Upolu
Tribe Profile
Season	South Pacific
Namesake	Upolu Island
Tribe Type	Starting Tribe
Day Formed	Day 1
Rival Tribe(s)	██ Savaii
Tribe Status	Merged with Savaii on Day 19
Challenge Wins	4
Lowest Placing Member	Stacey Powell (16/18)
Highest Placing Member	Sophie Clarke (Winner)
Flag
Insignia
Buff

Upolu is one of the two competing tribes in Survivor: South Pacific.

Comprised of eight new contestants, they were joined by veteran player and self-described "Dragon-Slayer" Coach Wade. Their tribe color is blue.

MembersEdit

• Albert Destrade, a baseball/dating coach from Plantation, Florida.
• Brandon Hantz, an oil tanker crewman from Katy, Texas, who happens to be the nephew of previous contestant and super-villain Russell Hantz.
• Christine Shields Markoski, a teacher from Merrick, New York.
• »» Coach Wade, two-time returning player from Susanville, California.
• Edna Ma, an anesthesiologist from Los Angeles, California.
• Mikayla Wingle, a lingerie football player from Tampa, Florida.
• Rick Nelson, a rancher from Aurora, Utah.
• Sophie Clarke, a medical student from Willsboro, New York.
• Stacey Powell, a mortician from Grand Prarie, Texas.

Tribe HistoryEdit

On day one, the Upolu and Savaii tribes started out as an eight-person tribe, but they were soon informed that another player would be joining them. Benjamin "Coach" Wade, from Survivor: Tocantins and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, joined the Upolu tribe. Unlike the other returning player, Ozzy Lusth, Coach was not well-received by several of the tribe members, particularly Christine Shields Markoski, for they felt that Coach's eccentricity will be a cancer in the tribe. Immediately after joining the tribe, Coach was subjected in an impromptu Reward Challenge with Ozzy. Coach lost, much to the tribe's chagrin, and furthered the veteran player's doubts of his longevity. On their way to camp, new player Edna assisted Coach in carrying his belongings.

Knowing his "Dragon Slayer" baggage will be hard to release, Coach initiated introductions and led the charge in constructing their shelter. Meanwhile, under the premise that she was collecting firewood, Christine instinctively looked out for a probable Hidden Immunity Idol. This gesture was immediately caught by the other tribe members, marking her an early target. Back at the shelter, Brandon confided to Coach that he was resisting his advances on Mikayla, stating that he wanted to leave his past best known to himself. Unbeknownst to his tribemates, Brandon stifled a deadly secret—he was a nephew to the notorious former Survivor contestant Russell Hantz. This would later indirectly affect Upolu during their nineteen-day existence as a tribe.

While stargazing at the night sky, Coach further bonded with Brandon, Rick, Sophie, and Albert—a conversation that formed the tribe's majority alliance. At the inaugural Immunity Challenge on day three, Upolu fared very well against Savaii, but the latter struggled at the last portion of the challenge, winning immunity for the blue tribe. The victory, however, had its downsides. Upon learning that the clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol was also hidden around camp, Christine and her closest ally Stacey continued their hot pursuit for the clue and the idol, but to no avail, despite Stacey being dangerously close to the clue's hiding place.

GalleryEdit

Upolu arriving to Redemption Island on Day 1.

Upolu during the first immunity challenge.

Christine voted out

Stacey voted out

Mikayla voted out

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TriviaEdit

• Upolu's namesake, Upolu Island, is the second largest island in Samoa, the largest being Savai'i, the namesake of the other tribe, Savaii.
• Upolu Island is the shooting location of all four seasons that were shot in the Samoan islands, namely Survivor: Samoa, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: South Pacific, and Survivor: One World.
• Nobody from Upolu returned from Redemption Island.
• Upolu is the second blue tribe to feature a winning player.
  • It is the second blue tribe to feature a female winner, after Drake with Sandra Diaz-Twine.
  • It is the only pre-merge dark blue colored tribe to have a contestant win a Survivor season.
• Only women were voted out from the Upolu tribe.
  • Also, only women received votes at every tribal council; none of the original male members had received votes before the merge.
• Upolu is the fourteenth blue tribe.

ReferencesEdit