Simvivor: Forgotten Hollow

***Simvivor: Forgotten Hollow*** is the seventh season of *Simvivor*.

Heavily panned by fans and the producer, *Forgotten Hollow* had a lopsided edit that favored stronger personalities and nearly shuttered others out entirely. However, the season's inclusion of the Hidden Immunity Idol was well-received, a twist that later became a staple starting with *Yukimatsu*. The season was won by Diablo Martel, who beat Vivian Yondar in a 6-1 vote.

## Production

Around the conclusion of *Granite Falls*, production finalized the theme for *Forgotten Hollow*, which was to explore the diverse backgrounds of various Occult Sims. Although the plan was to split the "Battle of the Occult" theme across two consecutive seasons, to also include Ghosts, Servos, PlantSims, and Imaginary Friends, but this was nixed to focus on what would eventually become the next season.

On top of the groundbreaking twists and changes, it is also the first season to feature a Teen castaway, Onyx Skullcharm. With his inclusion, it was therefore established that the minimum age requirement to apply for *Simvivor* is 16-years old.

## Twists/Changes

* **Battle of the Occults:** These four tribes are defined according to life state, thus having tribes of Mermaids (Pel'am), Aliens (Sixam), Spellcasters (Virtuoso), and Vampires (Wolfsbane).
* **Exile:** After a Reward Challenge, players may banish a player from the rival tribe to Exile. This encampment, entirely separate from the existing camps, will force the banished player to fend for themselves until the upcoming Immunity Challenge (unless stated otherwise). The player would not be left in despair, for they will be given clues to a Hidden Immunity Idol that is hidden somewhere around their living quarters.
* **Hidden Immunity Idol:** Located around the Exile campsite is a small wooden totem that can be used as a form of individual immunity. The owner must draw it when he/she has enough votes to eliminate him/her. The votes cast against that player will be considered nullified, while the person that gets the second highest amount of votes will be eliminated instead. The idol is usable until the Day 36 Tribal Council.
* **Four Tribes:** For the first time in the series, the castaways were divided into four tribes of four.
* **Tribe Switch:** On Day 4, the tribes were mixed up. Pel'am and Wolfsbane were disbanded. Two team captains were chosen randomly and contestants were divided into the new Sixam and Virtuoso tribes by a Schoolyard Pick. Because of odd numbers, the last unpicked player was sent to Exile Island and was given immunity. He/she will stay there until the tribe that loses the next Immunity Challenge already finished the task of voting out one of their own. After the vote, the exiled player will join that tribe.

## Season Summary

The castaways of *Forgotten Hollow* were introduced to each other at the Marooning, where Merissa Horvath gave them the opportunity to compete for Reward. The season was dubbed "Battle of the Occults" due to the tribes being divided by Occult status - Pel'am represented Mermaids, Sixam represented Aliens, Virtuoso represented Spellcasters, and Wolfsbane represented Vampires. Due to losing the Reward Challenge, the Wolfsbane tribe elected one member to head to Exile Island - Diablo Martel.

While the season had a relatively slow start in the strategic side of things, Diablo later found the first Hidden Immunity Idol of the series in the fourth episode, which inevitably proved to be his biggest strength and asset within the game. Playing a very dominant game, Diablo was one of the few heavily featured characters of the season, being both the narrator as well as main antagonist for the entire season. His only true foes within the game were Malik Waller, who was the first person voted out at the merge, and Vivian Yondar, who ended up making it to the Final Tribal Council along with him.

Despite their similar objectives, it was Diablo who still received most of the credit for big, bold moves within the game, while Vivian was criticized for being emotional and duplicitous. Despite all efforts to finally vanquish Diablo, the Jury felt more inclined to reward him for his stellar gameplay and voted him to win in a 6-1 decision, with only Alejandra Dane dissenting.

## Trivia

* This was the first season to feature the Exile Island twist as a season-long twist.
* This was the first season to feature the Hidden Immunity Idol, which has since become a staple in future seasons.
* There was an "Individual Immunity" curse that started at the merge. The winner of the Individual Immunity necklace would be voted out at the next Tribal Council. This was broken when Vivian Yondar won Individual Immunity at the Final Six, but Sylvette Zabek was voted out in fifth place.