Survivor: Nicaragua

***Survivor: Nicaragua*** ***- Fans vs. Favorites*** is the fourteenth season of the reality TV show *Survivor: The Sims*. *Nicaragua* is the fourth season to feature previous contestants from past seasons, following *Survivor: Panama*, *Survivor: All-Stars*, and *Survivor: Philippines*.

This season was filmed in San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua, marking the third time the show has filmed in Central America. *Nicaragua* features ten new castaways who consider themselves super-fans of the show, and ten castaways who have previously played the game, back for a second chance to become the Sole Survivor.

Returning player Yara Fathi won the title of Sole Survivor over returning player Jasmine Jones and new player Nancy Zwolensky in a 5-3-1 jury vote.

Fans of the show praised *Nicaragua* for the introduction of a fans vs. favorites format, as well as the strategy displayed by the returning players.

## Production

Production for *Survivor: Nicaragua* began in early January, with host Jack Jones announcing that after a three-month hiatus, the show was planning another season. Initially, the casting for this season was an "All-Stars" season, but that idea was later scrapped, introducing the Fans vs. Favorites theme. Casting calls for the returning players began in early January.

Previous contestants such as Alexis Thorpe, Justin Lambert, Kelly Tai, Logan Trush and Mercedes Love were asked to compete but declined due to various reasons. Several winners were initially contacted, including Deonte Paul and Michael Vega, but the production team eventually decided that winners should not compete on the season. The ten "Favorites" were revealed on January 19, 2022.

## Twists/Changes

* **Fans vs. Favorites**: One tribe, Lobo, is composed of ten *Survivor* "superfans," while the other tribe, Tigre, is composed of ten popular castaways from previous seasons.
* **Legacy Advantage:** Making a reappearance from *Survivor: Panama* and *Survivor: Fiji*, the Legacy Advantage can be used the same way as a Hidden Immunity Idol. This advantage can only be used with six castaways remaining in the game.
* **Hidden Immunity Idol:** The Hidden Immunity Idol is hidden at each tribe's camp at the start of the game, and may be used up until Day 36.
* **Tribe Expansion:** With sixteen castaways remaining in the game, a third tribe, Araña, was introduced. The castaways were randomly spread across the three tribes.
* **Expanded Jury and Final Three:** The jury included all castaways voted out after the merge, with a jury of nine and a final three.

## Season Summary

**^[a]** Combined reward and immunity challenge.
**^[b]** As part of Merly's Immunity win on Day 36, she also won reward.
## Voting History

**^1** Tribal Council was cancelled due to Tasnim's evacuation.
**^2** Tenia played a Hidden Immunity Idol on herself, negating 4 votes against her.
**^3** Merly played a Hidden Immunity Idol on Orion, negating 7 votes against him.
**^4** Nancy played a Hidden Immunity Idol on Martin, negating 5 votes against him.
**^5** Yara played a Hidden Immunity Idol on herself, negating 4 votes against her.
## Trivia

* *Nicaragua* is the third season to be featured in Central America, after *Survivor: Panama* and *Survivor: Costa Rica*.
	+ *Nicaragua* is the second in a row to be filmed in Central America.
* While *Nicaragua* is not the first season to feature both new and returning castaways, it is the first season where the cast is half of each.
* *Nicaragua* is the first season which features both new and returning players where a returning player won the game.

## References

1. ↑ Twitter
2. ↑ Twitter
3. ↑ Twitter