Tribe Switch

A Tribe Switch was the first game-changing twist of *Survivor*. This twist sends members from one tribe to the rival tribe and vice versa.

## About

The Tribe Switch is a twist that can happen at any specific point during the game. This reassignment of tribes is effective until the tribes merge or a new opportunity to switch tribes occurs (e.g. a mutiny or a second switch). This is denoted by contestants wearing a newly-supplied buff in the colour of their new tribe. They then drop their old buff on the ground and start wearing the new one. Normally, a switch would send half of the members of a tribe to the other when both tribes have an equal number of members, although this has changed over the years.

## Classifications

A tribe switch could be classified as one or more of several types:

* Swap - Typically done during early seasons, it happens when the switch is done in a way ensuring that each tribe exchanges the same number of castaways. Among Survivor fans, all Tribe Switches are commonly referred to as "Swaps" regardless of the specific type.
* Shuffle - A shuffle happens where each tribe could have a different number of new members. Many times, however, the number of castaways coming from a particular gender is considered, making sure each new tribe has good gender balance. A shuffle is often a random draw, but can also be in the form of a school-yard pick.
* Disband - Typically a variation of the shuffle, it happens when a tribe gets dissolved, then a shuffle is done to put the castaways on the remaining tribes.
* Expansion - An expansion happens if an Auxiliary Tribe is introduced in a two-tribe season. Typically, a shuffle is then done after.
* Mutiny - A mutiny happens when castaways from both tribes are offered an option to join a rival tribe.

## Twist History

### Survivor: Panama

* Type: Disbanding

The first tribe dissolve was during *Survivor: Panama*. The 32 castaways were originally split into 4 tribes of 8. After 6 Tribal Councils, 26 castaways remained. On Day 8, Bayoneta and Viveros were dissolved, meaning the remaining castaways switched into La Mina and Casaya, each having 13 members.

### Survivor: San Juan Del Sur

* Type: Shuffle/ Swap

On Day 9, the remaining sixteen castaways were forced to draw a buff out of a bag in order to be split into the new Coyopa and Hunahpu tribes respectively. Though the method for switching the tribes was a shuffle, the composition of the new tribes more resembled a 'Swap' because there was an even split of the original tribes on both switched tribes.

### Survivor: Gabon

* Switch #1 Type: Shuffle

On Day 12, the remaining fourteen castaways were forced to draw a buff out of a bag in order to be split into the new Fang and Kota tribes respectively.

* Switch #2 Type: Shuffle

On Day 21, the remaining ten castaways were forced to draw a buff out of a bag in order to be split into the third iterations of the Fang and Kota tribes respectively.

### Survivor: Philippines

* Type: Disbanding

At the beginning of the game, the castaways were originally split into 3 tribes of 8. After 6 Tribal Councils, only 18 remained. On Day 12, Matsing was dissolved, meaning the remaining castaways were split into Kalabaw and Tandang, each having 9 members.

### Survivor: China

* Type: Shuffle/ Swap

On Day 10, the remaining fifteen castaways selected new buffs for the new Fei Long and Zhan Hu tribes. Despite this being random, three original Fei Long members moved to Zhan Hu whilst three Zhan Hu members moved to Fei Long.

### Survivor: Nicaragua

* Type: Shuffle

On Day 12, the remaining sixteen castaways were told to drop their buffs and draw rocks to find out who would be the team captains of the new two tribes. Vanessa held the blue rock and became the leader of the new Espada tribe, whilst Bobby Jon held the yellow rock and became the leader of the new La Flor tribe. As captains, Bobby Jon and Vanessa chose the rest of their tribe through a Schoolyard Pick.

### Survivor: Cook Islands

* Switch #1 Type: Disbanding

At the beginning of the game, the 20 castaways of *Cook Islands* were originally split into 4 tribes of 5. With only 16 castaways remaining on Day 12, Hiki and Puka were dissolved. This meant that the remaining castaways were split into Aitu and Raro, each having 8 members.

* Switch #2 Type: Mutiny

On Day 20, the Raro and Aitu tribes were given the chance to mutiny. The castaways were told at the end of 5 seconds, they could mutiny or remain on their originally switched tribe. Liamm and Alexis, who were put onto the Raro tribe, decided to mutiny. They joined the Aitu tribe and the other members from their original Raro tribe, being Kayla, Leo and Katniss.

### Survivor: Cagayan

* Type: Disbanding

The central twist of *Survivor: Cagayan* was Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty, where 21 castaways were split into 3 tribes of 7. After 5 Tribal Councils, only 16 remained. On Day 15, Luzon was dissolved and the castaways were split into 2 tribes of 8. This meant the Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty twist was disbanded.

### Survivor: Blood vs. Water

* Type: Shuffle/ Swap

Following Mandy's return from Redemption Island on Day 12, the castaways were told to drop their buffs. The players chose packages that contained the buff of the new Galang and Tadhan tribes respectively. Despite this being random, this switch could be considered a 'Swap' because three original Galang members moved to Tadhana and three Tadhana members moved to Galang.

### Survivor: Fiji

* Type: Disbanding

The 24 castaways of *Survivor: Fiji* were originally split into 4 tribes based on their past performance: winners, pre-mergers, jurors and finalists. After 6 Tribal Councils, 18 castaways remained. On Day 12, the remaining castaways were split into the Pagong and Burra tribes, each with 9 members. The Kabayo and Kuneho tribes were dissolved and the twist was disbanded officially.

### Survivor: Micronesia

* Type: Shuffle/ Swap

The cast of *Micronesia* was divided based on the Fans vs. Favorites twist until only sixteen castaways remained. Each player had to select a buff from their original tribes respective urn. Due to the equal number of Fans and Favourites, these urns divided the original tribes in half as is the case for a traditional 'Swap' method.

### Survivor: Guatemala

* Type: Swap

At the Final Thirteen of *Survivor: Guatemala*, the castaways were told to drop their buffs. Due to the uneven number of castaways remaining at this point, the number of players on the original tribes prior to the switch (7 on Nakúm and 6 on Yaxhá) did not change. This method of choosing tribes (separate urns for the original tribes) meant that only six of the thirteen remaining castaways would be switched, three to each new tribe.

### Survivor: Marquesas

* Type: Swap

At the Final Thirteen of *Survivor: Marquesas*, the castaways were told to drop their buffs. Due to the uneven number of castaways remaining at this point, the number of players on the original tribes prior to the switch (7 on Rotu and 6 on Maraamu) did not change. This method of choosing tribes (separate urns for the original tribes) meant that only six of the thirteen remaining castaways would be switched, three to each new tribe.

### Survivor: All Stars

* Switch #1 Type: Shuffle

After five tribal councils and Shawna's quit, the final eighteen castaways of *Survivor: All Stars* were told to drop their buffs. The men drew from one urn whilst the women drew from another to be divided into the new Chapera, Mogo Mogo and Saboga.

* Switch #2 Type: Disbanding

After four tribal councils as switched tribes, the Saboga tribe was dissolved and the final fourteen castaways were divided between the Chapera and Mogo Mogo tribes.

### Survivor: Thailand

* Type: Disbanding

The castaways of *Survivor: Thailand* were originally split into 5 tribes of 4 based on their horoscope. After 5 Tribal Councils, Katniss returned in a one-time Redemption Island duel. For winning, she formed her own tribe of 8 members, Hying Saw, while the remaining castaways were apart of Ta Chang. This meant that the horoscope twist was officially disbanded.

### Survivor: Worlds Apart

* Switch #1 Type: Disbanding

During the beginning of *Survivor: Worlds Apart*, the castaways were originally split into 3 tribes of 6. After 4 Tribal Councils, the remaining 14 were split into Escameca and Nagarote eahc with 7 members. This meant that Masaya was officially dissolved.

* Switch #2 Type: Swap

The remaining castaways at the Final Eleven of *Survivor: Worlds Apart* were then told to drop their buffs. Though they assumed they would be merging, the castaways were in fact switching tribes once again. The two tribes were given separate urns to choose from, meaning that two castaways from each tribe would switch to the opposite tribe.

### Survivor: Borneo

* Type: Mutiny

On Day 13, the Pagong and Tagi tribes were given the opportunity to mutiny again. Prior to the mutiny, Tagi was on a losing streak and were 3 members behind Pagong. Kelley and Clara were in the majority alliance on the Pagong tribe. However, they were beginning to feel uncomfortable about their positions in the alliance. Therefore, they decided to mutiny when asked and joined the Tagi tribe.

### Survivor: Caramoan

* Type: Shuffle

The cast of *Caramoan* was originally divided based on the Fans vs. Favorites twist until only sixteen castaways remained. The castaways had to select a buff from an urn that was used for both original tribes.

### Survivor: One World

* Type: Shuffle

The cast of *One World* was originally divided based on the Blood vs. Water twist until only sixteen castaways remained. The castaways had to select a buff from an urn that was used for both original tribes.

### Survivor: Cambodia

* Switch #1 Type: Expansion

After four tribal councils, the remaining eighteen castaways were told to drop their buffs. For the first time in *Survivor* history, another tribe was introduced to the game and the eighteen castaways were split into the new Bayon and Ta Keo tribes in addition to the new Angkor tribe.

* Switch #2 Type: Disbanding

After three tribal councils on the expanded tribes, the remaining fifteen castaways were told to drop their buffs. The Ta Keo tribe was dissolved and the players were divided between the Angkor and Bayon tribes.

### Survivor: Japan

* Type: Shuffle

The castaways of *Survivor: Japan* were originally divided in three tribes of six based on the Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty theme. After four tribal councils, the remaining fourteen castaways were told to drop their buffs. As a twist however, four intruders were introduced into the game at this switch. This meant that following the switch, there were still three tribes of six.

### Survivor: Malaysia

* Type: Shuffle

The cast of *Malaysia* was originally divided Returning Male vs. First time Female castaways. However, this tribe division ceased to exist at the final fourteen. There was an uneven mix of men and women on these new tribe because the castaways had to select a buff from an urn that was used for both original tribes.

### Survivor: India

* Type: Disbanding

At the beginning of the game, the 30 castaways were split based on the order of the season they won. These include Brahma (winners of seasons 1-10), Vishnu (winners of seasons 11-20) and Shiva (winners of season 21-30). On Day 11, the remaining winners were split into Vishnu and Shiva, each with 11 members, with Brahma officially dissolved.

### Survivor: New Zealand

* Type: Swap

At the Final Fourteen of *Survivor: New Zealand*, the castaways were told to drop their buffs. Each original tribe was given a different urn to choose a new buff. With this method, three members of each original tribe remained on their original tribe whilst the other four were switched to their former rival tribes.

### Survivor: Argentina

* Type: Disbanding

The original tribe division was based on race. The four original tribes included Trelew (Caucasian), Bariloche (Hispanic), Viedma (Asian) and Rawson (African). On Day 10, the racial division of tribes ended. This meant that the Bariloche tribe was dissolved and the remaining 15 castaways were switched into the new Trelew, Viedma and Rawson tribes.

### Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X

* Type: Expansion

The *Millennials vs. Gen X* cast was originally divided into two tribes based on their generation. After two tribal councils, the eighteen castaways were told to drop their buffs and they were divided into three tribes of six.

### Survivor: Indonesia

* Type: Shuffle

On Day 12 after four tribal councils, the remaining sixteen castaways dropped their buffs. They were forced to select a buff from one urn used for the entire cast in order to be switched into the new Bulan and Matahari tribes.

### Survivor: Kaôh Rōng

* Type: Disbanding/ Swap

The eighteen castaways of *Survivor: Kaôh Rōng* were originally split into three tribes of six. On Day 12, the remaining fourteen castaways were switched into Gondol and Chan Loh, each with seven members. The To Tang tribe was dissolved. This switch could be considered a swap to an extent because two original members of each tribe remained whilst five players from the two rival tribes joined.

### Survivor: Australia

* Type: Switch

The castaways on Day 12 of *Survivor: Australia* were told that both tribes would have to vote someone out at a Double Tribal Council. However, the 'eliminated' player was switched to the other tribe and got to select someone from their original tribe to join them. With this type of switch, two original Saanapu and three original Vavau members switched to their rivals in order to balance the new tribes.

### Survivor: Australia II

* Type: Switch

The castaways on Day 9 of *Survivor: Australia II* were told that both tribes would have to vote someone out at a Double Tribal Council. However, the 'eliminated' player was switched to the other tribe and got to select someone from their original tribe to join them. With this type of switch, two original Samatau and three original Asaga members switched to their rivals in order to balance the new tribes.

### Survivor: Mamanuca Islands

* Type: Shuffle/ Swap

The cast of *Mamanuca Islands* was originally divided into three tribes of six. After three tribal councils, a tribe shuffle occurred where all castaways drew new buffs from the one shared urn. Unintentionally however, the switch resulted in a 'Swap' whereby three castaways from each original tribe remained on their tribes. The remaining castaways filled the other two slots.

### Survivor: David vs. Goliath

* Type: Expansion

The *David vs. Goliath* cast was originally divided into two tribes of ten. After four tribal councils, they were told to drop their buffs and all drew from the same pool of buffs to be switched into the new Jabeni (formerly Goliath), Tiva and Vuku (formerly David) tribes. Since sixteen castaways were apart of this switch, the expanded Tiva tribe was rewarded with six rather than five members.

### Survivor: Island of the Idols

* Type: Swap

On Day 13, the remaining sixteen castaways of *Island of the Idols* were told to drop their buffs. The original Lairo and Vokai castaways were forced to draw new buffs from two separate urns. With this method, four of the original eight Lairo castaways remained on Lairo whilst the other four moved to Vokai. This was also the case for the original Vokai tribe.

### Survivor: Island of Secrets

* Switch #1 Type: Mutiny

On Day 10, Christopher won the advantage on the Island of Secrets. It was an amended version of the mutiny offer which first appeared in *Cook Islands*. He accepted the offer to mutiny, switching himself and Sneha with Anthony and Rahul from the Laumei tribe. This meant that no one from Ta'alo or Manumalo was affected by the mutiny.

* Switch #2 Type: Disbanding

At the Final Eighteen on Day 13, the remaining castaways were told to drop their buffs. They were then given a rock each. One of the men (Micah) was given a green rock and became the team captain of the new Sa'ula tribe. Meanwhile, one woman (Leyla) was given the purple rock and became the team captain of the new Ta'alo tribe. The rest of the new tribes were chosen through a School-Yard pick, where each player had to chose someone from the opposite gender and a different tribe than their own.

### Survivor: Africa

* Type: Swap

On Day 13, the remaining eighteen castaways of *Africa* were told to drop their buffs. The original Boran and Samburu castaways were forced to draw new buffs from two separate urns. With this method, four of the original eight Samburu castaways remained on Samburu whilst the other four moved to Boran. Meanwhile, five original Boran castaways remained on Boran whilst the other five were switched to Samburu.

### Survivor: The Congo

* Type: Shuffle

The original Bemba and Lunda tribes received Tree Mail on Day 12 of *Survivor: The Congo*, where they were told to meet for a surprise announcement. Before the announcement was made, Sukhvinder decided to quit the game. The remaining fifteen castaways were then told to drop their buffs and individually select a new buff from an urn. Aliza, who picked a parchment that did not contain a buff from Bemba or Lunda, was sent to Exile Island and would join the new Bemba tribe after they lost the following immunity challenge and voted out a member. With this method, five of the original Bemba castaways remained on Bemba whilst the other two moved to Lunda. Meanwhile, five of the original Lunda castaways remained on Lunda whilst the other three moved to Bemba.

### Survivor: Ghost Island

* Type: Expansion

On Day 10, the remaining seventeen castaways of *Ghost Island* were told to drop their buffs and draw rocks to determine the leaders of the three new tribes. The Tribe Leaders, Frank (for Malolo), Vincent (for Naviti) and Samir (for the newly expanded Yanuya) then created their tribes by randomly selecting the names of the remaining players from an urn. Through this method, the tribes were unevenly divided in terms of gender and original tribal lines.

### Survivor: Cloncurry

* Type: Shuffle

At the beginning of *Survivor: Cloncurry*, twenty castaways were divided into the Brains or Brawn tribe based on their occupation or qualities demonstrated from their previous *Survivor* appearance. On Day 13, the theme was disbanded when the remaining fifteen players were mixed into new tribes. As the odd person odd, Doug was sent to Exile Beach and was given an opportunity to obtain a Tribal Council Pass. He would later join the new Brains tribe after they lost immunity and attended tribal council.

## Trivia

These totals exclude the mutinies in *Survivor: Cook Islands*, *Survivor: Borneo* and *Survivor: Island of Secrets*.

* *Survivor: Gabon* (second switch) had the fewest castaways switch tribes, with only three people switching tribes.
	+ *Survivor: All Stars* had the lowest percentage of castaways switch tribes, with 4 out of 14 switching tribes (28%).
* *Survivor: Panama* had the most castaways switch tribes, with 21 out of 26 switching tribes.
	+ *Cook Islands* (first switch) had the highest percentage of castaways switch tribes, with 13 out of 16 switching tribes (81%).
* Aitutaki (second switch), Rarotonga (second switch) and Viedma are the only tribes to retain none of its former members at a tribe switch.
	+ Aitutaki (first switch), Chikara and Rawson have each retained only one member.
	+ Ta Chang and Nagarote (first switch) each lost only one original member during a tribe switch.
* Kota (second switch), Aitutaki (second switch) and Rarotonga (second switch) are the only tribes to not gain any new members after a tribe switch. After these second switches, all members of these tribes were already on the tribe at some point in the game.