Survivor Winter Park: Island of Desolation

## Cast

***Island of Desolation*** is the twelfth main season of *Survivor Winter Park* and the sixth and final season in the second era.

*Island of Desolation* had the early game dictated by pre-game alliances, postponing its inevitable collapse until the first merge vote, which had been complicated by the titular twist re-introducing formerly eliminated players. While nearly all the winners made it to the end before falling short, a deluded Samuel Bernbaum and a diffident Owen Rimes took Delaney Gardner to the end, who was able to defeat both of the guys in a unanimous 10-0-0 final vote.

## Twists/Advantages

### **Twists**

* **Island of Desolation:** Upon elimination, players were sent to the Island of Desolation, where they would compete in challenges alternating between rewards for the upcoming elimination challenges and the elimination challenges themselves. The two winners of the final challenge at the merge would return to the game with a 1-in-2 Shot in the Dark die, while the third placer would become the first member of the jury.
* **Shot in the Dark:** Every player was given a die that granted a 1-in-6 chance at immunity, at the cost of losing their vote for that round. The last time it could be played was when there were five players remaining.
* **Double Elimination:** At the Final 17, both tribes competed in an individual immunity challenge and went to separate Tribal Councils, both voting out a player from their tribe. One player from both tribes received immunity.
* **Split Tribal Council:** At the Final 10, the remaining players were randomly split into two groups of five. Both groups competed for a separate immunity necklace and would vote a player out before re-grouping.

### **Advantages**

* **Hidden Immunity Idol:** A Hidden Immunity Idol was hidden at both tribe camps at the start of the game, with a third being added into circulation after the Final 19 Tribal Council and a fourth upon the merge. The last time they could be used was when there were six players remaining.
* **Extra Vote:** At the Final 8 immunity challenge, an Extra Vote was hidden underneath a cone, allowing the holder to cast an additional vote at Tribal Council. It could only be used at that Tribal Council.

## Season Summary

*Island of Desolation* saw 20 former players return, separated into two tribes, with two new mechanics introduced in an effort to allow players that were dead in the water to stay longer: the Island of Desolation and the Shot in the Dark. The season’s pre-gaming would result in an almost clean sweep of girls being eliminated, with all but one winner (who was the least connected of the winners) making deep runs. The first major blindside occurred immediately before the merge, where Blake Cox and Jacob Thigpen would blindside ally Landon Hurd with an idol in his pocket.

The merge saw the return of Hannah Arnold and Rylee Perrault from the Island of Desolation, the latter of whom would become one of the largest targets the game had ever seen. However, many of the better-connected players would begin dropping, with the winners continuing to stick together. Five of them would remain by the Final 7, when the tribe’s decisions began to be controlled by Owen Rimes and Samuel Bernbaum. Delaney Gardner would intentionally ride on the negative jury attention the two began to receive, making it to the end with the two following an immunity run.

The Final Tribal Council saw the most vicious reaction in *Survivor Winter Park* history towards a single player player in Sam, who were astounded by his arrogance and claims of dragging Delaney to the end, while Owen, the final remaining winner, would entirely shut down after claiming he wasn’t in the right headspace for the moment. Delaney illustrated how everything that happened from the Final 8 on went as she had planned, earning her the respect of the jury who awarded her the title of Sole Survivor in a unanimous 10-0-0 vote.

## Trivia

* *Island of Desolation* is the second all-returnee season, following *Heroes vs. Villains*. It would be followed by *Clash of the Champions* and *All-Stars*.
* *Island of Desolation* is the first season since *Redemption Island* where a male finalist loses the game.
* Samuel Bernbaum was the only non-winner in the Final 6 of *Island of Desolation*.

## Future return list

* **1 for *March Madness*:** Marina Rentz
* **1 for *Lord of the Lads*:** Pedro Kawamura
* None for *Guild of the Girlies*
* **6 for *Clash of the Champions*:** Blake Cox, Delaney Gardner, Madison Visconti, Owen Rimes, Susan Mallen, and Zachary Asarnow
* None for *Dynamic Duos*
* **3 for *All-Stars*:** Jacob Thigpen, Pedro Kawamura, and Rylee Perrault
	+ **Total returns:** 11 returns across 6 seasons (an average of 1.833 returns per season)