Sole Survivor

**Appearances:** | Every season

The **Sole Survivor** is the title held by the winner the seasons, as determined by a plurality of votes from the jury. It is the task of the jury to award the title to the castaway it believes to have most thoroughly embodied the game's three-word slogan: "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast."

## Criteria

There are no formal rules in choosing the Sole Survivor. The only eligibility requirement for the title is to make it on the final day of the game.

On the final evening of the game, the Final Tribal Council will be held in which the finalists are subjected to questioning by the jury. The jury who may ask any questions or make any statements that they feel will help them make the best decision possible. As there is no objective definition of 'best' in this case, the methods by which castaways have won the game, and the reasons adopted by the jurors in voting for them, have varied widely throughout the history of the series.

Jury members are expected, however, to elect a winner that have credibly embodied the game's three-word motto: "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast."

* **Outwit:** The *social* element; the ability to bring about one's desired strategic goals without sacrificing one's social standing or alienating other contestants emotionally. A strong candidate will remain respected while playing an efficacious game.
* **Outplay:** The *strategic* element; the ability to outmaneuver other contestants and eliminate them in a manner conducive to one's own long-term success in the game. This component of the game may include alliance formation and management, execution of blindsides, use of Hidden Immunity Idols, advantages, or any other manifestation of guile, deception, or strategic command.
* **Outlast:** The *physical* element; the ability to literally survive the harsh realities of the game, such as harsh weather, grueling challenges, and the overall deprivation of the necessities and luxuries. It is expected that the Sole Survivor will have not only endured the physical difficulties of the game, but indeed will have borne them with enthusiasm and grace.

It should be noted that in the game of *Survivor* likability and respect are not always fungible qualities. In some cases, the winner may have played a game strategically dominant enough to overcome the fact that other finalists were more likable. At other times, the opposite may be the case, where a more sociable player may win due to the quality of their character even in the presence of a more strategically "active" but socially inept competitor. It is up to the idiosyncratic interpretation of the jury to determine who has fulfilled all three elements of "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast," and it is up to each finalist to present a compelling argument in their own favor, emphasizing their strengths and eliding their weaknesses at the Final Tribal Council. Regardless the jury's reasoning behind their vote, they fundamentally choose which finalist they feel comfortable losing to.

## Prizes

The Sole Survivor receives a check of $1,000,000, to be received after the season finale. The winner, and all contestants present in the live Reunion Show will also receive an extra $10,000 appearance fee, which immediately follows the finale broadcast.

## Trivia

### Winning and Perfect Games

* So far, 16 men and 11 women have become Sole Survivors.
* Zelma Coleman is the oldest Sole Survivor by age at the time crowned, being 58 at the time of her win.
	+ Rico Caddle is the oldest male Sole Survivor by age at the time crowned, being 39 at the time of his win.
* Rachel Barr is the youngest Sole Survivor by age at the time crowned, being 22 at the time of her win.
	+ Darrell Castillo is the youngest male Sole Survivor by age at the time crowned, being 24 at the time of his win.
* Pam Wheeler is the first and only Sole Survivor to win a jury vote unanimously, as she garnered all 7 jury votes in *Survivor: Gabon*.
	+ Pam also received no votes throughout the entire game, achieving a Perfect Game.
* There have been three LGBT winners: Javon Karim, Alan Nayak-Rangel and Clara Souza.
* Benito Accaio is the first Sole Survivor to be voted out, earn his way back into the game, and win the game.

### Tribal Council

* Darrell Castillo, Stephon Cooper, Barnes Coleman, Pam Wheeler, Rachel Barr, Alessia Gaston, Itay Haviv and Eli Cooke are tied for the most jury votes received by a winner in a season, with 7.
	+ Alessia Gaston is the only Sole Survivor to receive 7 votes in a final three.
* Pam Wheeler and Alan Nayak-Rangel are the only winners to win without ever having a single vote cast against them during their winning season.
* Naya Emerson has the most votes cast against any winner in a single season, with 16. This includes 5 votes that were negated by Hidden Immunity Idols.
* The most common decision for Sole Survivor by the jury is a 7-2 vote, occurring a total of 5 times.
* Darrell Castillo is the only winner to vote against the person who was ultimately eliminated at every Tribal Council they voted.

### Hidden Immunity Idol and Twists

* Darrell Castillo is the first Sole Survivor to have found a Hidden Immunity Idol.
* Darrell Castillo, Naya Emerson, Rico Caddle and Evita Orellana are the only Sole Survivors to use a Hidden Immunity Idol successfully in their winning season.
* Clara Souza is the first new player to defeat a returning player in a jury vote.
* Maria Castillo is the only Sole Survivor to have used an Extra Vote.
* In both Blood vs. Water seasons, the winners were related to past player that had previously won the game. Alan was Lorenzo's half-brother, and Maria was Darrell's wife.

### Challenge Wins

* Rachel Barr and Evita Orellana have won the most challenges in a single season, with 14.
	+ Stephon Cooper and Barnes Coleman are tied with the most challenge wins for a male winner, with 13.
* Lorenzo Quinteiro and Alessia Gaston hold the record for most individual immunity wins out of any winner, with 5.
* Jasmin Summers won the fewest challenges out of all Sole Survivors, with 4.
* Four Sole Survivors have won without ever having won an individual Immunity Challenge: Jasmin Summers, Andre Vargas, Zelma Coleman and Itay Haviv.

### Returning Winners

* Three winners have won the game as returnees: Alec Richardson, Daughtry Haynes, and Alessia Gaston.
* Eleven Sole Survivors who have competed more than once have experienced being voted out, either prior to or after the season that each of them had won.
	+ Voted out once: Dawn Flynn, Darrell Castillo, Titus Lewis, Naya Emerson, Barnes Coleman, Alec Richardson, Lorenzo Quinteiro, Rachel Barr, and Alessia Gaston.
	+ Voted out twice: Daughtry Haynes, Stephon Cooper.