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Castaways (also known as contestants, players, or survivors) refer to the people who compete on Survivor.

About[]

Contestants are either applicants who submitted audition tapes or went to casting calls or were recruited by casting producers. Aspiring castaways must have an American to apply. Beginning in Survivor: Island of the Idols, Canadians have been allowed to apply. As of Survivor 41, the minimum age requirement for applicants is 16 years-old.[1]

In some cases, applicants from other CBS reality competition series such as The Amazing Race and Big Brother are encouraged to apply for Survivor instead.[2] Applicants would be narrowed down to a shortlist.

Once the cast is selected, production has the contestants fill out several visa applications to conceal the actual country they will be filming at.[3] Once at the filming location, the contestants would be sequestered to Ponderosa until filming begins. The castaways commit to the experience for a total of 46 days, 39 being the game proper, 6 for sequester, and 1 for the day after the Final Tribal Council. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, health protocols called the castaways to have a mandatory 14-day quarantine, thus reducing the game period from 39 days to 26.

Each season of Survivor ranges from having 16 to 20 castaways, each competing to become the Sole Survivor. Each castaway would be assigned on a tribe (either by the production's choice or by Schoolyard Pick by the contestants themselves), although there are times that tribes are not assigned on the first day, and there is an instance in Survivor: Palau where two castaways, Jonathan Libby and Wanda Shirk, were eliminated before tribes were assigned.

The castaways have to compete and avoid elimination. The castaways compete in challenges, either for reward, where the tribe, a single or a group of castaways could win creature comforts, or immunity where castaways compete for exemption from Tribal Council.

On the final day of the competition, the remaining or few face a jury of recently eliminated castaways eliminated in the game in Final Tribal Council, where the jury chooses who wins the title of Sole Survivor.

Castaways usually carry in the game clothes and a bag, in which they may be allowed to carry a Luxury Item. The castaways are also instructed to wear their Buffs all the time to make viewers distinguish easily what tribe each castaway is assigned to.

All-Stars, Guatemala, Micronesia, Heroes vs. Villains, Redemption Island, South Pacific, Philippines, Caramoan, Blood vs. Water, Cambodia, Game Changers, Edge of Extinction, Winners at War, and Survivor 45 all featured castaways from seasons past. They are known as returning players.

Cast Gallery[]

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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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