Tribal Council

## *Survivor* Gameplay

### Description

An elimination ceremony where a tribe decides which of their members should be voted out of the game

### Appearances

Every season

**Tribal Council** is an elimination ceremony that usually happens the night after an Immunity Challenge, where the contestants are being held accountable for their actions in the game, usually with one person being voted out of the tribe.

## Format

The Tribal Council area is designed to strike fear into the contestants, adding up to the tension of voting. Intricately designed by the producers, the Tribal Council area can range from looking like a makeshift hut, a temple, or an enormous stilt house, depending on the theme of the season.

Tribal Council usually starts at sundown. When a tribe visits Tribal Council for the first time, its members are given torches and are to dip them in the central fire pit. The host then reminds the castaways that the fire on their torch symbolizes their life in the game, and once it is extinguished by him, their time in the game is over. This metaphor is used commonly within the show's theme. The castaways will have a conversation with the host that could last for hours, usually shortened on television to feature the highlights, regarding camp life, strategy, social interactions, and events he witnessed at the challenges throughout the cycle. The session oftentimes leads to tension-filled discourses among tribe members, and contestants in precarious situations may reveal important information or plead their case to keep themselves in the game. If a castaway fails to give a satisfying answer to the host, could pepper them with more incriminating questions.

Once the host finishes interrogating the contestants, they will, one by one, proceed to a distant voting booth where they will write the name of the castaway they want to vote out and state the reason why they are voting for that player. Some of these confessionals are shown on television, but to increase suspense, not all are aired. After voting, the players insert their ballot inside an urn, which the host later collects. The host tallies the votes and reveals the results to the players. When the votes are read, the order that the votes are pulled has also usually been manipulated by production to extract the most suspense from the players during the tally. All votes are final and cannot be further altered though, in theory, there could have been an exemption in *2017* and *Blood v Water* due to the powers of a special Hidden Immunity Idol that could be used to negate votes *after* the deciding vote is revealed. Before reading the votes, the host asks the tribe if any one of them possesses a Hidden Immunity Idol and feels the need to use it. Once the host reads the votes, any advantages possessed by the players cannot be passed on to other players until the results are final.

Once the vote tally has exceeded the plurality needed, the host stops tallying, pronouncing that player eliminated from the game, keeping the remaining votes a secret, though every player's vote is shown during the eliminated player's confessional. The eliminated player presents the host their torch and the host extinguishes it (known in the series as "snuffing"), telling that contestant the parting words, "The tribe has spoken," before asking the player to leave the Tribal Council area. Eliminated players walk away from the Tribal Council grounds into a small confessional booth, where they can air out their grievances and reflections.

## Final Tribal Council

*For more information, see Final Tribal Council*.

## Tribal Council sets by season

* *Australian Survivor* (2002): A shipwreck on a beach.
* *Celebrity Survivor Australia*: A stone ring with skulls and a Vanuatu hut in the background.
* *Australian Survivor* (2016): A Samoan hut village.
* *Australian Survivor* (2017): Stone Samoan ruins.
* *Australian Survivor: Champions v Contenders* (2018): A Fijian village near a cliff and water.
* *Australian Survivor: Champions v Contenders* (2019): A Fijian village in the trees, themed to skulls and bones.
* *Australian Survivor: All Stars*: Fortress ruins covered with overgrown vines and trees.
* *Australian Survivor: Brains v Brawn*: A settlement of aboriginal gunyah huts.
* *Australian Survivor: Blood v Water*: Moss-covered ruins with a red-colored water ring around the fire pit, sitting near a lake with parts from aircraft lying around.
* *Australian Survivor: Heroes v Villains*: A Samoan fishing village.

## Trivia

* Jackie Glazier became the only contestant to never attend Tribal Council in a season when she was evacuated on Day 2 of *Heroes v Villains* due to fracturing her collarbone during the first Immunity Challenge.

## Gallery

*Australian Survivor* (2002) Tribal Council setting*Australian Survivor* (2002) Tribal Council voting area*Celebrity Survivor Australia* Tribal Council entrance*Celebrity Survivor Australia* Tribal Council setting by day*Celebrity Survivor Australia* Tribal Council setting by night*Australian Survivor* (2016) Tribal Council settingAganoa attending Tribal Council in *Australian Survivor* (2017)*Australian Survivor* (2016) Tribal Council voting booth*Australian Survivor* (2017) Tribal Council setting*Australian Survivor: Champions v Contenders* (2018) Tribal Council setting*Australian Survivor: Champions v Contenders* (2019) Tribal Council setting*Australian Survivor: All Stars* Tribal Council setting*Australian Survivor: All Stars* Tribal Council voting booth*Australian Survivor: Brains v Brawn* Tribal Council setting*Australian Survivor: Blood v Water* Tribal Council setting*Australian Survivor: Heroes v Villains* Tribal Council setting