Survivor

**Survivor** is a U.S. reality-based competition television show, based on the Swedish television series, *Expedition Robinson* created by Charlie Parsons in 1997. It is currently hosted by Jeff Probst.

## Format

*Main article: Twist*
Twenty to twenty four people, referred to as "castaways" or "survivors", split into two or more groups, referred to as "tribes", would be taken to a remote location, most often tropical, and forced to live off the land for 42 or 45 days. Every so often, the tribes would meet together to compete for reward, usually items to improve island living conditions or meals, or for immunity from being voted out at Tribal Council.

Usually signalling the halfway point of the season, the competing tribes would form one final tribe in an event called the merge. At this point, the castaways would be competing in challenges individually (though some post-merge Reward Challenges may divide the remaining castaways into teams). At least one person will have win individual immunity in the form of a necklace, preventing that castaway from being voted out at the next Tribal Council. Most castaways eliminated after the merge will begin forming the jury. Once the season gets down to the Final Two or Final Three, the finalists will plead their case to the jury. The jury will then cast their vote for the castaway they considered should be the Sole Survivor, in addition to the $1 million prize.

Since the original format in *Madagascar* (two tribes of eleven, merge at twelve, jury at eleven, and Final Two), the game has introduced several twists to keep players on their toes and to make the season more exciting and fresh to the audience.

### Division of Tribes

#### Number of Members per Tribe

* **Two Tribes of Eleven:** First used in *Madagascar*, and subsequently used in *Peru*, *Barbados*, *Mexico*, *Japan*, *The Mamanuca Island*, *Greece*, *Guyana*, *Belize*, *Malakula*, *India*, *Hawaii*, *Honduras*, *Vietnam*, *Bali*, *China Sea*, *Moon Islands* and *Suriname*, the castaways were divided into two tribes of eleven. Except for *Japan*, *The Mamanuca Island* and *Greece*, the tribes consisted of six men and five women or five men and six women on each tribe. In *Japan* the number of men and women in each tribe was variable due to schoolyard pick. In *The Mamanuca Island* and *Greece*, the tribes were divided by gender with eleven men and eleven women on each tribe.
* **Three Tribes of Eight:** First used in *Kiribati*, and subsequently used in *Polynesia*, *All-Stars*, *Second Chance*, *Myanmar* and *Shaolin Temple*, the castaways were divided into three tribes of eight, consisting of four men and four women on each tribe.
* **Two Tribes of Twelve:** First used in *Khao Laem*, and subsequently used in *Ngorongoro Crater*, *Heroes vs. Villains* and *Tonga*, the castaways were divided into two tribes of twelve, consisting of six men and six women on each tribe.
* **Four Tribes of Six:** First used in *Egypt*, and subsequently used in *Australia*, the castaways were divided into four tribes of six. In *Egypt* the tribes were divided by age and gender. In *Australia*, the tribes consisted of three men and three women on each tribe.

#### "Versus"/Themed Seasons

* **Age:** In *Barbados*, the tribes were defined according to age, with an entire tribe of younger players and an entire tribe of older players.
* **Gender:** First seen in *The Mamanuca Island*, followed by *Greece*, the tribes were divided based on their gender, pitting the men against the women. Typically the tribes are switched up later in the game.
* **All returning players:** In *All-Stars*, twenty four past players returning to play the game.
* **Blood vs. Water:**
* **Fans vs. Favorites:**
* **Age and Gender:**

### Merge

*Main article: Merge*
Usually occurring near the halfway point of the season, the merge sees the dissolution of any tribes in the game, with all remaining players forming a new tribe, and the challenges going from tribal to individual.

#### Fake Merge

*Main article: Fake Merge*
Only used in *Polynesia*, this twist saw Akamaru, Kouaku and Taravai under the impression that they had merged, until the following Immunity Challenge, where Jeff Probst revealed that the tribes had not actually merged.

### Finalist and Jury composition

* **Final Two and Jury of Nine:** Original format; used from *Madagascar* to *Mexico*, *The Mamanuca Island* and *India*.
* **Final Two and Jury of Eleven:** First introduced in *Polynesia*, and subsequently used in *Greece*, *Guyana*, *Ngorongoro Crater* and *Tonga*.
* **Final Three and Jury of Ten:** First introduced in *Kiribati*, and subsequently used *All-Stars*, *Khao Laem*, *Second Chance* and *Heroes vs. Villains*.
* **Final Three and Jury of Eight:** First used in *Japan* and subsequently used *Belize*, *Malakula* and *Honduras*.
* **Final Three and Jury of Nine:** First used in *Egypt* and subsequently used in *Hawaii* and *Vietnam*.

### Tribe Switch

*Main article: Tribe Switch*
First introduced in *Barbados*, a Tribe Switch reassigns castaways into new tribe compositions. Tribe Switches can occur at any point in the game.

There are a few variations of a Tribe Switch:

* A **swap** occurs when the number of members switched from each tribe are even.
* A **shuffle** is when a tribe can consist of any number of members from either tribe.
* A **mutiny** is when castaway(s) are offered to voluntarily switch tribes.
* An **absorption** occurs during three tribe seasons. This is when one tribe is dissolved and spread among the other two tribes without the other two tribes' members switching tribes.
* A **conquering** is when the remaining members of one tribe are absorbed into another tribe, where the season has no merge.
* A **disbanding** is when one or more tribes are dissolved with all remaining castaways in the game being shuffled into new tribes.
* An **expansion** is when a third tribe is introduced in a season starting with two tribes, with all remaining castaways being shuffled into new tribes.

### Schoolyard Pick

*Main article: Schoolyard Pick*
In *Peru*, *Japan* and *Belize*, a Schoolyard Pick was used to determine the tribes. In *Peru*, the oldest men and oldest women would select the tribes. In *Japan* and *Belize* the two castaways who drew the tribe buffs would pick their tribes. Schoolyard Picks have also been used in Tribe Switches to determine the new tribes.

### Previously Eliminated Castaways

* **Outcasts**:
* **Redemption Island**:
* **Edge of Extinction**: