Survivor: Palau
Survivor: Palau | |
---|---|
Official logo of Survivor Palau | |
Winner | Tom Westman |
Presented by | Jeff Probst |
No. of episodes | 14 |
No. of days | 39 |
No. of castaways | 20 |
Production | |
Location(s) | Koror, Palau |
Filming dates | November 1, 2004 – December 9, 2004 |
Broadcast | |
Original run | February 17, 2005 – May 15, 2005 |
Chronology | |
Preceded by | Survivor: Vanuatu |
Followed by | Survivor: Guatemala |
Survivor: Palau is the tenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season filmed from November 1, 2004 through December 9, 2004 and premiered on February 17, 2005. Filming took place in Koror, Palau. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of the usual 39 days of gameplay with 20 competitors, the most the series had ever began with.
For the second time since the series' premiere, the contestants selected the tribes instead of the producers. The self-selection into two tribes of nine left two contestants not chosen and immediately eliminated from the game. The two tribes were named Ulong (named after Ulong Island, one of Palau's tourist spots) and Koror (named after the capital city of Palau at the time). In the game, Koror dominated from the very beginning, winning every immunity challenge and all but three reward challenges. Mid-game, having survived alone at Ulong after the entirety of her tribe had been voted out or eliminated at tribal councils, remaining member Stephenie LaGrossa received a map to Koror. While the players at the finale spoke of this as a merger, the producers have described Palau as the only season without a merge. In the end, fire lieutenant Tom Westman defeated advertising executive Katie Gallagher in a 6–1 jury vote to become the Sole Survivor.
In addition to host Probst naming this as one of his favorite seasons, he stated that the final immunity challenge was his favorite immunity challenge from any season.[1] He also said Palau was his favorite filming location.[2] This season got Survivor a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2005. The complete season, including the Live Reunion Show, was released on DVD by CBS Home Video on August 29, 2006.[3]
Contestants
![](../I/m/Stephenie_LaGrossa.jpg)
![](../I/m/Jennifer_Lyon.jpg)
Contestant | Original tribe | Absorbed tribe | Finish |
---|---|---|---|
Libby, JonathanJonathan Libby 23, Dallas, Texas |
None[lower-alpha 1] | Eliminated Day 2[lower-alpha 1] | |
Shirk, WandaWanda Shirk 55, Ulysses, Pennsylvania |
Eliminated Day 2[lower-alpha 1] | ||
Jones, JolandaJolanda Jones 38, Houston, Texas |
Ulong | 1st voted out Day 3 | |
Ashby, AshleeAshlee Ashby 22, Columbia, South Carolina |
Ulong | 2nd voted out Day 6 | |
Wilson, JeffJeff Wilson 21, Fresno, California |
Ulong | 3rd voted out Day 8 | |
Mullen, Kimberly "Kim"Kimberly "Kim" Mullen 25, Huber Heights, Ohio |
Ulong | 4th voted out Day 11 | |
Smith, WillardWillard Smith 56, Bellevue, Washington |
Koror | 5th voted out Day 12 | |
Jakusz, AngieAngie Jakusz 24, New Orleans, Louisiana |
Ulong | 6th voted out Day 12 | |
Miller, JamesJames Miller 33, Winfield, Alabama |
Ulong | 7th voted out Day 15 | |
Rahman, IbrehemIbrehem Rahman 27, Birmingham, Alabama |
Ulong | 8th voted out Day 18 | |
Drinkard, Bobby JonBobby Jon Drinkard 27, Troy, Alabama |
Ulong | Eliminated[lower-alpha 2] Day 21 | |
Archa, CobyCoby Archa 32, Dallas, Texas |
Koror | Koror | 9th voted out 1st jury member Day 24 |
Tornell, JanuJanu Tornell 39, Las Vegas, Nevada |
Koror | Quit 2nd jury member Day 27 | |
LaGrossa, StephenieStephenie LaGrossa 24, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Ulong | 10th voted out 3rd jury member Day 30 | |
Carey, GreggGregg Carey 27, Chicago, Illinois |
Koror | 11th voted out 4th jury member Day 33 | |
Groedel, CarynCaryn Groedel 46, Solon, Ohio |
Koror | 12th voted out 5th jury member Day 36 | |
Lyon, Jennifer "Jenn"Jennifer "Jenn" Lyon 32, Encino, California |
Koror | 13th voted out 6th jury member Day 37 | |
Rosenberger, IanIan Rosenberger 23, Key West, Florida |
Koror | 14th voted out 7th jury member Day 38 | |
Gallagher, KatieKatie Gallagher 29, San Diego, California |
Koror | Runner-up | |
Westman, TomTom Westman 40, Sayville, New York |
Koror | Sole Survivor |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jonathan and Wanda were not selected for either tribe, and thus were eliminated immediately.
- ↑ Due to the Ulong tribe going to Tribal Council with only two players remaining, there was no vote; instead, Bobby Jon and Stephenie competed in a fire-making challenge to determine that night's elimination, which Bobby Jon lost.
Future appearances
Bobby Jon Drinkard and Stephenie LaGrossa competed once again in Survivor: Guatemala where they placed 9th and 2nd, respectively. LaGrossa would again compete in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains alongside Tom Westman on the Heroes tribe, where they placed 19th and 16th respectively.
On January 19, 2010, Jennifer Lyon died at the age of 37 after a 5-year battle with breast cancer, becoming the first former Survivor castaway to pass away.[4][5]
Season summary
The twenty players began the game by rowing a boat to shore, with the first player of each gender to reach shore to win immunity. The next day, Jeff Probst announced that they would now pick tribes via a schoolyard pick, with those who had won immunity getting first pick. In addition, the last male and female remaining would immediately leave the game. The two tribes, Koror and Ulong, then participated in the first reward/immunity challenge, with the winner, Koror, deciding to leave their present beach to another one they had not seen.
As the challenges continued, it quickly became apparent that Ulong was the weaker tribe, while strong leadership by Tom and Ian at Koror kept the tribe intact. Ulong would win no immunity challenges and few reward challenges, and Koror's only visit to tribal council was the result of a double-elimination twist. Stephenie and Bobby Jon, the last two members of Ulong, lost the final tribal immunity challenge. Since they were unable to vote, the two faced off in a fire-making challenge with Stephenie emerging victorious. After spending the night alone, she was instructed to travel to Koror, and was absorbed into their tribe.
Koror developed a core group of five – Tom, Ian, Gregg, Jenn, and Katie – and those on the outside saw them as a threat but were unable to break them. Despite making an immediate strong impression on her new tribe, Stephenie was quickly identified as a target due to her strength and for being the outsider. In a twist that would eventually lead to its use in later seasons, one individual immunity challenge required the first player to drop out to spend a night alone on an isolated island. Janu was exiled and found the experience liberating, choosing to quit the game at the next tribal council, effectively sparing Stephenie from being voted out. However, her safety would not last and Stephenie was subsequently voted out.
With six players remaining, Tom and Ian decided to spare Caryn, the last remaining outsider, instead plotting with her to eliminate Gregg for being a potential immunity threat. Despite voting Gregg out, Katie felt betrayed by Ian, and her feelings worsened when Ian took Tom with him on a reward instead of her as he had promised. Ian attempted to make amends but Katie still held harsh feelings towards him. After disposing of Caryn, the final four players opted to allow the next vote to end in a tie between Jenn and Ian, and Ian won the subsequent fire-making challenge.
The final immunity challenge required players to stand on buoys for as long as possible; Katie dropped out early, but both Tom and Ian remained for nearly 12 hours. Ian opted to quit the challenge, conceding immunity to Tom, after Tom played on his remorse for hurting Katie's feelings and breaking his promises to her. Forgoing the usual tribal council, Tom voted Ian out of the game on the spot. At the final tribal council, Tom's leadership and physical ability against Katie's less dominant gameplay led the jury to award Tom the title of Sole Survivor by a vote of 6–1.
Episode title | Original air date | Challenge winner(s) | Eliminated | Finish | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reward | Immunity | ||||
"This Has Never Happened Before!" | February 17, 2005 | None | Ian[lower-alpha 1] | Jonathan | Eliminated Day 2[lower-alpha 2] |
Jolanda[lower-alpha 1] | Wanda | ||||
Koror[lower-alpha 3] | Jolanda | 1st voted out Day 3 | |||
"Love is in the Air, Rats Are Everywhere" | February 24, 2005 | Ulong | Koror | Ashlee | 2nd voted out Day 6 |
"Dangerous Creatures and Horrible Setbacks" | March 3, 2005 | Ulong | Koror | Jeff | 3rd voted out Day 8 |
"Sumo at Sea" | March 10, 2005 | Koror | Koror | Kim | 4th voted out Day 11 |
"The Best and Worst Reward Ever" | March 16, 2005 | Koror | [Ibrehem][lower-alpha 4] | Willard | 5th voted out Day 12 |
Angie | 6th voted out Day 12 | ||||
"Jellyfish 'N Chips" | March 23, 2005 | Ulong | Koror | James | 7th voted out Day 15 |
"The Great White Shark Hunter" | March 31, 2005 | Koror | Koror | Ibrehem | 8th voted out Day 18 |
"Neanderthal Man" | April 7, 2005 | Koror | Koror | Bobby Jon | Eliminated Day 21[lower-alpha 5] |
"I Will Not Give Up" | April 14, 2005 | None[lower-alpha 6] | Tom | Coby | 9th voted out 1st jury member Day 24 |
"Exile Island" | April 21, 2005 | Caryn, Gregg, Janu, Tom | Tom | Janu | Quit 2nd jury member Day 27 |
"I'll Show You How Threatening I Am" | April 28, 2005 | Survivor Auction | Ian | Stephenie | 10th voted out 3rd jury member Day 30 |
"We'll Make You Pay" | May 5, 2005 | Gregg, [Jenn, Katie] | Ian | Gregg | 11th voted out 4th jury member Day 33 |
"It Could All Backfire" | May 12, 2005 | Ian, [Tom] |
Tom | Caryn | 12th voted out 5th jury member Day 36 |
"The Ultimate Shock" | May 15, 2005 | None | Tom | Jenn | 13th voted out 6th jury member Day 37 |
Tom | Ian | 14th voted out 7th jury member Day 38 | |||
"The Reunion" | May 15, 2005 | Jury vote | |||
Katie | Runner-up | ||||
Tom | Sole Survivor |
- In the case of multiple tribes or castaways who win reward or immunity, they are listed in order of finish, or alphabetically where it was a team effort; where one castaway won and invited others, the invitees are in brackets.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ian and Jolanda were the first man and woman, respectively, to arrive at the beach on Day 1, and thus earned the right of first pick for the tribe selection on Day 2, which meant they could not be eliminated that day.
- ↑ Jonathan and Wanda were not selected for either tribe, and thus were eliminated immediately.
- ↑ Combined reward and immunity challenge.
- ↑ The Koror tribe was instructed to vote for one of the Ulong members to earn immunity from that night's vote; they selected Ibrehem.
- ↑ Due to the Ulong tribe going to Tribal Council with only two players remaining, there was no vote; instead, Bobby Jon and Stephenie competed in a fire-making challenge to determine that night's elimination, which Bobby Jon lost.
- ↑ There was no reward challenge due to Stephenie joining the Koror tribe.
Episodes
No. in series |
Episode # |
Title | CBS recap | Original air date | U.S. viewers (million) |
Rating/Share 18-49 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
136 | 1 | "This Has Never Happened Before!" | Recap | February 17, 2005 | 23.66 | 9.1/23 |
As the twenty castaways paddled to shore, host Jeff Probst started the game by announcing an impromptu individual immunity challenge.
Though shocked by the twist as they were not divided into tribes yet, the castawayss raced to the shoreline. Jonathan and Stephenie jumped off the boat and tried to outswim it, but the boat went far ahead of them. In the end, Ian and Jolanda each won individual immunity. The next day, Jeff Probst informed the castaways that Ian and Jolanda, as winners of the Immunity necklaces, would initiate the schoolyard-style tribe selection process, and that one man and one woman would not be chosen for tribes, and be automatically eliminated. Jonathan and Wanda were not selected. After they left, the two tribes were given their buffs: Ian's tribe, Koror, was given brown, and Jolanda's tribe, Ulong, was given blue.
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137 | 2 | "Love is in the Air, Rats Are Everywhere" | Recap | February 24, 2005 | 21.64 | 7.9/20 |
Now living at their new campsite, Koror's new home proved terrible when they learned that their camp is infested with rats. To make things worse, their flint is still underwater after their boat capsized while paddling to their new beach.
Angie from Ulong still felt isolated after deemed as a weak link from last challenge but quickly gained the respect of her teammates by singlehandedly winning the reward challenge for Ulong. While Ulong chowed down a handful of fish, Koror had to get the hard-earned flint that was still lying underwater. Despite the angry tides, Ian became victorious as he brought the flint back at camp. In both camps, romances emerged at Koror (Jenn and Gregg) and Ulong (Kim and Jeff Wilson).
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138 | 3 | "Dangerous Creatures and Horrible Setbacks" | Recap | March 3, 2005 | 21.80 | 8.5/ |
At Ulong, James became suspicious of Jeff Wilson and Kim's undeniable closeness and saw it as distraction, especially when Ulong needed to win immunity. Meanwhile, the still complete Koror started to get tired of each other, as Caryn and Katie bickered when they repair their shelter.
At the reward challenge, Ulong defeated Koror in another reward challenge blow-out. In an attempt to feed their hungry teammates, Ian and Tom killed a snake and tried to use its blood as bait for sharks, but failed. At Ulong, Jeff Wilson twisted his ankle when he accidentally stepped into a stray coconut.
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139 | 4 | "Sumo at Sea" | Recap | March 10, 2005 | 21.80 | 8.1/22 |
Ulong returned to camp from Tribal Council, with Stephenie's spirits going an all-time low and James angry and sarcastic about losing immunity challenges.
For the reward challenge, the tribes were instructed to elect a leader. Koror chose Ian to be the leader of the project, and Ulong chose steelworker James. When both projects were judged, it was Koror who won a deluxe shelter, further frustrating James.
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140 | 5 | "The Best and Worst Reward Ever" | Recap | March 16, 2005 | 18.42 | 6.9/19 |
After another Tribal Council, things got worse for Ulong as they got lost in the dark on their way back to camp. While having not to visit Tribal Council for winning all the immunity challenges, Gregg and Tom complained about Willard's poor work ethic and how he seemed to enjoy having a "free ride" as his tribe continue to win challenges while he sat out most of the time. Before introducing the reward challenge, Jeff Probst announced that both tribes would go to Tribal Council to vote someone out.
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141 | 6 | "Jellyfish 'N Chips" | Recap | March 23, 2005 | 19.15 | 7.3/19 |
At Ulong, everyone was upset about Ibrehem being voted by Koror for Immunity last Tribal Council. At Koror, things were lively as the yet-impenetrable team had to do some chores around camp.
In a closely fought reward challenge, both teams seized seven targets, but, after Stephenie shot the eighth for Ulong, Caryn was unable to tie the score for Koror, giving Ulong the victory. Back at Koror, Janu's severe shivering annoyed some tribe members, particularly Tom.
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142 | 7 | "The Great White Shark Hunter" | Recap | March 31, 2005 | 20.89 | 7.7/21 |
With their roster down with only three members, camaraderie in Ulong became even closer; but Bobby Jon and Stephenie reaffirmed their alliance. At Koror, Ian and Tom competed against each other in a fishing contest. Ian brought a giant clam; not to be outdone, Tom slayed a giant shark, dazzling his tribemates.
At the reward challenge, Ulong dismantled their shelter and spelled out their tribe name, while Koror's more comical "Got Food?" signal won and gave them additional camping supplies. After days of starvation, Bobby Jon brought a giant clam for his tribe hoping that it would help them win the next immunity challenge.
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143 | 8 | "Neanderthal Man" | Recap | April 7, 2005 | 19.75 | 7.0/20 |
Now only a duo, Bobby Jon and Stephenie felt discomfort in losing challenges but were still eager to win. In Koror, Coby became infuriated about his female tribemates' laziness.
At the reward challenge, Bobby Jon struggled to swallow as he put all his servings in his mouth, but Tom strategically ate one egg at a time, thus granting Koror another victory. Back at Koror, their reward became a controversy; as tribe leader Tom insisted to use the portable shower (containing drinkable water) for drinking purposes only. At Ulong, Bobby Jon became angry and blamed himself about the loss, which scared Stephenie. At Koror, Tom revealed to Ian that he has a secret alliance with Stephenie way before the tribes were created.
At the immunity challenge, it was a close race, but Coby and Gregg solved their puzzle first, Koror prevailed once more. With only two members remaining it was impossible to vote either Ulong member off, so Bobby Jon and Stephenie competed in an elimination challenge at Tribal Council, where they confessed that they were uncomfortable with the idea of them being adversaries.
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144 | 9 | "I Will Not Give Up" | Recap | April 14, 2005 | 20.00 | 7.1/ |
At Koror, Coby constantly complained about the others being dysfunctional, such as Janu's drama, Jenn and Katie's inactivity, and Tom's machismo. At Ulong, with all her tribemates gone, Stephenie tearfully struggled to fend for herself. But after receiving a sealed canister in the Tree Mail, she was instructed to go to the Koror camp and gleefully left her now desolate campsite. It was revealed that the canister holds a brown buff and she officially joins Koror1, while the challenges from there on out will be individual. Tired of each other, Stephenie was welcomed by Koror with open arms, but most of the tribe agreed that she was a major threat after seeing her confidence and strength. Then, two Palauan natives, Edwin and Joe, taught Koror how to fish, gave them additional fishing equipment, and held a feast. Meanwhile, Coby got fed up with everyone for leaving him out of the "fun" (Gregg, Ian, and Tom were chosen to go fishing instead of him) and openly told Stephenie about the others' strategies and alliances, angering most of his tribemates.
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145 | 10 | "Exile Island" | Recap | April 21, 2005 | 18.66 | 6.4/ |
Janu clashed with Gregg and Katie because of the former's work ethic and her dramatic demeanor.
In the reward challenge, the heavy scaffolding proved stress for the survivors, but the worn out team of Caryn, Gregg, Janu, and Tom won a Palauan feast. At the feast, Janu vomited, angering her fellow winners. Returning from the feast, Gregg gave Ian's team some leftovers from the feast, but Janu and Caryn impolitely ate some of it, annoying Katie.
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146 | 11 | "I'll Show You How Threatening I Am" | Recap | April 28, 2005 | ||
After another lucky reprieve, Stephenie tried to shake things in Koror as she conspired with the women to get rid of the males (Tom, Ian and Gregg) and take advantage of their gender majority.
After a series of food items, Jeff then revealed letters from home in which the tribe (except Ian and Jenn) bought and declared the auction closed after. Back at camp, the castaways temporarily put the game aside and took a moment from themselves as they read their letters.
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147 | 12 | "We'll Make You Pay" | Recap | May 5, 2005 | 20.07 | 7.1/21 |
With Ulong completely obliterated, the six remaining Koror members started to scramble as Tom, a physical threat, and Caryn, being on the outs, talked about their voting options and future schemes.
In the quiz-type reward challenge where Gregg won, he revealed his true colors as he selected Jenn and Katie over Caryn, Ian, and Tom on a luxury yacht trip, angering the trio. Back at camp, knowing she was next to go, Caryn agreed to be a new wheel with Tom and Ian for dismantling their five-person alliance with Gregg, Jenn, and Katie. At the yacht trip, Gregg, Jenn, and Katie were enjoying their massage therapy, their loved ones (Gregg's best friend, Jenn's sister, and Katie's brother-in-law) appeared as an additional reward.
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148 | 13 | "It Could All Backfire" | Recap | May 12, 2005 | 19.30 | 6.9/ |
After Koror disposed Gregg, his sweetheart Jenn was shocked yet kept calm after the predicament. Meanwhile, Tom talked to Caryn about his distrust with Katie. Ian promised Katie that if he wins the reward challenge, he will take her.
After Ian won the reward challenge, Katie was offended as Ian took Tom with him instead of her. Angered by the move and with the absence of the boys, Katie approached the other remaining girls, plotting another women's alliance. After their reward, Ian confronted Katie of his deception, but Katie got emotional and deemed him untrustworthy. Ian then begged for forgiveness, which Katie eventually accepted.
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149 | 14 | "The Ultimate Shock" | Recap | May 15, 2005 | 20.80 | 7.8/18 |
After a series of prickly vote-outs, the four remaining members of Koror contemplated that amidst the game-playing, unpredictable weather and intense challenges, all agreed that their closeness was unmatched. In a conversation with Jenn and Katie, Ian said that, should Tom lose the immunity challenge, he would break his deal with Tom and vote him out in order to maximize his chances of making the final two.
At the immunity challenge, Tom and Ian were neck-and-neck once again, but Tom triumphed for his fourth collective individual immunity win. Back at camp, the four agreed publicly that Jenn was going home, with Tom deciding to stay loyal to the final three pact he had made with Ian on day two. That night, Ian let slip to Tom that he was happy Tom won Immunity, because it would have been a hard decision for Ian if he had won. Tom was baffled by the fact that his longtime ally would have had a "hard decision," so he talked to Jenn, who informed him that Ian had indeed said he would turn on Tom. At a late-night Tribal Council, all of the controversy came out in the open, with Tom and Katie hurt by Ian's lies. Katie and Ian stuck to the final three pact and voted against Jenn, but Jenn and Tom - realizing that Ian wouldn't have been true to him - voted against Ian, leaving a 2-2 tie. They were still deadlocked 1-1 after Tom and Katie re-voted. It was revealed that a challenge between Ian and Jenn would take place to resolve the tie.
Though the challenge started on even ground, Ian was the first to get the fire high enough to burn through a rope and raise a red flag, and Jenn was eliminated from the game. Back at camp, Tom and Katie accused Ian of being two-faced for not honoring their alliance, while the latter exclaimed that they are in a competition. After a tribute to their fallen castaways, the three remaining contestants took part in the final immunity challenge.
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150 | 15 | "Reunion" | N/A | May 15, 2005 | 21.70 | 8.3/18 |
The castaways return to discuss the season with host, Jeff Probst. |
Voting history
References
External links |