Survivor: Río Júcar

## DVD Cover

***Survivor: Río Júcar*** is the fourth season of CJvivor. The season began on May 3rd, 2023 and ended with the finale and live reunion on June 1st, 2023.

The fourth season ended with Brady defeating Andrew at the Final Tribal Council by a jury vote of 7-0.

At the Final Tribal Council on Day 30, the jury analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the final two contenders. While Andrew's harsh demeanor was acknowledged, the jury also recognized his resilient gameplay from the bottom. Conversely, Brady garnered praise for his exceptional social skills and remarkable ability to survive on a struggling tribe, despite his lackluster performance in Individual Immunity Challenges.

The jury lauded Andrew for his determination and acknowledged his stellar ability to shift the target off of himself. They commended creative gameplay, particularly his ability to maintain game relationships with castaways despite their personal disagreements, which allowed him to navigate the complex web of alliances and emerge as a resilient player. However, some jurors expressed concerns about the cutthroat nature of Andrew's gameplay and criticized the way he utilized his bonds to further his own game.

Brady, on the other hand, received widespread acclaim for his exceptional social finesse and adeptness at maneuvering through the intricate social dynamics of the season. Despite facing numerous setbacks on a losing tribe, Brady managed to forge deep alliances and solidify his position in the game. However, he struggled with Individual Immunity Challenges until his clutch victory in the finale episode. Nonetheless, Brady's overall likability and strategic gameplay resonated strongly with the jury.

In the end, Brady's remarkable social gameplay and strategic prowess proved to be a winning combination. The impact he had on carving the game's path, coupled with his ability to overcome the odds and build strong relationships, left an impression on the jury. In a unanimous decision, Brady emerged as the fourth Sole Survivor, securing all seven jury votes.

## Production

Applications for *Río Júcar* began March 9th, 2023. 30 people applied, 28 were chosen to complete a secondary interview, and 16 were selected for the final cast.

## Twists

**Hidden Immunity Idols:** Hidden Immunity Idols were hidden in the game this season. Each tribe had a Hidden Immunity Idol hidden somewhere at their camp. When played at Tribal Council, the individual who the idol is played on becomes safe, any votes cast against them do not count, and the person with the next highest number of votes is eliminated. The tribe that won the Immunity Challenge also received a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol.

**Power of 4:** Unbeknownst to the castaways at the start of the season, Río Júcar’s season number, 4, was central to various elements of the game, recorded below.

* **Expanded Starting Tribes:** For the first time in CJvivor history, the game began with **four** tribes of **four** players each, rather than two tribes of eight.
* **Opening Advantage:** At the start of the game, the castaways were informed that they would compete in a brief challenge when they got to their camp. In the challenge, castaways had to guess how many starfish appeared in an image, and the closest guess on each tribe would earn an advantage. The correct answer was **44**, and **four** advantages were released into the game.
* **Reward Challenge:** CJvivor's first Reward Challenge was deliberately chosen to be in the **fourth** episode of the **fourth** season.
* **Episode Four Anagram:** In the fourth Immunity Challenge, two members of each tribe had to unscramble letters to solve an anagram puzzle. The answer to the anagram was **"Season Four Episode Four,"** chosen to highlight the season's number.
* **Connect 4 Absorption Duel:** On Day 5, Cuenca and Montes were dissolved for losing prior Tribal Immunity Challenges. Alzira and Turia, the remaining tribes, had to select one member each to represent their tribe in a duel. The winner of the duel had the opportunity to choose which of the dissolved tribes they wished to absorb. In line with the season's theme, the Absorption Duel was a game of Connect 4. Dev defeated Devin and secured the win for Alzira and was given give minutes to make a final decision. Dev selected Cuenca, sending the remaining Montes members to the Turia Tribe.
* **CJvivor Sanctuary:** Steve won the Individual Reward Challenge at the final ten. In line with the season's theme, he got to choose three additional tribe members to join him, making **four** total. Once there, the four castaways each had to choose a seat at the table, numbered 1-4. Wesley chose seat number **four** and received an advantage.

## Castaways

When the 16 castaways arrived at the Río Júcar, they were divided into four tribes of four: Alzira, wearing pink, Cuenca, wearing gray, Montes, wearing green, and Turia, wearing blue. Alzira and Cuenca are named after municipalities in Spain, where the season took place. Montes is named after the Montes Universales, a mountain range in the country. Turia is named after another Spanish river. On Day 13, the tribes merged into a brown tribe, which they named Cullera, after a municipality in the province of Valencia.

## Connor's Winner Predictions

Following the Tribal Council of every episode, Connor ranked the remaining castaways on how likely he thought they were to win the game. Connor filled out the Final Tribal Council column following the final two's opening statements to the jury. His predictions are recorded below.

## Trivia

* Connor went kayaking on the Río Júcar when he visited Spain.
* *Río Júcar* is the first season to be filmed in Europe.
* *Río Júcar* is the first season to be filmed outside South America.
* *Río Júcar* is the first season to feature Reward Challenges.
* *Río Júcar* is the first season to begin with four tribes.
* Day 12 of *Río Júcar* was the 100th day of CJvivor.
* *Río Júcar* is the first season to feature a tie vote and a Final Four Tiebreaker.
* *Río Júcar* is the first season to have zero self-votes.
* Alzira is the first CJvivor tribe to make the merge without attending a single Tribal Council.
* Each of the four starting tribes had one representative in the final four: Scott for Alzira, Andrew for Cuenca, Wesley for Montes and Brady for Turia.
* *Río Júcar* is the second season to have a final jury vote count of 7-0.
	+ The first was *Uruguay*.
* *Río Júcar* is the first season to feature Idol Halves in the form of a compass. The North piece connected with the South piece to form a Hidden Immunity Idol. The same was true with the East and West pieces.
* *Río Júcar* is the first season to have its Sole Survivor live in the United States.
* *Río Júcar* is the first season in which the final two began the season on opposing tribes.