Survivor: Island of the Idols

Winner
 No. of episodes
 No. of days
 No. of survivors
 Tribes

## Twists

* **Mentors:** Two former Survivor winners, **Sylvester Mothersky** and **Bartosh Chaffers**, will return for this season as mentors to the castaways this season. Neither mentor is in contention to win the million dollar prize. The mentors also get to attend Tribal Council in a hideaway spot near the fire pit.
* **Island of the Idols:** A selected castaway will be sent to the eponymous Island of the Idols where they will be taught survival skills and game strategies by Sylvester and Bartosh. The castaway may choose to be tested on what they learned from the mentors for a chance to win an advantage in the game. However, losing the mentors' challenge will disallow them from voting the next time the player attends Tribal Council. Host Jeff Probst describes the island as a "Survivor boot camp."
* **Hidden Immunity Idol:** A Hidden Immunity Idol is hidden at each camp. In addition, temporary Hidden Immunity Idols may be offered on the Island of the Idols which are only usable for two to three Tribal Councils after obtaining them.
* **Vote Blocker:** The castaways sent to Island of the Idols on Days 9 and 15 were eligible to win a Vote Blocker. Unlike its previous appearance where it had to be used at the following Tribal Council regardless if the holder would attend that Tribal Council or not, the Vote Blocker was reworked so that it could be used at any Tribal Council the holder attends up to the final six.
* **Tribe Switch:** On Day 12, a Tribe Switch occurred, spreading the sixteen remaining castaways across two tribes of eight.
* **Safety Without Power:** The castaway sent to the Island of the Idols on Day 17 would be eligible to win an advantage that allows them to leave Tribal Council before the vote, effectively making them immune, at the cost of not voting. This advantage is usable until the final seven.
* **Early Merge:** The merge occurred with thirteen players remaining.
* **Double Elimination:** The Navu tribe was briefly split into two groups (one of six and one of five) with each group attending a separate Tribal Council to vote out a member. Following the Immunity Challenge, one group remained at the Navu camp, while the other was sequestered at the old Vosa camp for the afternoon.
* **Extra Vote:** The castaway sent to the Island of the Idols on Day 34 would be given an option between this, an Idol Nullifier, or a Hidden Immunity Idol good for the next Tribal Council, if they win the mentor's test.
* **Idol Nullifier:** The castaway sent to the Island of the Idols on Day 34 would be given an option between this, an Extra Vote, or a Hidden Immunity Idol good for the next Tribal Council, if they win the mentor's test. The Idol Nullifier is usable until the final five.
* **Simplified Final Four Tribal Council:** Instead of a traditional vote, the person who wins the final four Immunity Challenge will get to choose one person to take with them to the Final Three. The remaining two castaways would compete in a fire-making challenge to determine who would be eliminated.
* **Final Three and Expanded Jury:** Three finalists faced a ten-person jury. The finalists would have faced an eleven-person jury instead had it not been for one contestant being ejected from the game during the jury stage.
* **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.