Last Revised: 2020/May/20 (Season 40)
ONLINE SURVIVOR OFFICIAL RULES
Below are the official rules of Online Survivor. All contestants are expected to review these rules prior to participation in the game. The rules are color-coded as follows:
Blue: Standard Survivor rules
Black: Online Survivor rules
Red: Online Survivor rules different from standard Survivor rules
Bold: Major modifications since the previous season
SECTION I: CONDUCT 1.1 Code of Conduct
The following actions are considered unacceptable, and are not permitted:
a) Excessive profanity
b) Excessive obscene subjects
c) Harassing or threatening others in a manner not related to the game
d) Refusing to follow rules or instructions by the host
e) Lying to the host in private conversations, or on the application
1.2 Rule Enforcement
The host can not monitor every moment of the game. The following procedures apply:
a) The host will automatically enforce all rules when he is actively present (e.g. Challenges / Tribal Councils)
b) The host will not enforce rules during other times (e.g. Tribe Camp) unless notified of an infraction by a contestant
c) Rule violations will only be enforced if the situation can be verified first-hand by the host (e.g. inside the official Discord server). Screen captures can be forged, and may not be used as evidence.
1.3 Discipline
Discipline for violating conduct rules will be at the host's sole discretion and may result in that contestant being expelled from the competition, using the following progression:
a) Private Warning: The first violation will result in a private warning reminding the contestant of the conduct rules
b) Public Warning: The second violation will result in a final warning made publicly
c) Ejection: The third violation will result in the contestant being removed from the game.
SECTION II: SCHEDULING 2.1 Scheduling Procedure
The game is formatted to consist of three one-hour meeting days per week, with an additional hour meeting on Tribal Council days. More or less days may be scheduled if necessary. Each week, the schedule will be released within 24 hours of the first meeting. When creating the schedule, the following process is used:
a) Eliminate any days or times that fall outside of contestants' availabilities, excluding core required days and times
b) Eliminate any days or times the host is not available
c) Eliminate any major American holiday
d) Tally vetoes for the remaining days to determine the final schedule (See 2.2)2.2 Schedule Vetoes
Contestants are given the opportunity to cast vetoes (request-offs) for days they are not available. If meeting days are limited, these vetoes may be ignored. However, when flexibility exists, vetoes will determine the final schedule. The following rules apply to vetoes:
a) Each contestant may only use six vetoes per game
b) Contestants may use multiple vetoes in one week, but may not cast multiple vetoes for the same day
c) If the day requested off is scheduled, no veto will be charged2.3 Postponements
Meetings will only be postponed if one of the following circumstances has occurred:
a) Zero contestants are responding (minimum 30 minutes)
b) The host is not responding (minimum 30 minutes)
c) A majority of the present contestants are experiencing Discord malfunctions that prevent them from posting or reading posts (minimum 30 minutes)
d) There was an error in the released schedule
SECTION III: PARTICIPATION 3.1 Tribe Camps
A chat room (called "channel" in Discord) will be created for each tribe. Contestants will automatically be added to the appropriate room when joining a tribe, or removed when leaving a tribe. The following rules apply to tribe camps:
a) Tribe members should not confer in any way with any member of another tribe
b) If the tribes are combined into one, contestants will be free to interact with all of the other contestants
*Note: It is requested that contestants follow the above rules. However, since it is impossible for the host to verify first-hand when someone is speaking to a member of another tribe, these rules are never enforced.3.2 Accounts/Nicknames
Contestants must use the same nickname for the duration of the game to avoid confusion. If a contestant changes their nickname, the host reserves the right to change the name back to the original name. In addition, contestants may only use one account to play the game, under the following rules:
a) If a contestant becomes unable to use their account, they may create a new one, but must use the same nickname.
b) More than one person may use the same account (e.g. a family/friend "team" playing as one person), but everyone involved in the "team" may only use that specific account for the duration of the game.
c) At no point during a game may a person play as 2 different contestants, simultaneously or on different days, regardless of if they have been eliminated from the game or not.3.3 Attendance
Each contestant will have an active tribe camp and confessional they may post in it at any time 24/7. However, events will only occur during official meeting times. Each official meeting will begin promptly at the scheduled time and end exactly one hour afterwards, or two hours afterwards in the case of a Tribal Council. The following rules apply to calculating a player's attendance at official meetings:
a) Meetings will be divided into four sections. These sections will be either 15 or 30 minutes in length, depending on if a Tribal Council is held. A contestant must post a message (not sit idly) in each of these sections to receive full attendance, otherwise they will receive 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, or 0 attendance for the day.
b) If an event ends early, contestants will be sent back to camp, and attendance will still be taken until the hour has expired.
c) If an event ends late, any posts made will be considered part of the final section. No additional sections will be added, and no one will receive less attendance for not participating past the planned ending time.
d) A contestant's attendance is expressed as a percentage, determined by dividing the number of meeting days present by the number of meeting days held and rounding to the nearest whole percentage.3.4 Inactivity
Non-participation may result in expulsion from the series. Contestants are expected to keep their attendance at an acceptable level, or they will be removed from the game. The level is determined by proportionally increasing the requirement from 0% to 50% over 36 days. Each percentage must be achieved by the start of the day...
*A grace period will be extended during the first three days
DAY % REQUIRED DAY % REQUIRED DAY % REQUIRED DAY % REQUIRED 01 00%* 10 13% 19 26% 28 39% 02 01%* 11 14% 20 27% 29 40% 03 03%* 12 16% 21 29% 30 41% 04 04% 13 17% 22 30% 31 43% 05 06% 14 19% 23 31% 32 44% 06 07% 15 20% 24 33% 33 46% 07 09% 16 21% 25 34% 34 47% 08 10% 17 23% 26 36% 35 49% 09 11% 18 24% 27 37% 36 50% Throughout the rules, contestants are referenced in all caps as ACTIVE (at or above the requirement listed above) or INACTIVE (below the requirement listed above). The following rules apply to INACTIVE contestants:
a) If exactly one INACTIVE exists on a tribe losing an Immunity Challenge, they will immediately be eliminated.
b) If more than one INACTIVE exists on a losing tribe, all present members of that tribe must unanimously agree which INACTIVE will be eliminated. If they can not unanimously agree, they must visit Tribal Council and vote out one of their INACTIVES (all ACTIVE players will be immune).
c) If zero INACTIVES exist on the losing tribe, yet INACTIVES exist on winning tribe(s), the worst-performing tribe with INACTIVES will forfeit Immunity. As compensation, the forfeiting tribe will be given a significant advantage in a future Immunity Challenge and/or the losing tribe will be given a significant handicap in a future Immunity Challenge.
d) Any INACTIVE who earns attendance on an elimination day will earn a reprieve, and be considered ACTIVE for the duration of the current day.
e) Should a tribe fail to reach a consensus on elimination, and all INACTIVES arrive before the vote, a regular Tribal Council will be held, and everyone will be eligible for elimination on that tribe, regardless of if INACTIVES exist on other tribes or not.
f) The host has the right to insert or cancel double eliminations, based on how many INACTIVES are present when the Immunity Challenge ends, to preserve the flow of the game. If 2 or more INACTIVES remain in the game, the above rules are applied twice. If only 1 INACTIVE remains, they will automatically be ejected, and the tribe losing the Immunity Challenge will attend Tribal Council as normal.
g) If at any time it becomes impossible for a contestant to achieve 50% attendance by the end of the game, they will immediately be ejected from the game, regardless of the above rules.
h) No one may be ejected for inactivity during the finale episode of the game
SECTION IV: CHALLENGES 4.1 Challenge Instructions
All present contestants must participate and co-operate fully in the execution of any and all challenges. Challenges will have a set of instructions to which contestants must adhere. These instructions will not be repeated for contestants arriving late, and they will be held accountable for each rule immediately upon arrival. Late contestants should scroll up in the challenge chat and read the rules before participating. Some rules are permanent and apply at every challenge, regardless of if they are announced or not. These rules are listed below:a) If one tribe has more members than another (regardless of if those members are present or not), they must sit out members to make the tribes even (sitting out absent members is permitted). No contestant may sit out twice in a row or, if this is not possible, no contestant may play twice in a row. This applies to all consecutive challenges, regardless of if they are in the same episode or not.
b) Spelling always matters unless otherwise stated. Answers will be considered incorrect if they are misspelled. This is defined as incorrect or extra letters inserted anywhere in the post. Singular and plural answers will be considered the same. Non-letters (e.g. punctuation, numbers, special characters, etc.) will be ignored unless they are placed in between letters.
c) All answers must be spelled out in their entirety. No abbreviations may be used unless the full word(s) are rarely used in common speech.
d) When answering someone's name, only the last name is required, and only the last name's spelling is verified, even if the first name technically makes the answer incorrect.
e) Whichever answer appears first on the host's screen, counts first. (Note: When answers are submitted in close proximity, the sender's computer usually lists its own post first, regardless of the order it was submitted. All neutral computers will list the posts in the order they were sent.) If the host is not a neutral computer (e.g. during quick draw and endurance challenges), screenshots from a 3rd party, neutral computer may be posted as evidence to prove if the host or the contestant posted first. If conflicting screenshots are posted, the host's screen will remain official.
f) If the host posts a time limit or counts down in the room, these posts are official, even if the host's counting is not accurate according to time stamps.
g) If a contestant answers correctly out of turn, their team will be prohibited from answering that round. The first opponent to re-type the correct answer will be given credit. If for any reason this gives an unfair advantage to one opponent over another, the item will be thrown out. If the contestant continues to answer out of turn, they will be dismissed from that challenge.
h) Any contestant arriving late will be entered into the challenge from the start. If this gives the contestant or their tribe an advantage, they will be entered into the challenge tied with the person in last place. If someone has already been eliminated, they will not be permitted to play.
i) During team challenges, each team will have two 3-Minute Time Outs. Someone on the team must post "Time Out", and then wait for confirmation by the host. Upon confirmation, the challenge will be stopped for up to 3 minutes. A full Time Out is charged regardless of if the full 3 minutes were used or not. For individual challenges, each individual contestant will have only one Time Out. A Time Out may not be used when it is not currently their turn to participate. The host has the right to refuse a Time Out, especially if the challenge is timed or based on endurance.
j) If a contestant does not respond within a reasonable amount of time (at least 1 minute), the host will count down from 60 seconds, and then consider them absent. If they later respond, they may re-enter the challenge from where they left off, if possible. If this would give them an unfair advantage, they will be treated in the same manner as someone arriving late (see h).
k) If a challenge extends beyond the halfway point of a planned Tribal Council (1 ˝ hours into the meeting), all contestants will be given a free absentee ballot (see 6.1.j) good for that night only. It is up to each contestant whether or not they wish to use this ballot, but it may not be saved for a future Tribal Council.
l) In the event that a challenge is interrupted for any reason, the host retains the sole right to decide whether to continue with the challenge or to restart or revise the challenge from any point in the challenge. All decisions regarding how challenges are conducted or how the winners of challenges are determined are at the sole discretion of the host. The host also retains the right to remove any contestant from any challenge in the event that such contestant fails to adhere to the rules of the challenge or interferes with others' participation in the challenge.
m) All claims of foul play must be made immediately. All challenges are final once the meeting day ends unless the foul can be corrected without requiring any part of the challenge to be replayed.
4.2 Substitutions
Tribes will not be compensated for absent members. Substituting for absent members will only be allowed if it is literally impossible to win the challenge otherwise. In this instance, the tribe must first complete as much of the challenge as possible. The following rules then apply:
a) Every present member must substitute for one absent member. If there are still more substitutions required to complete the challenge, all substitutes must complete as much of the challenge as possible before secondary substitutions are allowed.
b) If absent member(s) arrive after substitutions have occurred, all substitutes must stop playing, and the newly arriving member(s) must complete their portion of the challenge before continuing. Once completed, all substitutes may resume where they left off.
c) If there are more present members than absent members when substituting, or if substitutions must be canceled due to people arriving late, the opposite tribe(s) always reserve the right to select which present members will substitute, or stop substituting.
d) Substitutes for absent members must complete their portion of the challenge twice, as a penalty for substituting.
e) Substitutes for present members must complete their portion of the challenge four times, to prevent manipulation of substitutions. If someone has posted in the challenge room, they are considered present even if they have stopped responding.
f) Contestants may always resume where they left off, but may not combine progress with a substitute. To clear a task, an individual person must complete the task the required 1, 2, or 4 times.
g) Anyone substituted for may not win any rewards for that challenge.4.3 SP Challenges
An SP Challenge is a task within a tribe camp organized by the contestants. The following rules apply to SP Challenges:a) Occasionally, contestants will receive an SP Challenge through Treemail. These challenges will have a set of instructions which contestants must complete. Contestants must organize and complete the challenge on their own within the time specified and according to the rules provided. All present members will receive SP or other rewards upon completion (see c).
b) Contestants may elect to create their own SP challenge at any time. All SP Challenges must begin and end within official meeting times, must last at least 30 minutes, may not be interrupted by an official event and resumed later, and must finish with a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-placed contestant (provided enough people are present). All present members will receive SP upon completion (see c).c) For all cooperative or team SP Challenges, the winners will typically receive at least 10 SP each, and the losers will typically receive at least 1 SP each. For all individual SP Challenges, the following minimum SP scale will be handed out:
-1st: 10 SP
-2nd: 5 SP
-3rd: 3 SP
-nth: 1 SP
***Note: A tribe may collectively host a challenge, or elect a non-playing host. If there is a non-playing host, the host will automatically win 4 SP for their efforts.d) If only 1 person is present, they will automatically be awarded 10 SP after they have posted messages for at least 30 minutes.
SECTION V: PRIZES 5.1 Survivor Points (SP)
SP will be given to the winners of various challenges. SP acts as a way of measuring each person's strength and worthiness of winning, and will give certain advantages. The following rules apply to SP:
a) All SP Challenges will typically have a grand prize of at least 10 SP for the winner(s)
b) All Reward Challenges will typically have a grand prize of at least 15 SP for the winner(s) during the tribal stage, and at least 20 SP for the winner(s) during the individual stage
c) For a contestant to receive SP, they must directly contribute to their team's victory, or post a message in the challenge chat before and after the challenge completes. If a contestant is substituted for, they will forfeit their share of SP.
d) The tribe(s) or contestant(s) with the most SP will be given minor advantages that are normally determined randomly (e.g. going first)
e) Optionally, the contestant(s) with the most SP near the game's end may be given major advantages (e.g. skipping large portions of challenges)
f) The finalist finishing the game with the most SP will receive votes from any absent jurors at the Final Tribal Council (see 7.2.b)5.2 Reward Items
Various items will be distributed to the winners of challenges. The following rules apply to items:
a) If an entire tribe has won an item, a majority of the currently present members of the tribe must agree before an item may be used.
b) If a team has won an item in the individual stage of the game, every member of the group (except absent INACTIVES) must agree before an item may be used, regardless of who is currently present.
c) Rewards may come in the form of "friends" (temporary teammates from outside the game). Friends will be held to the same rules as contestants, and the contestant will receive anything won by their friend. Likewise, they will be penalized for all infractions of the rules by their friend, with the exception of ejection from the game.
d) Unless otherwise stated, all items and their effects expire after Day 365.3 Immunities
The host will designate some of the challenges as "Immunity Challenges". The following rules apply to Immunity Challenges:
a) For "Team Immunity Challenges", each member of the team winning the Team Immunity Challenge will not participate in the next Tribal Council and will be protected from elimination. The members of the losing team(s) will participate in the next Tribal Council and will choose one of that team's members to be eliminated.
b) "Individual Immunity Challenges" may provide immunity to one individual only. That individual (along with all other contestants) must still vote against one other contestant at the applicable Tribal Council, but cannot have a vote returned against them.
c) Immunity won through challenges lasts for one Tribal Council vote only. However, there may, at the host's sole discretion, be additional forms of immunity available, and such immunity may last in duration for as long as the host so decides.
d) If an individual contestant holds immunity they may, if they wish, assign that immunity to another contestant. However, both the Immunity giver and receiver must be present when doing so.
e) If a tribe holds immunity they may, if they wish, assign that immunity to another tribe. However, all ACTIVE members of the tribe, regardless of if they are present, must agree to this decision before Tribal Council begins.
SECTION VI: TRIBAL COUNCILS 6.1 Tribal Council Process
The sole purpose of each Tribal Council is to provide a forum for contestants to air their views and opinions concerning events since the previous Tribal Council, culminating in a vote to eliminate one contestant at the conclusion of the meeting. Votes will be cast individually by each contestant at the Tribal Council. The host will conceal the individual votes from the other contestants. The following rules apply to Tribal Councils:
a) Contestants will vote in alphabetical order when an even number of people remain in the game, and reverse alphabetical order when an odd number of people remain in the game.
b) Each contestant must cast one vote, even if only one option exists. This ensures total votes against each individual will be fairly counted.
c) Once called, contestants must Privately Message the host with the name of the contestant against whom they wish to vote, and provide a reason (e.g. [John] He is the weakest member of our tribe). The name listed in brackets is exactly how the vote will be revealed, and therefore may be customized, within reason.
d) A vote cast against an immune contestant will be void, and the contestant returning such a vote will be required to vote again for a non-immune contestant
e) No contestant may secretly cast a vote against themselves. If a contestant votes against themselves, the contestant returning such a vote will be required to vote again for a contestant other than themselves
f) Contestants must vote in Discord when they are called, or submit an absentee ballot (see j). Any contestant absent from Discord that has not submitted an absentee ballot will have their vote recorded against themselves.
g) Should any contestant fail to cast a valid vote within five minutes, the host will announce that the contestant is voting for themselves
h) If a contestant wishes to change their vote (including those that ran out of time), they must publicly request to re-vote. They will then be re-called at the end of the voting order. All re-votes must be submitted within two minutes, or the original vote will stand.
i) If a contestant is absent yet may not vote for themselves due to immunity, their vote will be decided automatically using the following progression...
-Whomever they have personally voted against the most at past Tribal Councils.
-Whomever they have personally voted against most recently.
-Whoever has accumulated the most votes at previous Tribal Councils.
-Whoever received a vote at a Tribal Council most recently.
-Whoever has the worst attendance.
-Whoever has the least SP.
-Random draw among absent contestants
-Random draw among present contestantsj) Each contestant is permitted to absentee vote in advance of Tribal Council. The absentee ballot is good for all votes that night (tiebreakers, double-eliminations, etc.). If a contestant's absentee ballot causes them to vote for an ineligible contestant, their vote will revert to the rule listed above (see i). All absentee ballots will cost one veto (see 2.2). If a contestant has no vetoes remaining, they may not cast an absentee ballot.
k) Once the votes are read the decision is final. The person voted out must leave the Tribal Council area immediately. That contestant may not return to the game for any reason unless they are on the jury or asked to return by the host.6.2 Tie Votes
The contestant with the most votes against them will be eliminated. The vote need only be a plurality, not a majority. If there is a tie between contestants, then a second vote will be conducted in which all contestants at the Tribal Council (other than the tied contestants) must vote to eliminate one of such tied contestants. This voting process may continue until one and only one contestant is chosen for elimination. If, however, there is a deadlock in the voting as determined by the host, then the following shall occur, with a new tiebreaker vote occurring from the beginning if only part of the tie is broken:
a) It will be announced how many votes the tied contestants have accumulated in all initial votes at previous Tribal Councils. The contestant with the most accumulated votes will be eliminated.
b) In the event that a tie exists among the accumulated previous votes, the contestants who are tied shall compete against each other in a duel challenge, to be decided by the host. The contestant who loses this challenge shall be eliminated.
c) Any absent contestants will forfeit the above duel. Should more than one tied contestant be absent from the Tribal Council, the tribe will be given five minutes to decide which absent member should be eliminated. If no plurality is reached, a representative for each contestant shall roll dice at the host's command. The contestant whose representative rolls the lowest dice total will be eliminated. If the dice rolls are tied, the contestant whose representative rolled last will be eliminated.
(Why is this different from the real Survivor?)
***Note: If a scenario occurs where there is a 2-person Tribal Council, and the vote will inevitably tie 1-1, the above tiebreakers will not apply. Instead, the contestants will immediately compete in a duel to decide who is eliminated. No immunities may be played to avoid this duel.6.3 Hidden Immunity Idols
Hidden Immunity Idols may be hidden in the game in a variety of manners. Please note the following rules:
a) Upon receiving an idol, the contestant will receive a code they must post at Tribal Council to play the idol. They may also give this code to others to temporarily share the idol. If they believe this code has been compromised, they may request a new code from the host. The old code will be considered dead, and may no longer be used.
b) Contestants may permanently give their idol to another contestant by informing the host. In this instance, the host will generate a brand new code for the receiving contestant. The old code will be considered dead, and may no longer by used.
c) The idol may not be stolen. If a contestant other than the idol holder posts the correct code against the idol holder's wishes, the idol holder reserves the right to cancel the idol and request a new code. This must be done before the first vote is read.
d) The idol may only be used during the initial vote. The idol may not be used during a tiebreaker vote, or during a new vote caused by another Hidden Immunity Idol.
e) Any contestant wishing to use a Hidden Immunity Idol must be present at Tribal Council, and must play it before the first vote is read. At this point, they may assign it to someone else if they wish, but that contestant must also be present. Anyone absent or voting for oneself will not be permitted to use a Hidden Immunity Idol.
f) If the person receiving the most votes has played an idol (or had one played on them), they will not be eliminated. The Tribal Council and all votes cast will be voided and a new Tribal Council will begin consisting ONLY of everyone that voted for them. All other contestants will be sent back to camp. All played immunities and items will carry over, however, no new immunities or items may be played or transferred for this new vote.
g) In the event of a tie vote, anyone who played a Hidden Immunity Idol will immediately win the tiebreaker. If more than one person still remains in the tie, the tiebreaker will proceed as normal.
h) If a tie occurs only between contestants who have played idols, their idols will be used in combination. Any individual that voted to eliminate either contestant will attend the new Tribal Council.
i) If a contestant uses a Hidden Immunity Idol, but is forced to remain for a new Tribal Council due to another Hidden Immunity Idol, their idol will carry over in the form of individual immunity.
j) An idol is considered dead and may no longer be used if its current holder is voted out. The idol can not be transferred while the votes are being read. Once the holder of an Idol is eliminated, no one may use that Hidden Immunity Idol from that point forward.
k) All votes cast when an idol is played unsuccessfully will still count toward everyone's previous vote total, including the person playing the idol. Only when an idol is played successfully and the Tribal Council is voided, will all the votes also be voided, as if the vote never occurred.
(Why is this different from the real Survivor?)6.4 Mass Immunity
No one may be eliminated by default. At least 2 people must be eligible for elimination at each Tribal Council vote, otherwise the following process will be applied until at least 2 people are eligible for elimination:
a) If hidden immunity idols were successfully played, no one will be sent back to camp. The player(s) successfully using a hidden immunity idol will be given individual immunity, and a new vote will occur among everyone.
b) All miscellaneous immunity items will be removed (i.e. any immunity other than those listed below)
c) All Hidden Immunity Idols will be removed
d) Immunities won in Immunity Challenges will be removed in the order they were earned (the most recent immunity will always remain)
***Note: Any removed immunities will be returned to the person that held them at the start of Tribal Council, and may be played at a future vote.
(Why is this different from the real Survivor?)
SECTION VII: END-GAME PROCEDURES 7.1 Finale Scheduling Procedure
Schedule vetoes no longer apply during finale week. Rather, the host will collect availability from each remaining contestant before finale week, and schedule the final meeting day for a time when all contestants guarantee they are available. The following rules apply to scheduling the final day:
a) If a contestant is unavailable or becomes unavailable for the final day, they have the right to request a postponement. However, the final day may only be postponed for a finalist once.
b) If a finalist did not request a postponement, and is absent at the Final Tribal Council, they will be ejected from the game and moved to the jury.
c) No one may win by default. If less than 2 contestants remain at the Final Tribal Council, the most recently eliminated juror(s) will replace the ejected contestant(s) and have an opportunity to win the game.
d) If an absent finalist arrives before the final vote has begun, they may be given back their finalist position at the discretion of the host. Time elapsed and number of jurors present will factor into this decision.
e) For the game to end, the host, two finalists, and at least one juror must be present at the Final Tribal Council. If this is not the case, the Final Tribal Council will be postponed after a waiting period of one hour.
7.2 Jurors
At least seven (7) eliminated contestants, determined in the host's sole discretion, will be expected to participate as part of the jury in the Final Tribal Council to decide the winner. The host in his sole discretion may increase or decrease the number of contestants who shall serve on the jury. All such eliminated contestants may be required to attend or watch subsequent meetings of the Tribal Council, as determined by the host, to ensure an informed decision at the Final Tribal Council. Contestants may be expelled from the jury or otherwise removed for a violation of the rules or for other reasons at the host's sole discretion. The following rules apply to the jury:
a) Upon elimination, each contestant must finish with an attendance of at least 25% AND have been present at any point within the past 6 meeting days in order to join the jury. If a contestant does not meet this criteria, their jury spot will be surrendered to the most recently eliminated eligible contestant. If no eligible contestant exists, they will retain their jury spot.
b) The Final Tribal Council will consist of previously eliminated contestants (the number to be determined in the host's sole discretion), who will vote for a winner among the final contestants. At the conclusion of the Final Tribal Council, each such eliminated contestant will cast a secret ballot for one of the final contestants as the winner. The contestant with the most number of votes cast for them as winner is the winner. Before this vote can occur, each finalist must be given an opportunity to make an opening statement, each juror must be given an opportunity to question the finalists, and each finalist must be given an opportunity to make a closing statement.
c) Absentee votes may be used for the Final Tribal Council. The juror must have an absentee vote to use, and submit questions/comments for the finalists with their vote. For all other absent jurors, the finalist finishing with the most SP will receive their votes. However, they may only receive up to 50% of the total votes through SP, after which the contestant with the 2nd most SP will receive the remaining votes. A finalist must receive at least one vote from a juror (present or absentee ballot) to win.
SECTION VIII: MODIFICATIONS TO RULES 8.1 Rule Changes
Anything not derived from the original official SURVIVOR® rules (in blue), not an established OLS twist, and not vital to the host's ability to host the game may be changed mid-game, but only by using the following process:
a) Rule change is submitted to or by the host
b) The host contacts all contestants with full details
c) All ACTIVE contestants affected have two days to object
d) If there are no objections after 48 hours (or all agree earlier) the proposed change takes effect immediately8.2 Host Powers
The host reserves the right in his sole discretion to change or modify the rules at any point during the series including, without limitation, at any point during a particular challenge or Tribal Council, or at any other time provided they do not interfere with any of the rules listed above, or provided they are announced in advance as part of a twist. However, if a conflict is found within the rules, the host reserves the right to create a new rule, even if it may violate an existing rule, to resolve this conflict.