Simvivor: Twikkii Island

***Simvivor: Twikkii Island*** is the third season of *Simvivor*.

This season featured two returning players, who would be competing against fourteen new players, and served as "team captains" for their respective tribes. Aleks Masquina was representing the all-male Pele tribe, meanwhile Corazon Malabanan was representing the all-female Hina tribe.

A well-received season, *Twikkii Island* was most notable for the lack of tribe swaps prior to the merge that allowed for intricate storylines on the divided Hina tribe to develop, as well as witnessing the near-decimination of the Pele tribe. Despite its otherwise impressive merge and eventual conclusion, the season was still criticized for one-sided editing and a generally confusing storyline that left several key players out of proper airtime.

The inclusion of returning players was met with a mixed reception, since on one hand, it showcased two incredibly popular players who had been eliminated early in their original seasons, but on the other hand, the narrative was controlled by their stories rather than focusing on the more interesting new players.

The season was won by Kat Indie, who defeated Lincoln Bravado in a close 4-3 Jury vote. She received widespread acclaim for her strategic dominance as well as her complex character development from start to finish. Kat became the first female Sole Survivor as a result.

## Production

Early production for *Twikkii Island* began at the inception of *Simvivor*, where the initial plan was to set up three back-to-basics seasons with no overarching twist or theme. The plan was later abandoned and then serious production for the season began prior to the previous season's Wiki. This was done to counter the gap between filming dates with the seasons thus far, as well as expanding the number of seasons to *Simvivor* in order to possibly grow the interest in the series.

Production also sought out the return of two previous players to serve as team captains in some capacity, however the focus was not bringing back players who would be considered "All Stars", avoiding conflicts with a future all-returning player season. Rather, the concept included bringing back players who may not have had a fair chance on their first appearance, allowing them to re-invent themselves and play the game once more.

The theme for *Twikkii Island* was decided to be "Battle of the Sexes", with one tribe each for male and female Sims competing against each other.

## Twists/Changes

* **Returning Captains:** For the first time in *Simvivor* history, two returning players will be competing with fourteen brand new players. They would compete on their tribes as Team Captains due to their slight edge with their short experiences from the past.
* **Battle of the Sexes:** Tribes were divided between men and women. The Hina tribe would be comprised of female Sims, while the Pele tribe would be composed of male Sims.
* **No Tribe Swaps:** Unlike the previous season, no Tribe Swaps would occur during the season. The two tribes of eight would compete until ten castaways remain and then merge into one brand new tribe.

## Season Summary

*Twikkii Island* premiered with the marooning of the fourteen brand new players on the sandy banks of the West End Beach in Twikkii Island. When questioned by Merissa Horvath, the players soon realized that the cast was smaller than usual, which led to the introduction of two returning players: Aleks Masquina and Corazon Malabanan. Merissa explained that these returning players were coming back for a second chance at the million Simoleon prize and that they would be competing just like any regular castaway. She then explained how the tribes were divided - by sex.

Early on, the all-female Hina tribe seemed to be struggling with their ability to work as a cohesive group, further perpetuated by the dramatic and lazy Ariadne Zamudio. When the Hina tribe lost the season's first Immunity Challenge, it was Ariadne who was the first person voted out in a unanimous decision. Then, the Hina tribe snapped back and they were able to dominate the remaining challenges - winning all but one Reward Challenge and all but one Immunity Challenge for the remainder of the game's pre-merge portion. During this time, the all-male Pele tribe underwent multiple power struggles, with the Spellcaster Zane Pullman being that tribe's first target at Tribal Council due to his powers as an Occult Sim. Teen Idol was quickly eliminated due to his status as a celebrity, but it was Aleks who managed to avoid elimination despite receiving votes at two of their four Tribal Councils attended.

Once the two tribes merged into the Caliente tribe, another power struggle began to develop between the men and the women. With the women fractured due to a chaotic Tribal Council just days prior, they eliminated two outsiders of their core group, allowing the men to recover in numbers. But when the men began to turn on themselves, it was Todd Gottwald who paid the price, joining the Jury. With time running out and his allies turning their backs, Aleks made a desperate move to try and swing the votes onto fellow returning player Corazon, but his pleas were left unheard and he placed 7th overall.

The endgame managed to pick up its pace, where the sole remaining male Lincoln Bravado was poised to make an Individual Immunity run to the Final Tribal Council, but his failed targeting of opposition leader Kat Indie soon came to be his demise. With Kat's impressive shielding strategy, she was able to avoid elimination for three consecutive Tribal Councils, constantly falling just short in the Immunity Challenges. With a shocking and unprecedented 2-1-1 vote split at the Final Four, Kat seemed like a close contender to the crown, but it was still Corazon's game to lose at that point due to her strong social bonds with the entire Jury.

When Lincoln won the Final Immunity Challenge, he was faced with eliminating the villainous but impressive player in Kat, or the adored Corazon. When Kat proposed an alliance with Lincoln just minutes before Tribal Council, Lincoln was forced with accepting in an effort to prove that he had played loyally the duration of the game. He eliminated Corazon, who left in a storm of emotions. At the Final Tribal Council, the Jury weighed the pros and cons between both finalist, feeling disappointed in Kat's unsavory Jury management, but also criticizing Lincoln's reliance on Individual Immunity and lackluster strategy. Ultimately, Kat won in a nail-biting 4-3 vote, garnering the votes of Diyanira, Keith, Porsha, and Yolanda.

## Trivia

* This is the first *Simvivor* season to feature a female winner