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A Buff is a staple item of clothing that contestants of Survivor wear to identify which tribe they are a member of for the audience. 

Buffs are tubular bandannas made from microfiber and can be worn in a variety of ways. The composition of the fabric used for the Buff allows the contestants to cool down in hot conditions and warm up in the cold (typically nighttime).

Replica Buffs can be purchased from CBS.com.

From 2009 to 2020, planetgearcompany.com was the official website to purchase Buff replicas, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have opted out of selling Buffs from the Survivor franchise.[1] Beginning in 2021, Survivor Buffs are exclusively sold in CBS.com.

Design[]

Oldbufflogo

The original Buff Logo (in use from 2000-2011).

Newbufflogo

The current Buff Logo (in use since 2012).

Based on the motif of the season, the Buffs typically match and follow a particular design regardless of the installment. Each side of the Buff shows three logos with a strip down the crease with a local design (sharks, islands, fire, skulls, etc.).

From Nicaragua to Edge of Extinction, starting tribes began having their names on the material (with the exception of Game Changers and David vs. Goliath). Buffs used for merged tribes have never featured a tribe name, as the tribe is named by the contestants themselves. In addition, from Philippines onwards, all Buffs bear the current Buff logo.

In-Game Use[]

Bb francesca 02

According to the Survivor Rulebook, contestants must have their Buffs on at all times unless otherwise directed. In the event of a tribe switch or a merge, castaways are to dispose of their old Buff and wear their new one.

While they usually do not have in-game value, Buffs in Redemption Island, South Pacific, and Blood vs. Water were burned by castaways in a small fire pit as a symbol of their permanent elimination from the game following their defeat on Redemption Island.

In Island of the Idols, at the final five, the Lumuwaku tribe moved from their camp to the Island of the Idols, where they retired their blue merge Buffs in favor of new black Buffs with blue accents. Tommy Sheehan discovered that these new Buffs contained a clue to a Hidden Immunity Idol, which was then found by Dean Kowalski.

The Buff Brand[]

Buff is a brand of multi-functional headwear and also sells other protective equipment such as caps and gloves. Its headquarters is based in Spain.[2][3][4]

Gallery[]

Unused Buffs[]

Not counting the commemorative Buffs issued over the years, there were Buffs that were supposed to be used in the game but were shelved mostly for unknown reasons. While never seen on the show, these Buffs are considered rare and are widely sought after by collectors.

  • A green Palau Buff was produced and intended to be used by the merged tribe, but was never used in-show due to the Ulong tribe's decimation. However, this Buff was still commercially sold during the season.
  • A light gray variation of the Redemption Island Murlonio Buff was intended to be issued to players residing on Redemption Island, but the Buffs ultimately went unused.
  • A green Island of the Idols Buff with a frog emblem was supposed to be used for a third tribe, but was shelved along with the twist. However, flags bearing the same color and emblem were visible at challenge sites.
  • A set of Buffs for Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island was supposed to be used for the season, but due to the change of filming location from the Philippines to South Africa, the tribes were renamed according to the Zulu language, though the tribe colors and overall design from the intended releases remained. The original Buffs were given to cast and crew as souvenirs.
    • The tribe emblems taken from their Filipino translation were kept. Vuna's emblem was taken from its original name "Bungo", meaning "skull", Zamba's was "Ahas", meaning "snake", and Osindile's was "Sulo", meaning "torch".

Trivia[]

Sunday Buff

A custom Buff designed and sold by the cast of Millennials vs. Gen X to support Sunday's battle with cancer.

  • Borneo is the only season to have the Survivor logo in a different font than in future installments. This is probably due to the logo design being changed in post-production. The iconic font used in subsequent seasons is called "Survivant".
  • Prior to filming, at least 20 units of Buffs for each tribe are produced. Additional Buffs may be produced in cases of tribe switches, merges, or in rare cases, eliminated players returning to the game via The Outcasts twist, Redemption Island, or Edge of Extinction.
  • The women of the Pagong tribe are the first to wear the Buff as a top.
  • Colleen Haskell is the first woman to be seen wearing the Buff as a skirt.
  • Millennials vs. Gen X cast members Bret LaBelle, Chris Hammons, Hannah Shapiro, and Zeke Smith designed and sold custom Buffs, the proceeds of which supported Sunday Burquest's battle with esophageal and ovarian cancer.[6][7]
  • Reebok, who sponsored the series from Borneo to Marquesas, used to have its logo on the Buff. Reissued Buffs from the said seasons no longer bear the Reebok logo.
  • The Marquesas Buffs have two variants of the season logo, where the Survivor logo is either written in black or white.
  • In Gabon, contestant Bob Crowley introduced the bow tie as a new way of wearing a Buff.[8] He is the only person thus far to sport a Buff this way.
  • Randy Bailey is the first contestant to throw his Buff in the fire after being voted out in Heroes vs. Villains.
  • In Redemption Island, there was supposed to be a separate gray Buff worn by the inhabitants of Redemption Island but it was never used. Instead, the castaways retained their original Buffs.[9]
  • Francesca Hogi is the first contestant to throw her Buff in the fire at Redemption Island.
  • In Blood vs. Water, Colton Cumbie was the only person to depart from Redemption Island with his Buff after quitting the game; host Jeff Probst told him that only those who compete (and thus, lose, a duel) were allowed to throw their Buffs in the fire.
  • Due to being mentors, Sandra Diaz-Twine and Rob Mariano wore the merge Buffs from their winning seasons on Island of the Idols.
    • Coincidentally, all three of those Buffs were black.
    • In continuation with this theme, the Island of the Idols merge Buff, which was originally blue, was swapped out on Day 37 with a dark grey Buff with blue accents, marking the first time Buffs were swapped after the merge. This new Buff served as a clue to the final Hidden Immunity Idol of the season.

References[]

Survivor Gameplay
Challenges Challenge Advantage · Do-It-Yourself Challenge · Duel · Family Visit · Immunity Challenge (Final Immunity Challenge) · Immunity Idol · Immunity Necklace · Medallion of Power · Reward Challenge · Survivor Auction
Elimination Edge of Extinction · Ejection · Evacuation · Final Tribal Council · Jury · Null Vote · Quit · Redemption Island · Snuffer · Sole Survivor (Perfect Game) · Tiebreaker · Torch · Tribal Council · Urn
Strategy Alliance · Goat Strategy · Pagonging · Split Vote
Social Dynamics Final Two · Final Three · Merge · Tribe
Twists Casting Battle of the Sexes · Blood vs. Water · Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty · Old vs. Young · Returning Players · Schoolyard Pick · Tribes Divided by Ethnicity
Tribal Council Advantage Amulet · Do or Die · Double Elimination · Double Tribal Council · Extra Vote · Hidden Immunity Idol (History) · Idol Nullifier · Joint Tribal Council · Juror Removal · Legacy Advantage · Knowledge is Power · Safety Without Power · Shot in the Dark · Vote Blocker · Vote Steal
Game Mechanics Advantage Menu · Buried Treasure · Day Zero · Exile Island · Fake Merge · Fire Token · First Impressions · Ghost Island · Haves vs. Have Nots · Hourglass · Island of the Idols · Kidnapping · Looting · Mutiny · One World · Reward Steal · Summit · The Outcasts · Tribe Leader · Tribe Switch
Post-Game Fan Favorite Award · Lawsuits and Legal Action · Ponderosa · Reunion Show
Miscellaneous Buff · Camp · Confessional · Luxury Item · Rites of Passage · Survivor Rulebook · Ulonging
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