| Tiebreaker | |
|---|---|
| |
| Survivor Fan Characters gameplay | |
| Description | A contingency plan in the event of a tie vote at Tribal Council |
| Appearances | Every season (except 9 and Fans vs. Canons) |
A tiebreaker is a situation where two or more contestants receive the same number of votes casts against them at Tribal Council, with no one else receiving a higher amount. In this scenario, several methods have been used over the course of the series.
Contents
Rules[]
Pre-final four[]
Typically, in the event that two or more contestants share the highest number of elimination votes, all other contestants are entitled to a revote, but can only choose between the tied contestants. Whoever receives the most votes after the revote will be out of the game.
If the revote does not break the tie, the vote is declared a deadlock. All non-tied contestants must then openly discuss which of the tied contestants should be eliminated from the game, requiring a unanimous decision in a limited amount of time. If they fail to do this, all tied contestants are rendered immune, and the remaining contestants must all draw rocks. Whoever draws the odd-colored rock will be eliminated from the game. Alternatively, non-tied contestants may choose to go to rocks if they prefer.
Final four[]
If a 2-2 vote occurs, there typically will not be a revote. Instead the two tied contestants will compete in a fire-making challenge. The winner receives immunity from the vote, and the loser is eliminated.
Jury vote tiebreaker[]
If the initial jury vote ends in a two-person tie between a Final Three, the second runner-up becomes the official final member of the jury, and is tasked with casting the deciding vote. It is unknown how a tiebreaker situation would be handled if all three finalists were to receive the same number of votes.
The only time a tie ever occurred between the Final Two was in Survivor Fan Characters 7, which after a failed revote, requested readers to vote for the finalist who they wanted to win.
Former rules[]
Pre-final four[]
In Survivor Fan Characters and Survivor Fan Characters 4: Fans vs. Canons, tied contestants would participate in a questions and answers challenge. The first person to answer a question incorrectly while their opponent answers correctly would be eliminated from the game. This format was slightly altered in Survivor Fan Characters 13, where instead the castaway who answers the most questions correctly would remain in the game.
Originally, a countback was proposed to break the tie in Fans vs. Canons, but because neither contestant had received any votes cast against them at prior Tribal Councils, the vote was declared deadlocked, and the traditional questions and answers challenge proceeded.
In Survivor Fan Characters 2: Brains vs. Brawn and Survivor Fan Characters 15, if either a revote fails to break the tie, or all votes become nullified through the use of a Hidden Immunity Idol, then all unimmune contestants are forced to partake in a rock draw, in contrast to the current rules in which they are given the choice, with the person drawing the odd-colored rock being eliminated.
History[]
Revote history[]
| Season | Vote | Tied Contestants | Revote | Eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2-2-1 |   Montana Raines and Spade |
2-1 |  Spade |
| 3-3-1 |  Baxter and Montana Raines |
4-3-0 |  Baxter | |
| Fans vs. Canons (2009) | 2-2-0 |   Barney Callahan and Kala |
3-2 |  Kala |
| All-Stars | 2-2-2 |    Amy Randall, Hogan, and Wendy |
2-1 |  Amy Randall |
| 3-3-1 |   Lucky the Cat and Popper |
3-2 |  Popper | |
| 7 | 8-8 |   Ker and Wrecker Dog |
8-8 | Deadlock |
| Battle of the Tribes | 2-2-1-0 |   Kris and Sanza Salazar |
5-3 |  Sanza Salazar |
| 11 | 1-1-1-1-0 |     Angel, Claus, Sunflower, and Whitney |
1-1-1-1 |  Juiced Up |
| 13 | 5-5 |   Jim Fraser and Survivor Critic |
4-4 | Deadlock |
| 14 | 2-2-0 |   Liz Calhoun and Lolita Thorne |
5-0 |  Lolita Thorne |
| 15 | 4-4 |   Lea and Leah Grimes |
5-1 |  Lea |
| 3-3 |   Ky Razie and Shaega Yurei |
2-2 | Deadlock | |
| Blood vs. Water | 5-5 |   Bowser Koopa Jr. and Brandi Lake |
5-3 |  Brandi Lake |
| 2-2-0 |   Damon Bleuth and Tialayla Carter |
6-0 |  Damon Bleuth | |
| Alola | 6-6 |   Allison Kathrati and Jeannie |
5-5 | Deadlock |
| 1-1-0-0 |   Parmesan and Raiza |
4-3 |  Raiza | |
| Past vs. Future | 4-4 |   Clarissa Sutherland and E.T. Johnson |
3-3 | Deadlock |
| 2-2-0 |  Clarissa Sutherland and Ria Bentley |
3-2 |  Ria Bentley | |
| Generations | 3-3 |   Skylar Cooper and Taro Nook |
3-1 |  Skylar Cooper |
Challenge history[]
| Season | Vote | Tied Contestants | Challenge | Eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survivor Fan Characters | 2-2 |   Charlie and Phil |
Q and A |  Phil |
| 1-1-0 |   Hogan and Taylor |
Fire-making |  Taylor | |
| Fans vs. Canons (2009) | 4-4 |   Polar Bear and Rebecca Chambers |
Q and A |  Rebecca Chambers |
| 2-2 |  Barney Callahan and Chaona |
Fire-making |  Chaona | |
| 7 | 2-2 |  Dinah and Wrecker Dog |
Fire-making |  Dinah |
| The Midway Island | 2-2 |   Jackie and Oehda |
Roulette |  Jackie |
| 13 | 5-5; 4-4 |
Jim Fraser and Survivor Critic |
Q and A |  Survivor Critic |
| 2-2 |   Iyzebel Vaga and Orwell |
Fire-making |  Iyzebel Vaga | |
| Blood vs. Water | 2-2 |  Bowser Koopa Jr. and Doris Stagg |
Fire-making |  Bowser Koopa Jr. |
| Star Allies | 2-2 |    Clover Fields, Okawa Hikuma, and Trevor Griffin |
Fire-making |  Trevor Griffin |
| Generations | 2-2 |  Starr Bright and Taro Nook |
Fire-making |  Starr Bright |
Rock draw history[]
| Season | Drawing Contestants | Eliminated |
|---|---|---|
| Brains vs. Brawn |     Chris, Denise, Jasmine, and Ryan |
 Denise |
| The Midway Island |     Geena Takahashi, Iraenus, Kiara Gate, and Malik Rishied |
 Kiara Gate |
| 15 |   Leah Grimes, Sylvia and Taro Nook |
 Leah Grimes |
| Alola |       Derek Linz, Jahira Patel, Josh Thunderbolt, Mele Nenbara, Ollie the Otter, Raiza, and Slash the Hedgehog |
 Jahira Patel |
| Past vs. Future |     Atlas, Frysk McCloud, Ria Bentley, Sagittaria Bentley, and Shin Kasai |
 Atlas |
Other tiebreakers[]
| Season | Vote | Tied Contestants | Tiebreaker | Eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fans vs. Canons (2009) | 4-4 | Polar Bear and Rebecca Chambers |
Past votes | Deadlock |
| The Cursed Islands | 3-3 |   Audrey and Maria |
Bribery Curse |  Audrey |
| 7 | 8-8; 8-8 |
Ker and Wrecker Dog |
Public Vote |  Wrecker Dog |
| Past vs. Future | 4-4-0 | E.T. Johnson and Sagittaria Bentley |
Jury Vote Tiebreaker |
 Sagittaria Bentley |
Trivia[]
- The initial jury vote has tied three times. First in Survivor Fan Characters 3, again in Survivor Fan Characters 7, and once more in Past vs. Future.
- Each season also proposed a different method of breaking the tie. Survivor Fan Characters 3 held a revote, Survivor Fan Characters 7 held a revote, before activating a Public Vote, and Past vs. Future had the second runner-up, Shin Kasai, cast the deciding vote.
- Survivor Fan Characters 9 and Fans vs. Canons (2013) are the only seasons to not have any tiebreakers.
- Survivor Fan Characters 13 is the only season to use a tiebreaker challenge after a revote ended in a deadlock, as opposed to the traditional lottery of drawing rocks.
- Doris Stagg is the only female contestant to win a fire-making tiebreaker challenge.
- Atlas is the only male contestant to be eliminated in a rock draw.
- Clover Fields is the only tied contestant who did not participate in a tiebreaker challenge when it was proposed, due to the nature of the Ride or Die twist.
See also[]
Survivor Wiki
- See Tiebreaker
