Survivor: Polynesia

**Survivor: Polynesia** is the 21st season of Survivor.

19-years old Cameron Pratt defeated 24-years old Preston Kass in a blowout 13-0 vote and became the youngest Sole Survivor, playing the second Perfect Game. To date, season has produced 21 returning players (Angie Kalvin, Cameron Pratt, Carol Camara, Jacob Koherr, Kara Willson, Katie Dawson, Kira Cirk, Maggie Slick, Marissa Newman, Martha Knight, Matt Mallos, Matthew Landon, Maya Gregory, Nadya Shang, Parker Seller, Paul Gong, Peter March, Preston Kass, Sally Swing, Sandra Serkins, and Sylvia Klasherman) for subsequent seasons.

The season was released in DVD format on January 31, 2009.

## Production

Applications were due January 28, 2007. Around 800 applicants were selected for an interview between the latter part of Febrary and March. Out of these 800, 56 were chosen as semi-finalists for an interview in Los Angeles during Apri. From these semi-finalists, 28 were chosen to participate the show between June and July 2007.

According to the production, originaly there was an idea to form a four tribes of seven. The fourth tribe was supposed to be named "Papuri" and its color was red, but the idea was scraped and three tribes were formed instead.

The season was filmed on the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia.

## Twists/Changes

* **Number of Castaways**: Twenty eight new contestants would compete for 1 million dollars.
* **Tribe Selection**: Contestants were told to pick a rock to determine team captains. Three castaways who picked a colored rocks would become a captains. Captains chose first as to who would join their tribe, with the person they selected choosing the next and so on until one person was left unpicked.
* **One-Time Exile Island**: Because of odd numbers, the last unpicked player was sent to Exile Island and was given immunity. The exiled player 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.
* **Hidden Immunity Idol**: Hidden Immunity Idols are in play this season with one idol being hidden at each camp at time. The clues would be hidden inside prize that a tribe gets after winning a Reward Challenge. Also, there was additional Idol hidden during the merge feast.
* **Tribe Switch**: A tribe switch occurred on Day 11 at the final 24, shuffling the remaining castaways into three tribes of eight.
* **Double Tribal Council**: On Day 17, only the first place tribe won immunity, sending both losing tribes to Tribal Council to vote out one person each.
* **Tribe Dissolve**: On Day 22, a tribe switch occurred, simultaneously dissolving the Kamaka tribe and mixing the castaways into two tribes, one of nine and one of eight.
* **Kidnapping**: The winning tribe from the Day 23 Immunity Challenge, Akamaru, was instructed to take one member from the losing Taravai tribe to share their immunity with. The selected member, Jacob, skipped Tribal Council.
* **Summit**: On Day 26, both tribes were tasked with selecting two ambassadors each to attend a summit. The ambassadors would have to choose which camp the merged tribe would live at, along with giving it a name.
* **Fake Merge**: The two tribes, having a collective roster of fifteen members, were instructed to live on one camp for the rest of the game. They took this to mean that the two tribes had merged. However, it was revealed not to be the case, with the tribes remaining separate and still competing for tribal immunity.
* **Merged Tribe Composition**: The tribes merged on Day 28. The merged tribe was composed of fourteen members.
* **Challenge Advantage**: During *Survivor Auction* on Day 40, castaways had a chance to purchase an advantage in the next Immunity Challenge.
* **Final Tribal Council Format**: Two finalists faced a jury comprised of thirteen members.

## Editing

* Confessional Count
* Edgic
* Contender List

Template:PolynesiaEdgic

Template:PolynesiaContenders

## Trivia

* With an age average of 28.5 years among its castaways, *Polynesia* has the youngest age average of all seasons.
* Cameron Pratt, Katie Dawson, Maggie Slick, Maya Gregory, and Matt Mallos were part of all four tribes during their time in the game.
* This season is tied with *China Sea* and *Malakula*. to have the most tie votes, with four.
* It is the fourth season to feature an all-male Final Two, following *Greece*, *Honduras* and *Caribbean*.
* This is the second season to have the jury phase begin before the merge, following *Greece*.
* This is the second season to have a unanimous winner, following *Japan*.
* In a poll that was taken during the reunion show asking viewers who they would've voted for to win, 95% of the people said Cameron, and 5% said Preston Kass.
* After Cameron and Preston were voted out on *Venezuela* and *Second Chance*, respectively, all of the castaways from *Polynesia* have been voted out at some point.
	+ It was the fifth season to gain this distinction, following *Madagascar*, *All-Stars*, *Kiribati* and *Venezuela*
* This season has been represented in the most seasons with returning players, with 14.
* This season, along with *Mexico*, had the most representatives in *Venezuela*, with five.
* This season have the most players returning for another season, with 21.
* This season is tied with *Japan* and *Guyana* for producing the most winning games with three: Cameron in this season, Katie Dawson in *Khao Laem*, and Kara Willson in *Game Changers*.
	+ This season has also produced the most Final Tribal Council appearances with eight: Cameron and Preston in this season, Katie in *Khao Laem*, Jacob Koherr in *Venezuela*, Cameron again in *Heroes vs. Villains*, Angie Kalvin in *Congo*, Kara in *Game Changers*, and Sandra Serkins in *Ngorongoro Crater*.