Survivor: Edge of Extinction

Survivor: Edge of Extinction is the thirty-eighth season of .
The season saw the introduction of the , offering contestants a second chance after being voted out in exchange for weathering the abject destitution of the Edge. The tribal phase witnessed the dominance of the Kama tribe, juxtaposed against the implosion of the Manu tribe. The chaotic merge was characterized by numerous blindsides, shifting allegiances and Hidden Immunity Idol plays, with Rick Devens besting his rivals to make the end-game despite being a perpetual target. However, it was Chris Underwood who made full use of his short tenure in the main game after returning from the Edge to win the title of Sole Survivor in a 9-4-0 vote over Gavin Whitson and Julie Rosenberg. 
==Production==
As has been the case for a decade, this season was filmed back-to-back with its predecessor, .
Due to the nature of this season, the castaways were not allowed to do exit press until the end of the season.http://robhasawebsite.com/survivor-2019-rhap-cast-preview-edge-extinction/
==Twists/Changes==
* Four Returning Players: Four previous castaways returned to compete alongside 14 new castaways.
* :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqUy8I9HBEg After being voted out and departing Tribal Council, a player was given the choice to permanently leave the game or go into the unknown for a chance to come back.https://ew.com/tv/2019/01/31/survivor-edge-of-extinction-jeff-probst-season-38-twist/ After the merge, all castaways remaining on Edge of Extinction that did not quit would form the eventual jury.
* Advantage Menu: Hidden at the marooning, the player who found it was given a choice between one of three advantages: to steal the reward from the winning tribe, use the parchment as an Extra Vote, or use it like a Hidden Immunity Idol. The Advantage Menu expired after the third Tribal Council.
* Hidden Immunity Idol: A Hidden Immunity Idol was hidden at each camp. In addition, those who returned to the game from the Edge of Extinction a Hidden Immunity Idol upon their return, but in two halves, one of which must be given to another castaway before the next Tribal Council. If both castaways remained after Tribal Council, the two halves can be reunited into one regular idol.
* Tribe Expansion: On Day 9, a tribe expansion occurred, spreading the 15 remaining players into three tribes of five, the third being the tribe. 
* Extra Vote: On Days 13 and 21, an Extra Vote was hidden on the Edge of Extinction. The person who found the Extra Vote won the right to gift it to someone still in the game. The Extra Vote hidden on Day 13 had the addition stipulation that it could only be gifted to someone attending the next Tribal Council.
* Joint Tribal Council: The two tribes who lost the Day 16 Immunity Challenge were both sent to Tribal Council as one group to vote only one player out.
* Merge: This season merged with 13 castaways in the game; 12 in the main game and 1 from the Edge of Extinction. On Day 35, the second returnee from the Edge of Extinction became the 14th member of the tribe.
* Simplified Final Four Tribal Council: Instead of a traditional vote, the person who won the Final Immunity Challenge chose one person to take with them to the Final Three, leaving the remaining two castaways to compete in a fire-making challenge to determine who would be eliminated.
* Final Three and Jury: Three finalists faced a 13-person jury comprised of almost the entire cast. Everyone who stayed on the Edge and lost the return challenge earned a jury seat.
* 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 jurors and finalists.
==Castaways==
Contestant	Contestant 	Tribe Affiliation	Tribe Affiliation	Tribe Affiliation	Finish	 	VotesAgainst
Contestant	Contestant 	Original Tribe 	Expanded Tribe 	Merged Tribe 	Finish	 	VotesAgainst
 	Reem Daly46, Ashburn, VASales Representative 	 	rowspan="2" 	rowspan="4" 	 	 	4
 	Keith Sowell19, Durham, NCPre-Med Student 	 	 	 	6 	 	
 	Aubry Bracco32, & 	 	 	 	 	4 	
 	Wendy Diaz25, Bell, CASmall Business Owner 	 	 	 	 	15	
 	Joe Anglim29, Ogden, UT & 	 	 	rowspan="16" 	 	 	6
 	Eric Hafemann35, Livermore, CAFirefighter 	 	 	 	 	8 	
 	Julia Carter25, Bethesda, MDMedical Assistant 	 	 	 	 	9 	
 	David Wright44, Sherman Oaks, CA 	 	 	 	 	12	
 	Kelley Wentworth31, Seattle, WA & 	 	 	 	 	14	
 	Wardog DaSilva38, Los Angeles, CALaw Student/Former Military	 	 	 	 	8 	
 	Ron Clark46, Atlanta, GATeacher 	 	 	 	 	3 	
 	Aurora McCreary32, Orlando, FLDivorce Lawyer 	 	 	 	 	12	
 	Victoria Baamonde23, Bronx, NYWaitress 	 	 	 	 	2 	
 	Lauren O'Connell21, Waco, TXStudent 	 	 	 	 	11	
 	Rick Devens34, Macon, GAMorning News Anchor 	 	 	 	 	12	
 	Julie Rosenberg46, New York City, NYToymaker 	 	 	SecondRunner-Up 	 	1 	
 	Gavin Whitson23, Erwin, TNYMCA Program Director 	 	 	Runner-Up 	 	0 	
 	Chris Underwood25, Greenville, SCDistrict Sales Manager 	 	 	 	 	9 	
==Season Summary==
Fourteen new castaways were joined by four returning players: Aubry and Joe who joined Kama, and David and Kelley who joined Manu. On both tribes, the new players appeared to be unified in their agenda of eliminating the returning players. The Kama tribe became a cohesive group, devastating Manu in challenges, whereas Manu found itself stricken in political strife, where its returning players targeted each other but later begrudgingly worked together. 
With 15 players left, the castaways were spread across three tribes where the original Kama was virtually split in half, with 5 members staying on Kama and the other 4 moving to Manu with Wendy. The third tribe Lesu was oddly comprised of 5 original Manu, and found itself in the same losing streak. Unbeknownst to the players still in the game, those who were voted out had been sent to the for a chance to get back in the game. On Day 17, Rick, who was voted out of Lesu, eventually returned to the game by winning the first return challenge, joining the merged Vata tribe. The same day, on the Edge of Extinction, Keith and Wendy raised the mast and left the game. 
At the merge, despite outnumbering the former Manu/Lesu 7-5, the original Kama turned on each other. With David and Rick, and Ron and Julie on the outs with their old tribes, old tribal lines blurred, giving way to multiple short-term deals. Following the eliminations of the remaining returning players David and Kelley, Rick became a prime target for acquiring Hidden Immunity Idols and advantages, but avoided being voted out after winning crucial Immunity Challenges.
On Day 35, Chris won the second return challenge and was reunited his former ally Rick, but was unsure if he could defeat him at the end. Having won the Final Immunity Challenge, Chris had to decide who he would take to the Final Three and who would compete in the fire-making challenge, but, believing his late-game resurgence would not be enough to win him the game, he gave up his immunity to Julie to face Rick himself in the fire-making challenge. Chris defeated Rick, joining Gavin and Julie in the Final Three.
At the Final Tribal Council, Julie was mostly ignored by the jury for being overly emotional on multiple occasions, thus ruining several key plans. Gavin was praised for playing the better game of the players who lasted without going to Edge of Extinction, but was unable to counter Chris's arguments. In the end, Chris's social bonds and clutch play despite having stayed on the Edge of Extinction for most of the game, won him the title of Sole Survivor in a 9-4-0 vote.
==Voting History==
==Trivia==
* Edge of Extinction is the first season since to feature no Asian-American contestants.
* Edge of Extinction is the first 18-person season with a 13-person merge.
** In addition, this is the first season to have 14 people on the merged tribe, albeit non-simultaneously.
* Edge of Extinction is the first season since to have jurors who were not members of the merged tribe.
* Edge of Extinction is the first season to feature returning players where the Final Tribal Council featured only first-time players as finalists.
* Edge of Extinction is the only season whose Sole Survivor was voted out during the game.
* As of Winners at War, Edge of Extinction is the earliest season to not produce any returning players.
==References==
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Category:Survivor (U.S.)
Category:Survivor: Edge of Extinction
Category:Returning Player Seasons
Category:Seasons with a reused location