Tribe Switch

A **tribe switch** was the first game-changing twist of *Survivor*. This twist sends members from one tribe to the rival tribes and vice versa.

## Classifications

A tribe switch could be classified as one or more of several types:

* Swap - Typically done during early seasons, it happens when the switch is done in a way ensuring that each tribe exchanges the same number of castaways. Among Survivor fans, all tribe switches are commonly referred to as "swaps" regardless of the specific type.

## Twist History

### *Survivor: Africa*

* Type: Swap

The first time a switch occurred was on Day 13 in *Survivor: Africa*. Both the Boran and Samburu tribes were instructed via Tree Mail to send three representatives to meet host. Once the representatives arrived at the meeting place, the host informed them that they would be joining the other tribe.

 Joel, Maida, Michael, Ming, Stephen, Terri and Zayd

### *Survivor: Arabia*

* Type: Shuffle

By Day 10, castaways were asked to step on random discs with buffs underneath, creating new tribes. Andrew Somboon and Charlie Hayward would join Barrah, swapping Brandon Cotton and Peter Bell to Khazali.

 Arash, Brandon, Kim, Liz, Olin, Peter and Raisa

### *Survivor: Thailand*

* Type: Mutiny

On Day 14, the castaways were offered to have a mutiny, switching them to the rival tribe. Josh McKinley and Rajesh Paswan accepted the offer, switching them from Sook Jai to Chuay Gahn, and also leaving Sook Jai with only five tribe members.

 Anton, Julie, Karina, Marilyn and Samer

### *Survivor: Amazon*

* Type: Swap

After twelve days of competing as tribes defined by gender, both tribes' youngest member, Lucie and Bo for Jaburu and Tambaqui respectively, went to an overnight paradise with food, bedding, and a bath on Day 13. The next morning, Day 14, the host revealed that they would decide which members were staying on each tribe and which were being sent to the other tribe.

 Bo, Irene, Marco, Rawah and Violet

### *Survivor: All Stars*

#### Switch #1

* Type: Absorption

The season started with three tribes and was the first time a starting tribe was dissolved. The tribe that lost the Reward Challenge on Day 13 was dissolved and its members absorbed into the remaining two tribes. Saboga lost the challenge and became the first starting tribe to cease to exist prior to the merge.

 Ana, Benita, James, Ken, Michele, Siva and Violet

#### Switch #2

* Type: Shuffle

On Day 22, the two remaining tribes convened at a Reward Challenge after receiving a cryptic Tree Mail instructing them to paint their bodies. They learned that they would not be competing but would, instead, be paired off with the person from the opposing tribe painted with the same color to enjoy a picnic. The host revealed a vase containing buffs. Presuming that they would merge at this point, they were surprised when the familiar red and green buffs emerged, signaling a tribe switch. Benita Ngoma would be the only castaway to represent all 3 starting tribes when she switched to Chapera, joined by James Brown and Ken Montford. Meanwhile, only Cesar Coulibaly would switch from Chapera to Mogo Mogo.

 Ana, Cesar, Michele, Siva and Violet