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It's that time again. Twice a year, 16-20 Americans hit the beach for 39 days and test their bodies and minds as they compete in challenges and vote each other out with the goal of taking home the title of "Sole Survivor" and the $1,000,000 prize.
On Wednesday, September 27th, 18 new castaways will hit the beaches of Fiji in an attempt to outwit, outplay, and outlast each other using whatever means necessary to sit there at the end for a chance to win it all. This season, the theme CBS is shoving down our throats initially separates these 18 people into three tribes based on the "positive attributes" people most commonly associate with them. So, for some reason, a probation officer is a "healer", an actuary is a "hero", and a bellhop is a "hustler." This follows the tradition of the show in recent seasons organizing people by the color of their collar, how smart, beautiful, or strong they are, and what generation they belong to. It's all arbitrary in the end, as tribe swaps and the merge will have them on the same playing field before too long.
This is the 35th season, so we should expect big strategic moves, intense challenges, Shyamalan twists, and epic blindsides. It's always a good time to jump into the show, and YES - "this show is still on TV." Survivor still averages 8-12 million viewers per episode, almost always winning its timeslot, and sometimes the entire programming night. Survivor finally put American Idol out of business last year. It's also known to be one of the most authentic reality shows on TV. They really do waste away out there to try to win big.
If you feel so inclined, I reccommend playing Survivor Fantasy. You can play against 14 other strangers or organize drafts with friends (or people on this board) as long as you do so before the season starts. I'm betting with friends on mine ($150 on the line), hoping to take home my own grand prize.
Extended classic intro for those who, like me, enjoy it.
Twists
- First Tribal Only Super Idol - At the marooning, there will be a "Super Idol", an idol that can be played AFTER the votes are read, which is only good during the first tribal council of the game. Even if the person holding the idol is on one of the two tribes that win individual immunity. Because it's an authentic production idol, someone could hypothetically hold onto it and pretend it's real, even though it would have no power.
- Hidden Immunity Idol Clues at Camp - Clues to hidden immunity idols at tribe camps will be painted or carved onto trees, rocks, and otherwise hidden in plain sight to guide the castaways toward finding ornaments which can guarantee safety in the game if played correctly.
- No Revotes After a Tie Discontinued - Last season, production tried a twist which bombed - in that it wasn't even attempted. If the votes were tied, there would not be a tiebreaker vote, forcing the contestants to go directly to rocks or a firemaking challenge depending on the stage of the game it happens during. This is going away, and contestants can once again revote in the case of a tie.
- Debate Style Final Tribal Council Returning - After the new FTC format mostly succeeded at the conclusion of last season, this change is returning for season 35 (and according to Probst, it's here to stay.) Instead of each jury member standing up one by one to address the remaining contestants, it'll be more of a open forum where the jury and contestants (guided by Probst) will be debating why X deserves to win or lose against Y and Z.
- MAJOR Final 4 Change - Not announced in pre-season press, but confirmed by the always credible Redmond of Inside Survivor. The winner of the final 4 challenge guarantees their spot in the final 3 and also gets to pick one of the two people who will sit next to them in the finale. The other two go to a fire-making challenge to compete for the final spot. Game changer!
Starting Tribes
-LEVU (Heroes)-
Ben Driebergen - 34, Boise, ID. Marine.
Chrissy Hofbeck - 46, Lebanon Township, NJ. Actuary.
Alan Ball - 32, Houston, TX. NFL Player.
Ashley Nolan - 26, Satellite Beach, FL. Lifeguard.
JP Hilsabeck - 28, Los Angeles, CA. Firefighter.
Katrina Radke - 46, Excelsior, MN. Olympian.
-SOKO (Healers)-
Joe Mena - 34, Tolland, CT. Probation Officer.
Cole Medders - 24, Little Rock, AR. Wilderness Therapy Guide.
Mike Zahalsky - 43, Parkland, FL. Urologist.
Jessica Johnston - 29, Louisville, KY. Nurse Practitioner.
Desi Williams - 27, Newport News, VA. Physical Therapist.
Roark Luskin - 27, Santa Monica, CA. Social Worker.
-YAWA (Hustlers)-
Devon Pinto - 23, Solana Beach, CA. Surf Instructor.
Lauren Rimmer - 35, Beaufort, NC. Fisher.
Patrick Bolton - 24, Auburn, AL. Small Business Owner.
Ryan Ulrich - 23, North Arlington, NJ. Bellhop.
Ali Elliott - 24, Los Angeles, CA. Celebrity Assistant.
Simone Nguyen - 25, New York City, NY. Diversity Advocate.
Previous Season Threads
Survivor 34: Game Changers |OT| We Have To Go Back
Survivor 33: Millennials vs. Gen X |OT| Gen X vs. Millennials
Survivor 32: Kaôh Rōng |OT| Anything that can Kaôh Rōng, will.
Survivor 31: Cambodia - Second Chance |OT| Starring Phoebe. And also a fish.
Survivor: Worlds Apart |OT| Season 30, 15 years of blindsides
Survivor: San Juan del Sur: Blood vs Water 2: Nicaragua 3 - Exile Island 7 |OT|
Survivor 28: Cagayan |OT| Colby votes out Keith again
Survivor: Blood vs Water |OT| Favorites + Family
Survivor 26: Caramoan |OT| Fans (Recruits) vs. Favorites (Crazy People)
Survivor: Philippines |OT| Return of the Cart-Offs
Survivor: One World |OT| Thread of Stupid Name, Promising Twist
Survivor: South Pacific |OT| of Dragon Slaying and Russell 2.0?
Survivor 22 Redemption Island! Featuring Russell and Rob
Survivor: Nicaragua Starting right now!
Survivor: Heroes vs Villains - Thursdays at 8:00pm ET/PT (beginning Feb. 4th)!
Survivor Samoa: Premieres Thursday, Sept. 17 8:00pm ET/PT
Survivor: Tocantins
Ken "King of Smash" Hoang enters Survivor: Gabon
That's it. Got nothin' for ya. Head Back to camp!