Exile Island

**Exile Island** is a game-changing twist used in *Survivor*. Exile Island is a small campsite apart from the actual tribe camps where one or two contestants will be left, banished for a predetermined period of time. Though in seclusion, the banished castaway(s) will often have a "consolation prize" such as a clue to the location of a Hidden Immunity Idol that may or may not be hidden there.

## Premise

The premise of Exile Island is simple: To force someone (though still depending if there is another twist) to live on his/her own on an uninhabited island. The logic is that the banished player will be separated from their tribe, unable to strategize and will be out of the loop until a predetermined period of time. This twist provides more emphasis on the social aspect of the game, for which players can have an open opportunity to gossip and/or to campaign the ouster of the exiled survivor. However, all these can backfire, as Exile Island provides clues to the whereabouts of a Hidden Immunity Idol, which may or may not be hidden on the island. Clues will constantly be handed in every episode, though it does not guarantee the player truly finding the Idol (especially if the Idol had already been found by someone else). This will add more mystery in the game as suspicion would arise between the castaways regarding who really has the Idol.

Usually after winning a Reward Challenge, aside from the reward itself, the winning tribe (or individual/group, if merged) will also have the power to send one person from the losing tribe/team to Exile Island.

During the pre-merge phase, if a tribe switch takes place with an odd number of castaways, the odd person out will be automatically banished to Exile Island. They will rejoin the game after the following Tribal Council, as a member of the tribe that loses a member at that Tribal Council. Not being on any tribe, they cannot compete in any challenges, nor vote or be voted out at that respective Tribal Council.

Banished players will be given a machete, a pot, and a piece of flint to fend for themselves. They will usually be reunited with their tribe in time before the next Immunity Challenge, though there are exceptions.

## Strategy

There have been strategies and other factors that can be considered in banishing a player over the course of the series:

* Send the same person multiple times so that only that person receives the clues of the hiding place of the Hidden Immunity Idol (could also potentially brand them a threat);
* Send the losing tribe's strongest or resident food provider, assuring their tribe will grow hungrier and weaker come the Immunity Challenge.
* Send one person multiple times so that their tribe will question that player's loyalties and motives;
* Send the tribe's weakest member in challenges to weaken the tribe further and break their spirit;
	+ Send a person to Exile Island following a combined Reward/Immunity Challenge which also grants them immunity from Tribal Council
* Send a person to Exile Island can be also a fitting revenge plan following a betrayal;
* Send the most likable person to demoralize their tribe;
* Send an ally, or themselves to gain access to a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol.

## Exile Island and the Hidden Immunity Idol

*See: Hidden Immunity Idol*
Though players may feel alone and uneasy during their banishment, there is a silver lining about staying on the dreaded island - a clue to the whereabouts of a Hidden Immunity Idol that may or may not be hidden somewhere on Exile Island. But recently, Exile Island was merely reduced as a decoy; with players discovering that the Idol is hidden back at his/her tribe's camp (if the game is still in its intertribal phase, players can safely assume that there are two Idols, one hidden at each camp).

## Hero Duels

First used in *India*, Hero Duels are Reward Challenge duels in where the castaways meet in an arena called the Hero Arena. There, each tribe must choose only one representative from their tribe to play a round of rock-paper-scissors, after which the winner will give his tribe the right to choose first which among their tribe members will compete in the challenge. The representative would then compete against a castaway from the other tribe (during *Survivor: India* before the tribes were switched, the other tribe must choose the loved one of the representative chosen by the other tribe).

The winning castaway wins a reward for their tribe, while the losing castaway will be sent to Exile Island. In addition, the winning castaway must then choose from his own tribemates who would join the losing castaway on Exile Island.

## Trivia

* Jolie Thompson and Martin Black are the first people to be sent to Exile Island.
* Martin Black was the first castaway to be banished to Exile Island and not return to his tribe for Tribal Council, due to a twist during the Day 3 Immunity Challenge in *Mexico*.
* Victoria Bolmondo is the first person to find a Hidden Immunity Idol on Exile Island.
* Sandra Monday was the first castaway to be banished to Exile Island but be given free Immunity due to not being picked in the Schoolyard Pick during *Malakula*.
* Jacob Koherr has the record for the most Exile Island visits in a single season with 7.
* Patrick North is the only castaways to have been on both Exile and Redemption Island.

Battle of the Sexes · Blood vs. Water · Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty · Old vs. Young · Returning Players · Schoolyard Pick

**Tribal Council-Related**
Double Elimination · Double Tribal Council · Extra Vote · Hidden Immunity Idol · Idol Nullifier · Joint Tribal Council · Juror Removal · Safety Without Power · Vote Blocker · Vote Steal

**Miscellaneous**
Advantage Menu · Buried Treasure · Day Zero · **Exile Island** · Fake Merge · Fire Token · First Impressions · Haves vs. Have Nots · Kidnapping · Legacy Advantage · Mutiny · One World · Reward Steal · Summit · The Outcasts · Tribe Leader · Tribe Raid · Tribe Switch