Canadian Survivor: Kootenays

***Canadian Survivor: Kootenays*** is the first season of *Canadian Survivor*.

Lola Wong became the very first Canadian Sole Survivor, defeating Anick Peschel in a 5-2 vote.

## Production

Canadian Survivor chose to launch within its own borders to showcase the beauty of Interior British Columbia. Producers made a conscious decision to cast diverse castaways to reflect Canada's multicultural landscape.

## Format

* **Tribe Composition:** The sixteen castaways were divided into two tribes of eight.
* **Merged Tribe Composition:** The merged tribe was composed of ten members.
* **Final Tribal Council Format:** Two finalists faced a jury of seven. The jurors individually addressed the finalists.

## Season Summary

The series premiere began with sixteen people divided into two tribes, Okanagan and Sinixt. After 18 days of competition, Okanagan lost 4 members and Sinixt lost 2. Meanwhile, the remaining members of each respective tribe formed close bonds. Highlights in pre-merge included the fight between Han and Helen, the short lived Triple A Alliance until Aiden abandoned the alliance - which turned sour when he just misses the merge and the formation of strong majority alliances on both tribes that continued into the merge.

By Day 20, the ten remaining castaways were merged into one tribe, Ktunaxa, and began competing as individuals. The majority Sinixt Alliance took control by ousting the de facto Okanagan leader Roland. This was the start of the “Okanaganing, or systematic elimination of the remaining Okanagan members, led primarily by Emilly. As the group of six neared victory, Michel saw an opportunity for longterm survival and formed a new majority at Final 7 with Sinixt allies Ed and Emilly and the sole Okanagan remaining, Lola. The Ktunaxa 4 would take control of the game, sending Betty and Adam home in consecutive Tribal Councils.

On Day 36, Michel attempts one too many moves and instead of voting out the vulnerable Anick, Michel is voted out 4-1. On Day 38, Anick wins Immunity to force the Final 4 alliance to turn on themselves, just before Tribal Council, Emily collapses from exhaustion and is evacuated from the game. At the Final Immunity Challenge on Day 38, Anick won and would decide who to take to the Final Tribal Council, ultimately deciding to send former ally, Ed, to the jury.

At the Final Tribal Council, both Lola and Anick were praised for playing loyal games. However, with more allies and for overcoming 5 consecutive Tribal Councils in the minority, Lola was rewarded with the very first title of Sole Survivor.

## Trivia

* This is the first edition of Canadian Survivor, consisting exclusively of Canadian castaways.
* *Kootenays* is the first season to be set on the North American continent.
* The Sinixt tribe won the three challenges in a row, setting the record for most consecutive tribal challenges won. This record stood until the Ramis tribe in *Borneo* topped this feat by winning four challenges in a row.
* This season saw the first time a contestant was medically evacuated, when Emilly Gomes collapsed from exhaustion.
* This is the first season in which one tribe entered the merge with a 6-4 advantage.
* *Kootenays* is the first season to not feature a tie vote of any kind.
* *Kootenays* is the first time that both original tribes were represented in the Final Tribal Council.
* *Kootenays* is the first season in which the finalists were of the same gender, as both finalists were women.
* *Kootenays* is the first season in which the winner was decided by a 5-2 vote.
* This season is tied with *Marshall Islands* for the highest percentage of returning players, with 25% of its cast (4 of 16) returning for future seasons.
* *Kootenays* and *Marshall Islands* hold the record for being represented in the most seasons with returning players, with 2. Kootenays returnees featuring in *Solomon Islands* and *Dominica*.
* *Kootenays* is the only season to be represented in every all-returning player season.
* BrantSteele.com

***Kootenays*** • *Borneo* • *Tanzania* • *New Caledonia* • *India* • *Peru*

 •  •  •  •  •
*Solomon Islands* • *Bahamas* • *Greece* • *Marshall Islands* • *Belize* • *Egypt*

 •  •  •  •
*Norway* • *Dominica* • *Japan* • *Tonga* • *Madagascar*