Survivor: Panama

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Survivor: Panama - Exile Island
Filming location	Pearl Islands, Panama
Winner	Aras Baskauskas (5-2)
Original run	February 02, 2006 – May 14, 2006
Filming dates	October 31, 2005 – December 09, 2005
No. of episodes	14
No. of days	39
No. of survivors	16
Tribes	Casaya La Mina Bayoneta Viveros Gitanos
Fans vs. Favorites	Cirie Fields
Season chronology
Previous	Survivor: Guatemala
Next	Survivor: Cook Islands

Survivor: Panama - Exile Island (Survivor: Exile Island or Survivor: Panama for short) was the twelfth season of Survivor, and took place in the Pearl Islands, off the coast of Panama. This location was previously used for Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: All-Stars. Filming began on 31 October 2005 and the season premiered on 2 February 2006 on CBS. The season finale was on 14 May 2006 with the votes revealed live from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York. [1]

The season included a twist that originally came from Survivor: Palau called Exile Island. Each week at least one castaway is banished for the time period between the reward challenge and the immunity challenge on Exile Island. The exile is given a single machete, a flint, a pot and a bucket of non-sanitized water. The island also contained a hidden immunity idol that could be used at tribal council after the votes have been cast. This gave the person who found the idol a strategic advantage because that person can keep the idol secret until he or she was voted off, which would cause the person with the second largest number of votes to be eliminated. As it developed, Terry found the idol and never needed to use it at a vote, but his possession of it appeared to influence how several other people voted.

The game began by splitting the 16 players into four tribes by sex and age: young men (Viveros, green buffs), older men (La Mina, orange buffs), young women (Bayoneta, blue buffs) and older women (Casaya, purple buffs). These four tribes were named after four islands located in the Pearl Islands. During the second episode the Viveros and Bayoneta tribes were dissolved and in a "schoolyard pick" with only Casaya and La Mina making two new integrated tribes. The 10 remaining contestants merged into one tribe, and called their new tribe Gitanos (black buffs), the Spanish word for "gypsy". In a rather interesting coincidence, a member from each of the original four tribes represented in the final four.

On 8 June 2006 Survivor: Panama was made available on Apple's iTunes store.

In a 5-2 vote, Aras Baskauskas defeated Danielle DiLorenzo to take the $1 million prize.

Cirie Fields was selected from this season to compete in Micronesia as part of the Favorites tribe.

[edit] Contestants

* Bruce joined Casaya after Melinda was voted off on day 6.

The Total Votes is the number of votes a castaway has received during Tribal Councils where the castaway is eligible to be voted out of the game. It does not include the votes received during the final Tribal Council.

[edit] The game

in the case of multiple tribes or people who win reward or immunity, they are listed in order of finish, or alphabetically where it was a team effort; where one player won and invited others, the invitees are in brackets

[edit] Voting history

Note 1: Bruce joined Casaya after the episode 2 vote, which is why he did not cast a vote.
Note 2: Sally was exiled during the episode 6 vote, which is why she did not cast a vote.
Note 3: Because Bruce was removed due to a medical emergency, he was not voted out, and there was no tribal council.
Note 4: Cirie was eliminated via the fire-making challenge, previously used in Palau, but it was not shown until the following episode.

[edit] Episode 1: The First Exile

• Reward Challenge: Each of the four tribes will produce one representative, who has to run across Exile Island to find a pile of skulls. The representative must smash the skull that contains an amulet and must run back to their tribemates. First three teams to finish wins Reward.
• Reward: All winning tribes will receive flint to make fire.
• Immunity Challenge: Beginning on platforms in the ocean, the tribes must race over a wall, dive into the ocean and swim to their tribe raft. The last person over the wall dives down to unclip a rope underwater, releasing the raft. The tribe then paddles the raft towards shore. Once the tribe latches their raft to the hitching post on shore, they race to solve a brainteaser puzzle, which releases a giant ring. The tribe has the option to dig down several feet and search to uncover an answer key to solve the brainteaser. Once the ring is released, the tribe attaches it to a rope that they use to throw at a grappling hook to unfurl their tribe flag. The first three tribes to raise their flags win Immunity.

All 16 castaways arrived on what was later revealed as Exile Island for the start of the game. They were divided into four tribes: Casaya, comprising the older women; Bayoneta, the younger women; La Mina, the older men, and Viveros, the younger men; and introduced to the twist of Exile Island. After the Reward Challenge, the losing tribe, Bayoneta, had to pick one of their own to stay on Exile, who would return in time for the next Immunity Challenge. Through Rock, Paper, Scissors, it was decided among the younger women that Misty would remain. At camp, the older women immediately pulled together under the leadership of Tina, and the older men built a bonfire. However, the two younger tribes could not get anything done. At the first Immunity Challenge, Misty returned from Exile Island and pretended she found the Immunity Idol hidden there, although it was not necessary when her tribe finished first. The male tribes finished second and third, and the older women headed to Tribal Council. Cirie, seen as weak, was a target, but she pulled the others to vote for secretly grieving Tina in a 3-1 decision.

[edit] Episode 2: Breakdown

• Reward Challenge: The two new tribes must race through an obstacle course, collecting six wooden snakes along the way. The tribes will collect two snakes at each of three stations. Each tribe must delegate one player to carry all six snakes throughout the entire course. The first tribe to cross the finish line with all their snakes wins the Reward.
• Reward: Fishing spear, bait and a raft.
• Immunity Challenge: The two tribes must work together to transport a giant zombie head from the ocean to the beach. Each tribe has a boat anchored to the ocean floor with a large wooden box. In addition, each boat has six holes filled with rubber plugs. Five tribe members have to pull out the plugs and begin bailing water out of the boat while the other two tribe members jump into the water and start moving the boat by pulling the anchor towards shore. Once the boat is clipped onto the hitching post, it's a race up the beach to put the anchor on the finish mat. The first tribe to put the zombie head on the zombie body wins Immunity.

Following a terrible storm, the tribes gathered for a Reward Challenge and were shocked to learn they would be rearranged. Viveros and Bayoneta were disbanded, with all remaining contestants spread across the new Casaya and La Mina tribes of seven people each. With Bruce left over as a result of the odd number of castaways, he was granted immunity and sent to Exile Island for three days until tribal council and would join the tribe that lost the next Immunity Challenge. The new La Mina Tribe won the Reward Challenge and was give a raft and fishing supplies. Despite quickly losing their newly-acquired spear in deep water, La Mina won the Immunity Challenge as well. Before Tribal Council, Shane considered quitting because of nicotine withdrawal but his newly-formed alliance of Danielle, Aras and Courtney convinced him to get over it. Instead, Melinda was voted out 5-2, and was replaced by Bruce after the vote.

[edit] Episode 3: Crazy Fights, Snake Dinners

• Reward Challenge: Using a giant slingshot, three tribe members will be the launchers, while the other four will stand on a balance beam over the water. One tribe member will launch a ball to the other four, who must catch it before it hits the water. The first tribe to catch five balls wins the Reward.
• Reward: Kerosene lantern, water canisters, blankets, pillows, rope and a tarp
• Immunity Challenge: Each team will compete in varying match-ups, racing head to head to five circles in the sand. Buried within each circle is a bag. The tribes must dig and find the bag, and then get back to the finish mat. To score, there must be at least one hand on the bag while any part of the body touches the finish mat. First tribe to score three wins Immunity.

At Casaya, Bruce used spare T-shirts to develop a water filtration system, meaning his tribe did not need to boil the brackish water before drinking it. It proved popular with some, but Courtney met it with skepticism. La Mina won camping essentials and the right to choose which member of Casaya would be exiled at the Reward Challenge. They chose Bruce, believing that his absence would most demoralize the tribe. Shane's mood swings continued and created friction among his alliance. Casaya won their first Immunity Challenge, and back at La Mina, Dan and Terry recruited Nick and Austin to target Misty. Her bluff about obtaining the Hidden Immunity Idol proved false; she was voted out 5-2.

[edit] Epsiode 4: Starvation and Lunacy

• Reward Challenge: Each tribe gets six floating puzzle pieces. One tribe member at a time will swim out, dive down, unclip a puzzle piece, and bring it back to the puzzle frame. Once the piece is placed in the puzzle frame, the next person can go out. When all six of the puzzle pieces have been collected, the tribe may start assembling the puzzle by matching corresponding symbols on each side of every piece. First tribe to get it together correctly wins the Reward.
• Reward: Rolls of toilet paper, bath essentials and a fully-functional outhouse, courtesy of Charmin
• Immunity Challenge: One person is seated in a chair attached to a pulley, while another person is situated directly above them in a crow's nest, where an empty water drum hangs. The other four remaining tribe members are together in pairs, which will race across a balance beam carrying buckets. Once they reach the water, they must dip their bucket in, get water, race back and empty the water into a larger pail. The person in the crow's nest will pull that pail up and empty the water into the drum. As the drum takes on water, it will lower, but the person in the chair will rise until they're high enough to pull a pin releasing their tribe's flag. First tribe to release their flag wins Immunity.

Before the Reward Challenge, Bruce, Aras and Shane returned from foraging for food to find the rest of their tribe had let the fire go out. After a lesson about responsibility around the campsite, they pulled together and won the Reward Challenge for bathroom and supplies, and chose to exile Terry, because they believed him to be his team's leader. Bobby created some friction with his teammates by disagreeing with how the reward should be used. La Mina tried to organize their camp, but were lost without Terry. Terry discovered the mysterious Hidden Immunity Idol (a makeshift shrunken head concealed inside a bottle), which he kept as a secret from his teammates after his return. The La Mina men pulled in Ruth Marie as a fifth person in their alliance, but after losing another Immunity Challenge, Sally convinced them that she was a more valuable player. In the end, strength outweighed loyalty as Ruth Marie was voted out.

[edit] Episode 5: For Cod's Sake!!!

• Reward Challenge: Each tribe will designate a retriever to transport rice, beans and fish from a boat to the shore. The retriever must race out, retrieve one item and bring it back to shore, then toss the item to their tribemates, who will be lined up. The item will be tossed from one person to the next until it reaches the last person, who will toss it into the appropriate bin. Once the item is in the bin, the retriever must go out and get another item. The first two items will be a bag of rice and a bag of beans. Thereafter, the items will be fish. Once a fish gets to the end of the line, the last person must chop off its head and the tail before throwing the body into the bin. The first tribe to eight wins the Reward.
• Reward: A sack of rice, beans and three large fish
• Immunity Challenge Each tribe must send three members to paddle out to collect skulls from four coffins sitting on the ocean floor. Each time a coffin is found, someone must dive under water, open the coffin and find a skull puzzle piece. They'll then untie the puzzle piece and bring it back to the boat. Once all four skull puzzle pieces have been collected, they will return them to shore. The two remaining tribe members use those four puzzle pieces to build a skull pyramid. The first tribe to build their skull pyramid and place their gold skull on top wins Immunity.

Bruce's "Zen Garden" caused friction in Casaya and Aras felt he should instead have been helping with the daily camp chores. Incorporating the reward into the challenge, the winning tribe would receive all the items that were used in the challenge: fish, rice, spices, and wine. The losing tribe will not go back to camp empty-handed, for they were to choose either a sack of rice or a sack of beans. La Mina lost again and Casaya chose Terry to go to Exile Island for the second time in a row. As Casaya returned to camp, they found out that their shelter was ruined due to the storm that happened during the challenge. Since the storm also extinguished their fire and they were unable to create another one on account of everything being wet, they merely enjoyed what they had and ate the fish raw. Meanwhile, as La Mina ate the beans that they chose from the Reward Challenge, Austin and Nick faced the gastrointestinal consequences. The next morning at Casaya, Danielle and Courtney learned Bruce and Bobby spent the night sleeping in their outhouse, drinking all the wine they had won. At the Immunity Challenge, La Mina constructed the skull pyramid faster than Casaya, finally breaking their losing streak and winning Immunity. The women of Casaya led an erratic 3-2-1-1 vote, resulting in the elimination of Bobby.

[edit] Episode 6: Salvation and Desertion

• Reward/Immunity Challenge: The tribes must each choose three members to race one at a time out into a field to untie, lower, unhook and retrieve four puzzle pieces. Once all four pieces have been collected, the two remaining tribe members will use those pieces to solve a spinning puzzle. The first tribe to solve it correctly will win Immunity and the Reward.
• Reward: A feast in a Panamanian village and Immunity.

At La Mina's camp, while Austin and the other men searched for edible creatures in the water, Dan spoke to Nick about his space flights at NASA. At Casaya, the women complained to Shane how disrespectful he was. In a combined Reward and Immunity challenge Casaya, despite falling back early, won a barbecue and a trip to a local village, as well as the right to exile someone from La Mina. Because the losing tribe would be attending Tribal Council, Sally, the only woman left in La Mina was exiled and was granted Immunity and unable to vote. Despite being alone, she enjoyed the knowledge that her banishment would break up the men's alliance. Meanwhile, Casaya enjoyed their reward. They rode a boat to a village and gave some toys to children. Shane saw someone smoking and talked about giving up all his clothes just to smoke a cigarette. He ended up smoking after a long abstinence. Later the tribe enjoyed barbecue, played soccer, and partied. At Tribal Council, the four men discussed how tight their alliance was, and the possibility of a two vs. two tie vote. In the end, Terry sided with the younger men and Dan was voted off 3-1.

[edit] Episode 7: An Emerging Plan

• Immunity Challenge: Each tribe member will have to hang upside down with arms and legs wrapped around a pole. They must hang there for as long as they can. Whoever falls off of the pole will be eliminated. The last castaway hanging wins Immunity.

La Mina received treemail that they are to go to Casaya for the merge. Before their arrival, Shane pulled his tribe together in an agreement to vote out the other Tribe in the next four Tribal Councils. While building a larger shelter, Nick accidentally chipped Bruce's tooth with a machete, but Bruce was fine. Meanwhile, Terry started to convince some Casaya members to flip, but no one would budge. At the Immunity Challenge, the survivors hung on a pole with their hands and feet only. Terry outlasted the other nine, winning immunity. Before Tribal Council, Bruce drew the name "Gitanos" for their new tribe name, meaning "Gypsies" in Spanish. Later that night, Nick was voted out along former tribal lines, 6-4.

[edit] Episode 8: The Power of the Idol

• Reward Challenge: The Gitanos tribe wil be divided into three teams of three. Each team will have one boat and 100 coconuts. They must race to put the coconuts into the boats of the other two teams. The more coconuts in the boat, the slower it will be. Once the teams have exhausted their coconut supplies, they'll paddle out in their boats to retrieve a tribe flag and fishing net, return to shore and use the fishing net to carry all the coconuts from their boat back up the beach and into the bin. The first tribe to get all the coconuts in their bin and on their finish mat with their tribe flag wins Reward.
• Reward: Breakfast in bed
• Immunity Challenge: The Survivors will race through a series of obstacles in four stages. In the first stage, all nine Survivors must race to dig through the sand and pull themselves under a wooden fence. The first six to finish move on to the second round, in which they must complete a brainteaser with four written clues to guide them. After completing the brainteaser, they climb up a sand hill, through a maze and over a second sand hill. The first three to finish this phase will move on to phase three, which requires them to navigate across a rope bridge using two wooden planks. Once they've reached the end of the bridge, they must jump off the platform into the water and climb up a steep sand bank. The first to the top of the sand bank move on to the final round: a race through a series of vertical and horizontal tunnels and towers until the first person finishes, winning Immunity.

With Nick voted out, the former La Mina tribe attempted to flip some of the Casaya tribe members. At the reward challenge, the castaways were split into three teams, and Bruce, Aras, and Sally ended up victorious. Austin and Danielle were exiled together, while the winners enjoyed a big breakfast in a rain-soaked bed. At the immunity challenge, the castaways competed in an obstacle course, with a few contestants getting eliminated in each round. Terry ended up victorious with his second individual immunity win in a row. Back at camp, the former La Mina tribe tried to convince Bruce and Danielle, the two outcasts of their alliance, to switch to the La Mina alliance. Terry offered Danielle the immunity idol in exchange for her switch. At Tribal Council, Danielle and Bruce still showed loyalty to Casaya, and voted out Austin.

[edit] Episode 9: Fight for Your Life or Eat

• Reward Challenge: After watching a preview of their videos from home, the tribe will be divided into two teams. One person will lie face down on a cradle suspended in the air by bungee cords. Attached to that cradle are three ropes. The teammates will pull those ropes to maneuver the person on the cradle as they grab fifteen flags and place them in order into their appropriate slots. The first team to get all fifteen flags in order wins the Reward.
• Reward: The full length version of their videos from home, plus peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a glass of milk
• Immunity Challenge: Each Survivor is asked to grab a nut and a shell and put them in opposite hands. He then explains that for the Challenge, each person will swim out to a long plank with seven symbols on it resting on the ocean floor. They will have to memorize the symbols in order and race back to the beach, where they will try to replicate those symbols, in order, on their answer board. The first person to solve the puzzle correctly wins Immunity. But there's a twist: participation in this Immunity Challenge is optional. If someone chooses not to participate, they will instead chow down on cheeseburgers, french fries and soft drinks. They can eat for as long as the Challenge goes or until the food runs out. Whoever wants to take part in the Challenge will reveal a shell in their hand. Whoever wants to sit out will show the nut.

After another La Mina's departure, Sally and Terry were at their most desperate to keep themselves in the game. At the Reward Challenge, Courtney, Bruce, Sally and Terry won a video showing their family members, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, and ice-cold milk. They chose Aras to be sent to Exile Island. Back at the camp, Shane told registered nurse Cirie that he was having problems with his testicles (and stripped naked in the process). When the winning team got back, they brought some of their reward with them. At the Immunity Challenge, several of the castaways chose to forgo the challenge for a feast of cheeseburgers, fries, and cola that would last until someone won Immunity. Sally, Terry, and Aras were the only ones to participate, and Terry won again. When the Survivors got back to camp, Terry and Sally continued their efforts to break the Casaya alliance. Despite the former La Mina members' efforts, the old Casaya tribe held strong, and Sally was voted out.

[edit] Episode 10: Medical Emergency

• Reward Challenge: Each of the castaways will fill out a questionnaire in private, then the results will be tallied and the Challenge will begin. The questions will be posed to the group. At this time, they will guess whose name came up most often. Each time someone gets a correct answer, they'll get to chop one of three ropes assigned to each tribe member. After three chops, the rope will release a torch that will in turn send their voodoo dolls up in flames.
• Reward: A visit to a spa

Terry seemed to become more bitter about his continued status outside of the alliance. In a Reward Challenge where the contestants voted about their fellow contestants, Courtney was shocked to learn she was considered the most unpopular of the tribe. By correctly guessing what the majority of the tribe had chosen for their answers, Cirie won the challenge and sent Terry to Exile Island taking Aras and Danielle to share her reward. Cirie then worried about what effect her decisions might have with the other players. Back at the camp, Courtney was bitter because of some of the opinions expressed in the challenge and Shane was upset because he hadn't been chosen by Cirie for the reward. Shane attempted to ally himself with Courtney, but to no avail. Bruce, who had been sick for several days, was in increasing pain. He finally could take it no more and asked for medical assistance. The medical team arrived and took him out of the game. Later that night, with the Reward winners returned, Jeff Probst brought Terry back to the camp from Exile Island and revealed that as a result of Bruce's withdrawal, there was no Immunity Challenge nor Tribal Council, and Bruce would assume a position on the Jury if his condition allowed.

[edit] Episode 11: Perilous Scramble

• Reward Challenge 1: The tribe will be divided into two teams of three. Each team member will be attached to a rope that spans the length of an obstacle course. They must follow the rope while navigating the various obstacles. When the final platform is reached, they will unclip from the rope and, one at a time, race across a lily pad run, jump into the water and retrieve one of three bags. Once all three bags have been retrieved, they will clip onto the rope again and make their way back through all the obstacles to the beach. The first team to reach the finish with all three members and all three bags wins the first Reward.
• Reward 1: A barbecue feast
• Reward Challenge 2: The winners of the barbecue feast will now partake in another Reward Challenge. Firing marbles using a slingshot, they will have to break three tiles in order to win this Challenge.
• Reward 2: A brand new car (a GMC Yukon)
• Immunity Challenge: Each tribe member will kneel at the end of a long plank suspended over a pit of water. They'll be holding on to two ropes connected to a weighted hook. Starting with twenty percent of their body weight, the weight will increase by another ten percent every fifteen minutes. When the weight becomes too much to hold, the ropes will slip from their hands, the plank will give out and they'll fall into the water. The last person left standing wins Immunity.

The other players continued to worry about Shane's strange behavior: he had found a piece of wood and was pretending it was his BlackBerry and he was sending messages to people back home. At the Reward Challenge, Terry won a 2007 GMC Yukon, and he, Courtney and Danielle won a meal together. During their reward, Terry made a deal with Courtney and Danielle for the three of them to work together. Back at camp, Cirie went fishing and caught a sizable fish. After returning to camp, Danielle told Terry she was worried that if they were in the final three with Courtney, she figured he would pick Courtney to go to the final two with because she was less popular. Terry made an agreement with Danielle that if either of them won the final immunity challenge, they would take the second place winner to the final two. When Courtney was told of this, she became upset because she felt it implied she was being carried by other players. Terry won his forth straight Immunity Challenge, and the former Casaya alliance was forced to vote out one of their own. Shane thought the alliance was in agreement to vote out Danielle, while Courtney thought that her new alliance with Danielle, Terry and fourth member Cirie was voting against Aras. Cirie, who didn't like her low position in this alliance formed a new alliance with Aras and Danielle to vote against Courtney. With the votes split three ways, Courtney was eliminated 3-2-1.

[edit] Episode 12: Bamboozled

• Reward Challenge: The castaways will dig in a circle of sand, each looking for a bag. The first four to find their bag move on to the second round. In the second round, they will carry their bags with them to untie a wooden snake. The first three to get to the finish with both bag and snake proceed to the third round. The third round, they will carry the bag and snake as they race over a sand hill and into a water pit, where they will untie a large fish. The first two to get to the finish with fish, bag and snake will move on to the final round. In the last round, the last two standing will go head-to-head, carrying all three items that they have collected through a series of wooden tunnels and towers. The first person to the finish wins Reward.
• Reward: A hotel accommodation with their loved one in tow.
• Immunity Challenge: Each tribe member will stand on a very small perch at the top of a 20-foot poll in the water. When the game begins, they will lower a bucket into the water to fill it, then pour from the bucket into a very narrow bamboo shoot. As the bamboo shoot fills up with water, it will raise a flag. Once the flag is high enough to reach, they must carefully grab it and raise it above their head in order to win Immunity.

Players competed in a Reward Challenge of obstacles from past challenges for a visit with loved ones. The winner would decide who gets what with their loved one. Terry won and choose himself, his wife, Shane and Shane's son, Boston, to spend the night at a villa. He also chose Cirie's husband to spend the night at the camp, Aras to just get a hug from his mother and Danielle to get nothing except a few words with her mom from where she was standing. After the loved ones left, the players competed for Immunity. For the fifth time in a row, Terry won immunity. Back at camp, Aras decided to break his alliance with Shane after finding out that Shane wanted to take Courtney to the final two. Aras then made an alliance with Cirie and Danielle. In the end, Shane was blindsided in a 3-1-1 decision.

[edit] Episode 13: Call the Whambulence!

• Reward Challenge: The castaways will each be attached to ropes by one of two carabiners. Using the two carabiners, they will clip and unclasp from one rope to another as they navigate their way around each other along a main thoroughfare that leads to six stations: poles, hermit crabs, rocks, iguanas, shells and fish. Each time they get to a station they must count the number of items, race back to the start, and find the answer tile with the same number on it. Once they've been to all six stations, they will have six numbers. They will then place those six numbers into an answer grid. Using the combination, the two numbers in each column will open the locks. If the lock doesn't open, it means they've counted wrong and they can go back and correct their mistakes. Once they've opened all three locks, their tribe flag will drop. The first person to lower their tribe flag wins Reward.
• Reward: A luxury yacht tour of the Panama Canal.
• Immunity Challenge: Each Survivor will work to solve three puzzles. Using a set of coordinates, each castaway will cross two ropes. Where the ropes intersect, a bag of puzzle pieces is buried in the sand. They must dig up the pieces, then race back to their respective answer boards to complete their puzzle. The puzzle will reveal the next set of coordinates. The first person to solve all three puzzles wins Immunity.

Terry was inadvertently tripped by Cirie's torch and yelled at her while she was tending the bonfire, but Aras protected her, saying that it was an accident. This left Terry further isolated among the tribe. Aras, having won the Reward Challenge, chose to take Cirie on a luxurious yacht trip through the Panama Canal; but not before leaving with a debate with Terry as he accused him for complaining everytime he lose challenges and blurting out "disparaging comments about women". Both Terry and Danielle were sent to Exile Island for losing the Challenge. During their trip, Aras and Cirie made a pact for the Final 2; while Danielle and Terry also conspired for their fate in the game during their time on exile. Soon after returning from their reward, Cirie successfully built her first fire. In the Immunity Challenge, Danielle whines for her poor performance. Cirie and Terry were putting up a good fight but Aras ultimately won the challenge, thus ending Terry's Immunity winning streak. Before the tribal council, Aras approached Terry to apologize for accusations of Terry's worthiness to remain in the game after Reward Challenge, which Terry accepted. Meanwhile, Cirie and Danielle practiced making fire, anticipated this would be the tiebreaker in the event of a tie (with Danielle reconsidering about Terry giving his Hidden Immunity Idol to her). In the end, the guess proved accurate as the vote indeed ended up tied between Danielle and Cirie. With Terry refusing to give Danielle the Hidden Immunity Idol, she and Cirie wil partake in a fire-starting challenge. However right after they began, the scene was cut, ending this episode with a cliffhanger to be shown in the final episode.

[edit] Episode 14: The Final Showdown

• Reward Challenge: The Survivors must race to the top of a three-story climbing wall using four individually-shaped pegs. First, they must make their way through a table maze. Once at the end of the maze, each will release a bag containing their first two pegs and move to a spinning wheel. Reading the clues, each must spin the wheel clockwise, counter-clockwise, and clockwise again like a combination lock to find the one bag that contains their final two pegs. With the help of the pegs, the players must get to the top of the wall and place their pegs in the proper slots, which will raise a flag. The first person to raise their flag wins Reward.
• Reward: A protein-enriched meal that will be useful for the final Immunity Challenge.
• Immunity Challenge: Starting on the largest of a series of floating platforms, every fifteen minutes the Final Three will move to the next smaller platform. As the platforms get smaller, it will get tougher for the Survivors to maintain their balance. Only their feet can touch the platform. If their hands or butt touch the platform or they fall off, they are eliminated. The last person standing wins Immunity.

After many attempts to start fires that continue to wear out, Danielle won the fire starting tie-breaker, and Cirie was eliminated from the game. The next morning, Terry displayed the now powerless Immunity Idol back at camp, and in a surprise Reward Challenge, he won a protein-enriched meal that would be useful for the final Immunity Challenge. The final three were taken to Exile Island to take part in a tribute to the eliminated Survivors. The three placed the extinguished torches of the thirteen eliminated Survivors on the large skull-shaped shelter in the center of the island and burned it in the process. Danielle won the final immunity after Terry fell off and Aras jumped off after receiving a nod from Danielle. Danielle voted out Terry, thinking that she would have a better chance of winning against Aras, and because Aras was a fellow member of the former Casaya tribe. Aras and Danielle received a celebratory food reward the next day. While walking along the beach rocks, Aras slipped and sliced open his hand and back, requiring a total of eight stitches. At the final Tribal Council, the two were asked questions ranging from who contributed the most as to why they were in the final two, to why the other contestant was more deserving of the million dollar prize, and told by Shane pick a number between one and a million. At the live reunion show it was revealed that Aras, in a 5-2 decision, had become the twelfth Sole Survivor.

[edit] External links

• Official CBS Survivor Panama Website