Survivor 43

***Survivor 43*** is the forty-third season of the CBS competitive reality television series *Survivor*.

*Survivor 43* saw its cast strategize around the twists and format established in *Survivor 41* and *42*. The season saw high levels of strategic gameplay and frequent blindsides, with two players—Cody Assenmacher and Jesse Lopez—taking most of the accountability. After Jesse turned on Cody, he was eliminated in the fire-making challenge by Mike Gabler, whose willingness to take risks won him the jury's respect and the title of Sole Survivor in a 7-1-0 vote over Cassidy Clark and Owen Knight.

## Contents

* 1Production
* 2Twists/Changes
* 3Castaways
* 4Season Summary
* 5Voting History
* 6Trivia
* 7References

## Production

Following the production of *Survivor 41* and *42* under COVID-19-mandated restrictions, contestants were also required to be vaccinated as an added precaution. Jeff Probst described his preference for elements and mechanics introduced during the preceding seasons, particularly supporting the continuation of the 26-day game format, the continued implementation of the Shot in the Dark mechanic, and the on-location aftershow following the announcement of the Sole Survivor at the Final Tribal Council.

In an interview, Probst confirmed the Hourglass Advantage and Do or Die, both highly controversial game mechanics from the last two seasons, were retired. During the *Survivor 44* coverage of *On Fire with Jeff Probst* podcast, he admitted that both were his ideas and regretted their implementation following the negative criticism from fans.

Continuing from *Survivor 42*, there were no longer full episodes of "Life at Ponderosa", which depicted the jury members' stays at Ponderosa following their eliminations. Instead, shorter clips were released as part of the "Beyond the Snuff" series, which were posted on official *Survivor* social media accounts. Unlike the "Life at Ponderosa" episodes, these clips also covered players who were eliminated pre-jury.

## Twists/Changes

* **Shortened Game**
* **Tribe Division:** The 18 castaways were divided into 3 tribes of 6. No unifying theme was used in dividing the tribes.
* **Penalties for Losing Immunity Challenges:** The tribe that lost an Immunity Challenge was forced to surrender their flint to Jeff and could only win it back if they won the next Immunity Challenge.
* **Beware Advantage/Hidden Immunity Idol:** Each camp had one idol that mandated its finder to collect a unique bead from each of their tribemates; once the bracelet is complete with all the special beads, the idol will have power. Until then, the idol remains powerless and their finders without a vote at Tribal Council. Like in *42*, the idols would gain full power after the merge when the vote penalty ended, regardless of whether the task was completed.
* **Shot in the Dark**
* **Journeys:** Castaways from different tribes were taken to another island where they were given a choice between protecting or risking their vote on their next visit to Tribal Council. Those who chose to "risk" their vote would play a game of chance, drawing from a bag containing the same number of possible advantages as players who chose to "risk" their vote. One player would receive an advantage, while the others would risk their votes. Those who "protected" their vote would keep their vote.
	+ **Time-Limited Hidden Immunity Idol**
	+ **Vote Steal**
	+ **Knowledge is Power**
* **Earn the Merge:** The final 13 players were divided into 2 teams of 6 by random draw. The teams competed in an Immunity Challenge where the members of the winning team won individual immunity, a spot on the merge tribe, and the merge feast. Before the challenge, the odd player out predicted which team will win the challenge and if correct, will also receive immunity and the merge feast.
* **Knowledge is Power:** On Day 14, the Knowledge is Power advantage was re-hidden at the Gaia camp.
* **Double Elimination:** On Day 17, the Gaia tribe was subjected to a Double Elimination, where the tribe was divided into two groups of five and two castaways were eliminated through two separate Tribal Councils. Following the Immunity Challenge, one group remained at the Gaia camp, while the other was sequestered at the old Vesi camp for the afternoon.
* **Choose Your Champion:** At the final seven, an advantage was introduced that allowed its finder to make a prediction as to who would win the upcoming Immunity Challenge; in the case of a correct prediction, all votes against the finder would be nullified. The guess was revealed before the votes were read.
* **Simplified Final Four Tribal Council**
* **Expanded Jury and Final Three:** The Final Tribal Council was held with a Final Three facing an eight-person jury.
* **Reformatted Final Tribal Council:** Instead of having each jury member speak individually, an open forum was held to ensure a more insightful rapport between the jury and finalists. The discussion was divided into three portions—"social", "physical", and "strategic".