Simvivor: Superstar

***Simvivor: Superstar*** is the eighth season of *Simvivor*. In a change to previous installments, *Superstar* will feature eighteen returning players battling for a second shot at the crown.

*Superstar* had a delayed release, being updated on the Wiki over a month after the conclusion of its simulation. The season was still regarded to be the best season of *Simvivor* thus far, with its all-star cast and interesting gameplay. The storylines that carried over from previous seasons made sense with the overall narrative of the story and legends both rose and fell throughout the game. In the final episode, Maris Wilton emerged victorious, beating former pre-juror Cornelia Tennison in a unanimous 7-0 decision.

## Production

Early planning for *Superstar* started during the initial conceptualization of *Simvivor'*s second generation. While the season was slated to take place anywhere between the 7th and 10th seasons of this new generation, it was decided that *Superstar* would be the eighth season. Additionally, the title underwent multiple changes, originally being called "All-Stars" before it later became "Greatest of All Time". It was later changed to "Superstar", paying homage to the original The Sims game, which featured an expansion pack named Superstar.

Producers contacted various former players to gather interest for *Superstar*. However, only two rejected formal offers to appear on the season: Gale Uragano and Vivian Yondar. Former winner Calypso Murano was considered for the final cast, but did not receive medical clearance. Robbie Priestley stated that he was contacted and went through the interview process, but was not chosen to compete. Felicity Pfeiffer and Wiremu Roberts were alternates for the cast and were seen on-location shooting promotional footage, but they ultimately did not compete and returned home before filming began.

Additional former players stated that they had been contacted but did not receive follow-up information regarding the season, including Corazon Malabanan, Dolly-Mae Okamura, Jenna Phillipson, Orion Lu, and Trevor Elliott. Production stated that over thirty former players had made their "shortlist" of potential returning castaways, but the list was narrowed down to about twenty-four, with the additional used to account for alternates and declines.

## Twists/Changes

* **Superstar:** For the first time, eighteen former castaways returned for another chance at winning the title of Sole Survivor.
* **Tribe Composition:** The cast was divided into three tribes of six.
* **Meager Supplies:** The tribes only received a pot and machete at the start of the game.
* **Tribe Absorption:** Aguilera, the tribe that lost the Day 13 Reward Challenge, was dissolved, with its remaining members to be absorbed by the other two tribes.
* **Kidnapping:** The winning tribe from the Day 19 Reward/Immunity Challenge, Monroe, was instructed to take one member from the losing Warhol tribe to share their reward and immunity with. The selected member, Kat, also skipped Tribal Council.
* **Tribe Switch:** Another tribe mix-up occurred on Day 22.
* **Two Immunity Necklaces:** The first Individual Immunity Challenge featured two Immunity Necklaces, one for a man and one for a woman.

## Season Summary

The eighteen returning castaways were divided into three competing tribes: Aguilera, Monroe, and Warhol. Monroe originally appeared to be one of the most dominant groups in terms of their challenge prowess, constantly placing first in the early challenges, but a losing streak caused them to lose two of their own members. Maritza La Playa and James Melendez originally bonded over their shared goal of eliminating previous winners, but the two soon developed a romantic relationship in the early stages of the game.

When the three tribes became two, Aguilera was disbanded and Billie Windham and Tierra Ocampo were exiled to the lackluster Monroe tribe, along with Cornelia Tennison and DeWitt Hubbell. However, Tierra’s status as a former winner (with a Perfect Game to boot) made her an easy person to eliminate. Finnegan Bloxham soon emerged as the most hated castaway, thanks to his rotten relationships with everyone on his tribe and his aggressive, strategic game. While former winner Kat Indie managed to build her bonds with lovebirds Maritza and James, she could not repair her tattered relationship to Lincoln Bravado, the man she beat in their original season’s Final Tribal Council, and the two started butting heads over leadership responsibilities.

Maris Wilton and Xanthe Baumgarten bonded over their mutual disdain of Finnegan, managing to swing DeWitt and the flippant Leoncio Hedley back to their side to eliminate him. The next episode, a surprise tribe swap caused the remaining ten castaways to be divided into tribes of five. Kat put an end to Lincoln’s revenge story, using Xanthe’s vulnerability on the new tribe to send him home.

Once the tribes finally merged, the superstar bloodbath continued. Before long, Maritza and James began to argue incessantly over her previous relationship with DeWitt. This new romance quickly dissolved, but not before a blowout feud that caused the demise of James’s otherwise impeccable game. Maritza followed him to the Jury the next episode. Maris’s new control over the remainder of the season meant that the game was certainly hers for the taking, and she succeeded in eliminating Kat and Leoncio. At the Final Four, Cornelia’s surprise immunity streak meant that Maris had to choose between the easier win against former winner DeWitt or honoring her loyal ally Xanthe. By choosing Xanthe, Maris forced a firemaking challenge where Xanthe swiftly beat DeWitt, making her potential win much more difficult.

On the penultimate day of *Superstar*, Cornelia won the Final Immunity Challenge, throwing a monkey wrench into Maris and Xanthe’s goal of making it to the finish together. When Cornelia caused a massive argument at camp with Maris, Xanthe believed that she would likely make it to the Final Tribal Council, but Cornelia chose to eliminate Xanthe, feeling confident that Maris’s controlling and abrasive personality would not win the respect of the jury.

During the Final Tribal Council, the jury slammed Cornelia’s social game, praising Maris for her strategically fluid and socially dynamic game. Her heroism in choosing to remain loyal to her allies despite all odds against her was a worthy story for a season themed around the legends of *Simvivor*, and so the jury awarded her the victory with a clean 7-0 decision. As a result of this unanimous vote, Maris also became the second-ever player to win with a Perfect Game.

## Trivia

* This is the first season to feature only returning players.
* This is the first season to feature an expanded cast size, with eighteen castaways.
* This is the first season to feature three starting tribes at the beginning of the season.
* Cornelia Tennison was the only person to be part of all four tribes during her time in the game.