	 	 	Sole Survivor 	8 	
==Season Summary==
The game began with two tribes of nine, and Mindanao. Mindanao enjoyed early success by winning the first four challenges, with Luzon quickly becoming fractured which was exacerbated by Ace flipping back and forth, leading to a rock draw on Day 6 which eliminated their leader Neil. Two Tribe Switches saw the numbers even out at 5-5 at the merge.
Once the tribes merged, the post-swap Luzon Alliance headed by Werner began to systematically eliminate the former Visayas members along with outsiders on the tribe. At the final five, Katinka attempted a coup to take down the alliance only to be foiled by Tom, who leaked the plot to Werner, with Katinka swiftly paying the price. Werner's control of the game wouldn't last much longer however, as Jeanne persuaded Tom to turn against his most loyal ally. A surprise Final Two necessitated the need for a Juror Removal, with Jeanne winning the Final Immunity Challenge and choosing to remove Werner from the jury. She also decided to take Tom with her to the Final Two.
At the Final Tribal Council, both finalists were accused by the jury of being coattail riders and Tom in particular was criticised for his abrasive personality. However, a combination of Tom owning up to his faults and the jury's perception of Jeanne having got to the end purely by luck resulted in him being awarded the title of Sole Survivor in a 6-1 vote.
==Voting History==
==Trivia==
*Philippines is the first in the South African franchise to feature:
**A rock draw.
**Three pre-merge tribes.
**A tribe expansion.
**A Juror Removal.
* Philippines is the second South African season, after , where the tribes were pre-determined by production instead of being formed by a random draw or Schoolyard Pick.
==References==
Category:Survivor South Africa
Category:Survivor South Africa: Philippines
Category:Survivor South Africa Seasons