Survivor Lake Fork: Fans vs Favorites

**Survivor Lake Fork: Fans vs Favorites** is the second season of the Survivor Lake Fork series, featuring 11 new players and 7 returning players from season 1. It was the first Survivor Lake Fork season to be filmed and produced into episodes. In the end, Alex was awarded the title of Sole Survivor over Erin and Lauren in a 13-1-1 vote.

This season has produced a total of three returning players.

## Production

This season was originally cast with 10 new players and 10 returning players, who would be competing on separate tribes. However, because of scheduling conflicts, only 7 of the returning players could play, so an 11th new player was added and tribes were divided by schoolyard pick.

## Twists

* **Tribe Composition**: Players were initially divided into fans (new players) and favorites (returning players). Each group was asked to pick its weakest member, who then became the captain of one of the two tribes for a schoolyard pick. After a player was selected, he or she was forced to select the next tribe member, who must be of the opposite gender.
* **Hidden Immunity Idol**: A Hidden Immunity Idol was hidden at each tribe camp with no clues to help players find them.
* **Mutiny Idol**: A Mutiny Idol was hidden at every tribe challenge until it was discovered. This idol acted as a normal Hidden Immunity Idol, but the player it was played on was forced to immediately switch tribes. The Mutiny Idol was found by Madeline but not used.
* **Extra Vote**: An extra vote was located in plain sight at a challenge in an envelope labeled "SECRET ADVANTAGE." The extra vote was found by Madeline.
* **Fake Tribal Council**: Both tribes attended Tribal Council, where it was revealed after the vote that eliminated players were not out of the game, but would be joining the other tribe. Abby and David switched tribes as a result.
* **Tribe Swap**: On Day 2, there was a Tribe Swap. The remaining 15 players randomly drew buffs to divide into two new tribes. Taylor received a gray buff and was exiled to Exile Dock until after the next Tribal Council, when she would join the tribe that lost the challenge.
* **Safety Without Power**: Located on Exile Dock, Safety Without Power was found by Taylor at the tribe swap. This advantage allowed her to leave in the middle of one Tribal Council to be safe from the vote, but she could also not cast a vote.
* **Torch Discussion**: Instead of going back to camp after the final 10 immunity challenge, players were taken to an area consisting of three lit torches. Players could only speak when touching a torch. Tribal Council immediately followed.
* **Surprise Tribal Council**: At the final 6, players played a blindfolded immunity challenge at Tribal Council. Following the conclusion of the challenge, players were not allowed to remove their blindfolds or speak, and were forced to vote immediately without strategizing.

## Season Summary

The season began with 11 new players, the Fans, competing against 7 returning players, the Favorites. Returning players Garrison, Mitchell, Erin, Lauren, Andrew, Taylor, and Kaitlyn selected Lauren as the weakest Favorite, and the new players strategically selected David as the weakest Fan. Just as the Fans suspected, Lauren and David were then tasked with selecting a tribe as well as the next member of their tribe. Lauren selected the yellow Dorado tribe and David chose the red Toro tribe, and a schoolyard pick determined the members of each tribe.

It was quickly apparent that Dorado was a harmonious tribe with agreeable players and an obvious majority alliance with Abby on the bottom. Toro, however, immediately descended into chaos with returning players Mitchell, Andrew, Kaitlyn, and Taylor locked in tension because of past grudges. Taylor emerged as most players' primary target because of her performance in season 1. When a twist spared outsiders Abby and David and allowed them to join the opposite tribe, shots were fired on Toro as the tribe fractured and sent Andrew home in the season's first blindside. Meanwhile, a strong core majority alliance of Erin, Lauren, Alex, Garrison, and Madeline formed on Dorado.

A shocking tribe swap left both tribes almost entirely intact, with each trading only two original members. Taylor, however, was sent to Exile Dock, where she received a Safety Without Power advantage before rejoining the Toro tribe. On Dorado, Mitchell and Garrison bonded and formed a tight alliance after Mitchell found a Hidden Immunity Idol, making Garrison's Dorado alliance wary. On Toro, Kaitlyn found the Hidden Immunity Idol but strategically gave it to her ally Garrett. On a losing streak, Toro made a desperate play in an attempt to secure numbers at the merge: expecting not to merge for another round, they chose strength over loyalty and voted out Abby instead of Dylan, an original Dorado member.

However, when the tribes merged immediately after Abby's exit, Dylan jumped ship to work with his original tribe members and Mitchell. Despite crafty strategic moves and well-timed advantages, the Dorado supermajority picked off the Toro loyalists one by one. At the final 7, Lauren and Erin recognized that they were firmly in control with multiple options: go with Garrison, Mitchell, and Madeline and secure an all-girls final 3, or go with Alex and Dylan to eliminate the bigger threats. Fearing a betrayal by Madeline, they sided with Alex and Dylan to eliminate her, followed closely by Mitchell and Garrison. At the final 4, Lauren and Alex were faced with the decision of eliminating Erin, a player who had controlled Dorado since the beginning, or Dylan, the only player left who had swapped tribes and therefore had more relationships on the jury. In the end, Lauren sided with her ally Erin and Alex sided with Dylan, resulting in a deadlock tie. Erin beat Dylan in the fire-making challenge, making him the final member of the jury.

The jury praised Lauren for making it to the Final 3 after being voted out first in season 1 and Erin for her strategic plays, but criticized the pair for playing too quietly. Ultimately, Alex was awarded the title of Sole Survivor in a landslide 13-1-1 vote because of his positive energy, humor, and threat management.