Tonight on Survivor: Game Changers, one castaway is sent to Exile Island and gets a surprise visit…
But what is Exile Island and how did it become a part of the show?
The island is really a small campsite which is set apart from the tribe camps. It’s a place where tribe members can be sent to live alone for a set period of time — they have absolutely no contact with their tribe.
However, the bonus (if you can call it that) is that Exile Island will often have a clue which will help locate a hidden immunity idol somewhere on the island.
On this episode the exiled player also receives a surprise visit!
Exile Island is not new to the series. It was first used in Survivor: Palau, when contestant Janu Tornell was banished there for being the first to bail out of an immunity challenge.
This was meant to be a one-time-only twist, but Exile Island later reappeared and became a regular part of the premise of the show.
It officially made its way into the game in Season 12, Survivor: Panama, which was also known as Survivor: Exile Island, but has also appeared in Fuji, Micronesia and Gabon, among others.
Exile Island has become an integral part of the strategy of the game, with contestants placing allies, enemies, potential enemies, or even themselves, on the island in an effort to gain an advantage.
Survivor: Game Changers airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS.