Final Tribal Council

## *Survivor* Gameplay

### Description

The Final Two (or Three) plead their case to the jury to become the Sole Survivor.

### Appearances

Every season

The **Final Tribal Council** is the final event of the game, unless there is a Reunion. This is where the finalists face the jury, who will have a very important decision to make in voting for a winner. The person who gets the most votes from the jury will win the title of Sole Survivor and the five hundred thousand dollar prize that goes with it.

On the final day of the game, the Final Two or Three have a feast, as well as douse their campfire, as a tribute to surviving until the end of the game to honor the time they played in the game. They then trek to Tribal Council one final time. Up until *Brains v Brawn* every season ended with a Final Two, with every season since *Blood v Water* having a Final Three.

While remaining contestants are present to watch over the proceedings, the host does not ask either the finalists nor the jury any questions, as opposed to an ordinary Tribal Council.

Another change is that at the Final Tribal Council, votes are cast not by the remaining contestants, but by the jury, who are voting **for**, not against, somebody.

## Proceedings

The finalists will be given a chance to convince the jury that they deserve to win *Australian Survivor*. They might talk about their strategic moves, their alliances, or their athletic ability, but no matter what they talk about, they are trying to convince the jury that they are the most deserving person to win the title of Sole Survivor. After the finalists deliver their opening speeches, the jury will be given a brief time to think about their speech or question before addressing them. Each jury member has the option to:

* Ask each of the final players a question (either for one specific finalist, or all of them), which that player must answer.
* Make a short speech which requires no answer but is meant to throw the finalists off guard, possibly venting all of the juror's frustrations after being eliminated from the game, or telling the jury why they should vote for a certain player.

When all jury members are finished, each finalist will make a closing statement, allowing them to respond generally to the jury's questions and again explain why they would be the most deserving winner.

From *Heroes v Villains*, a new format for the Final Tribal Council was introduced. While each jury member was given the opportunity to speak individually, an open forum was held to ensure a more insightful rapport between the jury and finalists.

After this, the host will ask the jury to vote for who they think deserves to win the title of Sole Survivor and the five hundred thousand dollar prize. Unlike previous Tribal Council sessions, where players write the name of the tribe member they want to go home, this time, the jury votes *for* a winner.

In most seasons, the host reads out the votes immediately and stops once a contestant has received enough to be crowned Sole Survivor. In a few seasons, the voting urn with the votes in it is taken away by the host. The players are told that the vote will be announced during the live finale, and the votes are secured somewhere until then. At the start of the Reunion show, the votes are read, a winner is crowned, and the season recap commences.

*For information on breaking ties at the Final Tribal Council, see Tiebreaker.*

## Trivia

* The only castaway who has made it to the Final Tribal Council twice is Sharn Coombes, in *Champions v Contenders* (2018) and *All Stars*. She was runner-up both times, to Shane Gould and David Genat respectively.