Azua (Dominikanska Republika)

, also called the Blue team ( Plavi tim), is a tribe from Survivor: Dominikanska Republika. It consists of the season's 9 Croats and 1 Bosnian (2 Croats were later added in a twist, and an additional Croat replaced one that was medically evacuated).
A tribe full of colorful personalities, Azua initially started as the weaker of the two tribes, though they slowly but surely rebounded. They also spawned the first female winner in the history of Survivor Hrvatska and Srbija. Their tribe color is blue.
==Members==
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==Tribe History==
===The Croatian Team===
On Day 1, the tribes, still on their boats, were told to race to their mats. Azua, at that point nameless, lost the race, in part due to the weakness of their oldest member, Ivana Banfić. Because of this, the other tribe got the right to pick their color and better camp. From that point on, Azua was simply called the "Blue team" as Mao had picked red as their color. The tribes started the first Reward Challenge soon after. The reward was camp building tools and matches. A member of each tribe would have to complete an obstacle course with a ring toss at the end. The women would have to go up against the other tribe's women, and the same appied to the men. The Red tribe won, leaving the Blue tribe with nothing. During this challenge, Sanja Močibob broke down due to the pressure, and Roko Simić broke down after losing his leg of the challenge. Without any supplies, the tribe tried their best to work with whatever they had, and managed to build a shelter and find some food.
The Day 2 Reward Challenge was also won by the Red tribe, during which Sanja also broke down. At camp, the tribe decided to elect a leader. They settled on Tena Tomljanović. During their discussion, Sanja expressed that she was alright with going home. The Blue tribe had some luck regain on Day 3 when they won the first Immunity Challenge. At Tribal Council, the tribes got their official names; the Blue tribe was named Azua and the Red tribe was named Mao. Mao nominated Ivona Koković and Igor "Niggor" Lazić for elimination after a deadlock tie. At camp, the tribe got mad at Kristian Rauch after he urinated close to their shelter. This wouldn't be the first faux pas Kristian would commit.
The Day 4 Immunity Challenge resulted in another loss for Azua, meaning they had to nominate one of their own. At camp, Kristian told Sanja she was likely going to go, which greatly upset her. The other girls at camp seemed to support her. Despite most of the tribe being on Sanja's side, and her seemingly gaining some motivation to stay, her earlier comment about wanting to go came back to bite her, and she was unanimously nominated for elimination, although some of her tribemates stated they only nominated her because they thought she could beat Ivona and Niggor in the Duel. Unfortunately for them, Sanja lost the duel, making her the first person eliminated from Survivor: Dominikanska Republika and leaving Azua down a member.
Azua once again lost the Day 6 Reward Challenge for a big bag of rice and a bottle of oil, further demoralizing them. This led to a big discussion after the challenge about what the Azua tribe was doing wrong. Maša Kuprešanin from Mao suggested that they try to respect each other more. At camp, the entire tribe discussed their responsibilities, Tena's leadership, Kristian's behavior and how they could improve their challenge performance. Azua managed to win the Day 7 Reward Challenge for fishing gear and one big fish. During this challenge, Ivana was injured during her round against Mao's Milica Dabović and was thus taken out of the challenge to be treated.
Azua lost the Day 8 Immunity Challenge in a close battle, meaning they would have to nominate a player for elimination. Tribal Council was held on Day 9. Ivana couldn't attend Tribal Council as she was still being treated. The tribe decided to nominate Roko Simić after he injured himself in several challenges. On Day 10, Azua won the Immunity Challenge and sent Mao to Tribal Council. Mao nominated Niggor once again on Day 11, meaning Roko would take him on in a Duel. Roko managed to win said Duel on Day 12, sending Niggor home and leaving the tribes even in numbers (not counting Ivana who was still being treated).
At an impromptu Tribal Council on Day 13, the tribes were notified that, due to her injury, Ivana was no longer fit to compete. She was allowed to visit Azua on Day 14 to say goodbye. She spent a few hours with them and was then pulled out of the game. Another twist was introduced on the same day at the Reward Challenge when 4 new castaways joined the game. 2 of them, Nevena Blanuša and Hrvoje Habdija, joined Azua. Azua went on to win that challenge. Roko couldn't compete in the Day 15 Reward Challenge, which Mao won. The Day 16 Immunity Challenge went differently, as Azua won it in a landslide victory. 
For the first time in the season, a tribe won 2 Immunity Challenges in a row, thus sparing Azua from having to nominate any players, making the tribes even in numbers after Ivona of Mao lost the Duel. However, Mao won the next two Reward Challenges as well as an Immunity Challenge, which resulted in Azua nominating the controversial Kristian at Tribal Council. Azua won the following Immunity Challenge, because of which, Mao nominated Nađa Erić at Tribal Council. At the Duel, Kristian lost, making him the third Azua member to get eliminated from the game. 
Azua lost the Day 24 Reward Challenge despite being in the lead for a while, which demoralized them. Their spirits were raised on Day 25 when they won an overnight trip to a spa in a Reward Challenge. They were also surprised to see Roko Simić and Viktor Bobić at the spa, both of whom were injured in prior challenges and taken out to be treated, but were deemed fit to compete. 
On Day 26, Azua was surprised to learn they'll be joined by a new member. This new member was Ivana Peček, who joined to replace Ivana Banfić, who was medically evacuated. Despite now being equal in numbers to Mao, they were beaten once again. At Tribal Council, Ivana P. was safe from the vote due to having just joined, as well as Viktor who was injured but still present. The vote ended in a 5-5 tie between new player Hrvoje Habdija, who the tribe hadn't connected to as well as the others, and Roko Simić, who seemingly couldn't decided whether or not he wanted to stay. On the revote, no one changed their vote other than Goran Špaleta, who didn't want both tribemates to be nominated. This resulted in Hrvoje being nominated 5-3. The tribe argued with Roko back at camp after he admitted he was only claiming he wanted to go to "heat things up". 
Azua won the Day 27 Immunity Challenge. At Tribal Council, Hrvoje got into a fight with Mao's Milica as she believed his witty disposition made him a "fool". Mao then nominated Nađa once again, sending her to the Duel where she promptly beat Hrvoje, who dropped out and went home with a smile on his face, leaving all of Azua angry. 
Azua continued their winning streak by winning both the Day 28 and Day 29 Reward Challenges, both of which being for food, but they lost the following Immunity Challenge, sending them to Tribal Council. They did, however, get a Reward. While Mao got the main Reward (video messages from home), Azua got letters. The seemingly straightforward nature of Azua was disrupted when a five-person alliance seemingly sprung up. Nika Rakić and Tomislav Rubinjoni voted for Ivana Peček as she was the newest member, Goran voted for Sumejja Šejto whom he believed could win the Duel, and Ivana P. voted for Tena as she liked her the least. However, the other five members voted against Goran together. This was a shock to the players who voted separately, as well as Mao, as Goran was seen as the strongest member and a secondary leader. Roko and Sumejja had agreed to never vote out a woman, and since Viktor couldn't be voted against due to his injury, and Tomislav won Individual Immunity, Goran was left as the only option. Sumejja also took issue with Goran's behaviour and claimed he had cussed out her mother. Tena joined them along with Viktor and Nevena, the latter of whom also took issue with his behaviour. 
The ethics of forming alliances were discussed back at camp. While Goran argued the forming of an alliance wasn't fair, Viktor argued Goran swearing he'd never voted for Tomislav also counted as an alliance. Despite the vote dividing the tribe, and Goran intentionally underperforming, Azua still pulled through and won the next Immunity Challenge. At Tribal Council, Mao nominated Ramiz Gusinac, whom Goran beat in the Duel, saving himself and taking out another member of Mao.
On Day 34, Azua was dissapointed to learn that Viktor would be leaving the game due to his declining physical health. Their spirits were raised when they won the Reward Challenge, which was for money to spend at the Survivor Auction. At the auction, Ivana P. bought an Extra Vote. They also won the Day 35 Reward Challenge. Azua did not have the same luck in the Day 36 combined Reward and Immunity Challenge, although they did get a similar reward to Mao; while Mao got five-minute video chats with their loved ones, Azua got two-minute voice chats, cushioning the blow of Tribal Council. At said Tribal Council, the tribe was shocked to learn that, due to the imbalanced male:female ratio (there were only 3 men and 5 women), the men could not be voted against, meaning the five-person alliance would have to nominate a woman. Outsiders Goran, Tomislav and Ivana P. voted against Tena, who was deemed the wakest of the women, while the remaining five (joined by Nika) voted for new player Ivana P. as an easy vote. Ivana did not use her Extra Vote, meaning she was nominated. When Azua won the following Immunity Challenge, Mao nominated Jovana who lost to Ivana in the Duel.
For the third cycle in a row, Azua won both Reward Challenges, but their luck ran out when they lost the next Immunity Challenge. Per the rules, men could not be voted against. This once again left Ivana as the easy vote, getting her nominated unanimously, with her voting against Tena again. For the first time, Azua lost yet another Immunity Challenge and would have to lose a member no matter the outcome of the Duel. They reluctantly chose to nominate the only other newbie in Nevena. The two were sent into the Duel in low spirits, and the tribe tearfully watched as Ivana lost the Duel. Ivana stated she was "as sad as she was happy", and left with an applause from Azua.
======
On Day 44, a Reward Challenge was held, which Azua won. Afterwards, the tribes were told to head back to their camps and prepare for a "merge". The players weren't explained how it would work, but they understood this meant they'd be living with the enemy. Most of Azua was rather excited to meet new tribe members. Later, the tribes were treated to luxuries they've been missing, including showers, clean clothes, and cosmetics. They were then taken to a party where both tribes got to know each other and discussed their experience. The hosts then told the contestants that they were still two tribes, but Azua would be moving to a new island. Before going back to camp, they got to stay in a mansion overnight and get some sleep in actual beds.
For the fourth cycle in a row, Azua won both Reward Challenges, and maintained this winning streak by winning the next Immunity Challenge, but they lost the following Immunity Challenge. At Tribal Council, they once again nominated Roko in a 5-1-1 vote, with the loose votes going to Nika and Tomislav. At the Duel, Roko and Mina Nikolić, Mao's nominee, tied. In the tiebreaker, Mina quickly lost, making her the first member of the jury.
They won the following Reward Challenge, as well as the early Immunity Challenge, saving them from having to send any of their members to the jury. Unfortunately for Azua, their winning streak came to an end when they lost the next Reward and Immunity Challenges, meaning they'd have to nominate two people to send into the Duel, and lose one. The unlucky nominee was once again Roko, while Tomislav was nominated by Nika, who won Individual Immunity. Tomislav beat Roko in the Duel, making him the first Azua member to join the jury.
Much to Mao's chagrin, Azua once again won the next Reward Challenge, but they lost the following Immunity Challenge. The four women were the most upset, as they had gotten very close, but had to vote each other out as the two men were immune due to the gender imbalance. Tribal Council ended with tears and a 3-3 tie between Nika and Sumejja. On the revote, a saddened Tena saved herself from entering a three-way duel and changed her vote to Sumejja on the revote, and immunity winner Nevena nominated Nika out of fairness. At the duel, Sumejja lost with tears in her eyes, as the tribe gave hear a heartfelt goodbye. Sumejja was then sent to the jury.
Azua reversed their bad luck by winning the next Reward Challenge for a video chat with their loved ones. This luck carried over to the Immunity Challenges. Azua wasn't safe from conflict, though, as Sumejja, now a juror, claimed that the friendships on the tribe were fake, and that there are multiple secret alliances.
=== The Endgame ===
On Day 69, the tribes were told that they were approaching the finals. Since Azua had an extra member, they had to face off against each other for Individual Immunity, then nominate two members and lose one. Goran ended up winning immunity, along with an extra point in the next challenge, and nominated Nevena, while the tribe nominated Tomislav. Nevena won the duel, resulting in Tomislav becoming the 7th member of the jury.
At the quarter-finals, Goran continued his challenge dominance by winning immunity, along with Nevena, meaning they'd both advance to the semi-finals with Mao's Stefan and Milica. Tena and Nika were sent to the duel, where Nika lost, resulting in her becoming the 8th member of the jury with a cheeful goodbye. Once again, at the semi-finals, Goran won immunity, subjecting Nevena and Tena to a jury vote. The scornful jury berated Tena for chosing self-preservation and sending Sumejja and Nika into the duel, while Nevena was accused of scheming behind people's backs. In the end, the jury deemed Nevena the more deserving semi-finalist, and unanimously voted for her to advance to the final.
In the final, Goran and Nevena competed in two challenges, and it was a tight battle in each leg. Nevena even broke down in tears before the deciding match. In the end, she found it in herself to just barely beat Goran in the final challenge, becoming the first woman to win a season of Survivor Hrvatska/Srbija, and the Croatian Sole Survivor of Dominikanska Republika.
==Gallery==
SurvivorSRHR-DR Croatian and Bosnian castaways.jpg|Promotional image showing the Croatian castaways and Sumejja.
Survivor HRSR-DR first duel.jpg|Sanja competing with 's Ivona and Niggor in the first Duel.
Survivor SRHR-DR Sanja eliminated.jpg|Sanja eliminated.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep10 duel.jpg|Roko competing with Niggor in a Duel.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep11 Ivana medevaced.jpg|Ivana B. evacuated.
Survivor SRHR-DR New Members join.jpg|The tribes welcome their new members.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep20 Duel.jpg|Kristian competing with Mao's Nađa in a Duel.
Survivor SRHR-DR Kristian eliminated.jpg|Kristian eliminated.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep23 Ivana P. joins.jpg|Ivana P. joins.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep25 Duel.jpg|Hrvoje competing with Mao's Nađa in a Duel.
Survivor SRHR-DR Hrvoje eliminated.jpg|Hrvoje eliminated.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep30 Duel.jpg|Goran competing with Mao's Ramiz in a Duel.
Survivor SRHR-DR Viktor leaving.jpg|Viktor walks away from the challenge area to get evacuated.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep35 Duel.jpg|Ivana P. competing against Mao's Jovana in a Duel.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep40 Duel.jpg|Ivana P. and Nevena competing in a Duel.
Survivor SRHR-DR Ivana P. eliminated.jpg|Ivana P. eliminated.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep45 Duel.jpg|Roko competing against Mao's Mina in a Duel.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep50 Duel.jpg|Roko and Tomislav competing in a Duel.
Survivor SRHR-DR Roko eliminated.jpg|Roko eliminated.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep52 Duel.jpg|Nika and Sumejja competing in a Duel.
Survivor SRHR-DR Sumejja eliminated.jpg|Sumejja eliminated.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep58 Duel.jpg|Nevena and Tomislav competing in a Duel.
Survivor SRHR-DR Tomislav eliminated.jpg|Tomislav eliminated.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep59 Tena vs Nika.jpg|Nika and Tena competing in a Duel.
Survivor SRHR-DR Nika eliminated.jpg|Nika eliminated.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep60 final tribal.jpg|Nevena and Tena at the semi-finals Tribal Council along with Mao's Milica and Nađa.
Survivor SRHR-DR Tena eliminated.jpg|Tena eliminated by the jury.
Survivor SRHR-DR ep61 final four.jpg|Goran and Nevena in the final with Mao's Milica and Stefan.
Survivor SRHR-DR Nevena wins.jpg|Nevena is the Croatian Sole Survivor of Survivor: Dominikanska Republika.
==Trivia==
==References==
Category:Tribes
Category:Dominikanska Republika Tribes
Category:Starting Tribes
Category:Blue Tribes
Category:Survivor Hrvatska Tribes
Category:Survivor Srbija Tribes
Category:Survivor Hrvatska
Category:Survivor Srbija
Category:Survivor: Dominikanska Republika
Category:Blue Tribe