Simvivor: Lucky Palms

***Simvivor: Lucky Palms*** is the second season of *Simvivor*. It received mixed reviews from audiences, with praise going towards the production and Reese Montanez, but criticism drawn at the editing which was called "confusing". The season also featured the series's first medical evacuation when Stefany Jennings passed out from exhaustion on the ninth day following an Immunity Challenge.

In the end, the winner was declared to be Ebony Ward, *Simvivor'*s second Alien Sole Survivor. She defeated Nicki Blakeley in the Final Tribal Council by a 4-3 vote. Nicki set a *Simvivor* record after winning five consecutive Individual Immunity Challenges.

## Production

Filming for the second season of *Simvivor* was planned to begin just one week after the conclusion of the premiere season, but network executives requested to push back filming to allow time for a test audience to respond to the first episode of *Felicity Island*. When it was a hit, production was officially greenlit and filming began in early June.

The cast was selected from the pool of 32 Sims on the shortlist for last season who did not compete.

## Twists/Changes

* **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

*Lucky Palms* kicked off with all sixteen castaways skydiving out of a military helicopter onto the tarmac in front of host Reese Montanez. The new castaways were divided into two tribes of eight: Bloom and Sahara. They were then informed that due to the extreme heat this summer, the castaways would be residing in separate, dilapidated military bunkers for the duration of the season. Early on, leaders of each tribe were Babette Harrell and Miles Soares due to their outdoor experience and military training, in Miles' case, but the Sahara tribe proved to be the physically dominant tribe after winning five of the six Immunity Challenges.

At the merge, much like last season, the underdog Bloom tribemates found their way into the majority of the tribe with a special goal of getting their all-female alliance to the top four. Mary Wakefield made a controversial decision by flipping on her original tribemates at the last second, securing herself a place within the core majority. A fatal flaw in Aaiyah Lazcano's calculations sent her off to the jury rather prematurely, but an impressive performance by Nicki Blakeley assisted her in avoiding a certain elimination five rounds in a row. Jordynn Glazier relied on her strategic game to avoid her own demise, pulling off a crucial blindside that eliminated Mary with a minority of the votes at the final four Tribal Council.

Once the top three of Jordynn, Nicki, and outsider Ebony Ward was decided, Ebony defied the odds by securing a clutch Final Immunity Challenge win. Recognizing Jordynn's calculating and under-the-radar strategic game, Ebony decided to bring the challenge beast Nicki with her to the end. Nicki was admired for her physicality and seemed likely to win, but it was Ebony's resilience and endearing charm that shone through and she won the season in a classic *Simvivor* 4-3 split decision.

## Trivia

* This season had the fewest pre-merge Tribal Councils, with only five.
* This is the first season to have a live finale, instead of the jury votes being revealed on location. Each season thereafter followed this format.
* This is the first season to feature a female Sole Survivor.
* Like its predecessor, this season was won by an Alien Sim.
* This is the first season where no male Sims made it to the top six.
* This season features the first instance of a castaway being medically evacuated from the game.