Insider Details About Survivor That Show What Really Goes On Once The Cameras Are Off

We all know that castaways are filmed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And yes, that includes any times the contestants are naked. Apparently, the Survivor team are legally allowed to take footage of anyone in their birthday suit on the island. 

Although they aren’t allowed to bring their own toothbrushes, players can make their own from bamboo they find on the island. It’s not the best solution, of course, and it could lead to cavities. “Obviously see a dentist the second you get back to civilization,” former contestant David Wright has advised.

Nope, not every Survivor squabble or strategic meeting is as spontaneous as it seems. Mark Burnett, the show’s executive producer, has openly confessed that players are sometimes asked to reenact a particular scene. This is usually to help the camera crew capture the footage from a better angle.

Survivor contestants have at least one thing in common with Hollywood action stars: they both have their own body doubles. That’s right! A player will often be substituted for a lookalike if the camera crew fail to pick up a much-needed shot. This can also be done simply to save time.

As you’d expect, players are sworn to secrecy about their Survivor experience before the show makes it to air. And woe betide anyone who lets something slip. Alec Merlino found that out the hard way when he posted a snap of himself and another castaway to Instagram before the season 37 premiere. But in the end, he got off lightly. While the producers could have sued Merlino for $5 million, they just chose to just stop him from coming to the grand finale instead.

Whatever you do, don’t make the Survivor production crew mad. According to former castaway Malcolm Freberg, the folks behind the scenes “will make your life hell if you’re constantly breaking the rules.” Apparently, sand being kicked into meals is just one of the punishments dished out to anyone who disobeys orders. But that’s nothing compared to the chewing out you’ll receive from Jeff Probst.

Every Survivor winner famously gets a cool $1 million for their efforts. But even those who are voted off in the early stages are well paid. According to former contestant Jonny Fairplay, the first to leave is given a not-too-shabby $12,500. And if you’re invited onto the live grand finale, then you can expect that figure to almost double!

Players don’t have to worry about exceeding the baggage limit! Each castaway can bring just a single handheld item of their choosing to the game. Producers are almost as strict when it comes to clothing, too.

You certainly can’t just rock up to the Survivor shoot in just anything, that’s for sure. All clothing items have to be vetted by the show’s rigorous production team first. Former player Max Dawson once revealed in a Reddit AMA, “They can be very specific — to the point of sending you to a specific store with photos of the items they want you to bring.”

The tribal council segment may look as though it only takes a matter of minutes to shoot. But as Jeff Probst asks the same teaser to each contestant, the whole process can sometimes take up to two hours! Overall, the show’s poor editors have to sift through as much as 500 hours of footage just to make a single episode.

All players are given access to toiletries that are deemed essential. They include sunscreen, bug repellent, and feminine hygiene items as well as medicines. But producers don’t consider being clean-shaven or having sparkling teeth as a necessity. That’s why castaways aren’t provided with razors or toothbrushes.

Remember when three different castaways ended up collapsing in that Survivor: Kaôh Rōng challenge? Luckily, the show has an army of medics on standby for such emergencies. In fact, every player is checked over by a medical professional after each challenge — just in case.

If you’re voted off first, you’re on the next plane home, right? Wrong! No matter where you end up placing in the competition, you remain on location until the final day of filming. On average, this means at least 39 days away from the rest of civilization.

There are perks to leaving early on in the game. While the rest of the castaways have to starve and suffer everything from extreme weather conditions to backstabbing, jury members can live it up at a nearby resort. Yes, they can have running water, food, and private conversations!

Natural disasters have interrupted Survivor filming on several occasions. Take season 33, for example, when Fiji was battered by a cyclone. But the producers still ensure that the game goes on. Tribes are separated in base camp rooms without any food or home comforts. Each player is also watched to ensure that no rules are broken before the competition can restart.

The final edit makes it look as though contestants walk to each tribal council and challenge on their own two feet. Not quite! They’re actually transported to these vital parts of the game by the production crew. Players must still adhere to the show’s rules, though, whenever they’re allowed to give their legs a rest.

As a viewer, some Survivor challenges are a bit too complicated to understand. Luckily, the folks involved get a little more information than we see on screen. Jeff Probst and the man responsible for devising the challenges, John Kirhoffer, will give players further guidance and time to strategize off camera.

In 2020 ex-Survivor contestants talked to the media about their experiences on the show. And one of their first bugbears was the culinary rewards. Malcolm Freberg explained that although the food was welcome, it would be sent back in a normal restaurant. Tyson Apostol also said that its taste left a lot to be desired...

The reward food might not be Michelin-star quality. But when all you’ve been living on for weeks is rice and beans, then you’ll no doubt indulge in as much as you can stomach. Both Eliza Orlins and David Wright told The Ringer that they’d felt ill after stuffing their faces with so much food on the show.

With only a small supply of essential toiletries at their disposal, players don’t exactly have the best hygiene. And, yep, that means facing up to body odor and bad breath. Carolyn Rivera admitted to The Ringer, “You feel totally disgusting all the time — even after going in the ocean to clean yourself.”

According to former castaway Christian Hubicki, you only notice four smells after a few days on the island: urine, mildew, feces, and smoke. Yeesh! The smoke is the one that clings most to the contestants. And given the options, that’s probably the best outcome.

The level of hygiene is so poor on Survivor that crew members wear protective gear when close to the players. Yes, really! Former castaway Apostol claimed that after a week or so, producers will wear face masks while putting contestants’ microphones on. And by the time the series is gearing up for its finale, they may appear in full hazmat suits!

We know you’re wondering how players go to the toilet. Well, there are two ways, apparently. One relies on the old latrine method of digging a hole in a specific area away from camp before doing your business. Elaine Stott told The Ringer that her season’s makeshift toilet location was called the rather sweet-sounding Coconut Grove.

Others resort to an even more primitive approach whenever nature calls: they walk into the ocean. This is what’s known in the Survivor world as an “aqua dump.” Wright told The Ringer, “I never felt weirder than when I took my clothes off on a beach in Fiji and just walked into the water naked and just pooped in the ocean. It felt wrong somehow.”

The journey to tribal council is undoubtedly one of the tensest parts of the Survivor experience. And that could be because the players aren’t permitted to communicate with each other en route at all. Producers watch each castaway like a hawk throughout to ensure that all the action happens on camera.

Freberg also warned that you wouldn’t want to see Jeff Probst when he’s angry. The ex-castaway told The Ringer, “I can’t go too much into this, but Jeff will make it very clear that if you keep pushing... It’s kind of like a mob threat. Like, ‘You will be taken care of. You will not be sticking around for long if you keep... [messing] with us.’” Yikes.

Castaways aren’t completely left to fend for themselves during their reality show experience. Before each season, players are handed a guide to island life —which includes tips on what you can and cannot eat. Wright summarized, “For the most part you’re not going to die if you play Survivor, but it’s a riskier thing to do than driving to work in the morning.”

Apparently, there’s a foolproof way of ensuring that the crew won’t follow you around when you’re trying to be secretive. Freberg told The Ringer, “You can always claim diarrhea if you need a few minutes to go look for an idol.” According to the one-time Survivor player, it’s a tactic that many folks have used over the years.

Surely it’s simple to give crew members the slip, though? Well, not as much as you think. Hubicki argued that your mental functions weaken the longer the series goes on. He said, “The ability to keep track of lots of things at the same time rapidly degrades. So it becomes much more difficult in practice to track people by the movement of the cameras than you might expect.”

But if you build a strong rapport with the camera crew, then there’s a good chance they’ll occasionally leave you to your own devices. Apostol told The Ringer that there were times he asked for five minutes’ space whenever he wanted to go idol-hunting. Crew members were so appreciative of his honesty that they happily obliged.

Some players can establish such strong relationships with crew members that they remain in touch long after leaving island life behind. Take Apostol, for example, who revealed, “I will meet up with camera guys outside of Survivor. Like, if I’m in New York and they happen to be in New York on a different project, I’ve met up and gone to dinner with them and bought drinks for them. And they’ve bought drinks for me.”

Having almost starved themselves for weeks on end, contestants inevitably overindulge when they finally get to leave the island behind. Freberg admitted he put on 15 pounds in just four days after his season finished. Orlins also claimed that she developed a difficult relationship with food when she returned home, and she would stuff her pockets with snacks to ensure she never got hungry again.

The last thing Survivor producers want is to lose a contestant to food poisoning. It’s why the behind-the-scenes team will monitor everything the castaways put in their mouths. The first season’s players no doubt wish someone had stepped in when they decided to feast on some rats!

After weeks spent wondering if everyone is secretly conspiring against you, you’ll probably stay a little paranoid when you’re back home. Former player Rick Devens told The Ringer that he found it hard to switch off game mode after returning to his newscaster job. He recalled, “I went and said ‘Hi’ to my co-anchor Ashley and our morning reporter Amaris. And then those two walked out of the studio together, and I thought, ‘They’re plotting against me.’”

If you’re lucky enough to win the grand prize of $1 million, then don’t start thinking about spending it all. By the time that money lands in your account, a certain percentage is already gone. Yes, victors must hand over some of their hard-earned cash to the taxman.

Medical staff will instantly treat a player with a serious injury or illness. But if you happen to suffer a bruise, scratch, or slight twinge, then you’re on your own. In an interview with Today, a medic on the show named Craig “Squizzy” Taylor said that minor injuries are all considered just “part of the game.”

Even though they’re exhausted and stinky, castaways may also feel a little bit special. Why? Well, each one is given their own personal crew member. This means every tactical conversation or developing romantic relationship will be captured on camera to entertain Survivor viewers. The only time players manage to get any alone time is when nature calls.

If you’re the adventurous type, then the temptation to go exploring your new island home will be overwhelming. But contestants aren’t allowed to just roam freely. In order to ensure that both tribes are separated fully, all castaways are restricted to certain areas. That’s probably for safety reasons, too.

You can’t blame castaways for trying, but smuggling items is a strict no-no in Survivor. The production crew will rifle through every item of clothing to ensure that no contraband makes its way to the game. Sometimes, though, players do get the better of the crew. One contestant managed to make starting a fire much easier by sneaking some matches onto the island.

No fewer than 13 players have ended their Survivor time prematurely since the show began. Just don’t expect to get Probst’s seal of approval if you do the same. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in 2015, the host revealed that he has little time for quitters.

No list about Survivor is complete without mentioning this jaw-dropping speech delivered by Sue Hawks. An incredible 51 million people watched as Sue obliterated fellow contestants Richard Hatch and Kelly Wiglesworth at the final tribal council meeting. "If I were to ever pass you in life and you were laying there, dying of thirst, I would not give you a drink of water," Sue told Kelly in her stunning 3.5-minute address. Ouch.

Pearl Islands featured a "family visit" challenge like no other. Contestant Jon Dalton got to see his buddy Dan and ask after his grandma. But Dan had terrible news: Jon's grandma had passed away while he was stuck on the island. Jon was understandably crushed, and audiences everywhere felt deeply for him. The problem was that Dan had, well, lied. He and Jon had planned the fakeout before Jon went on the show to drum up some sympathy. His grandma was actually alive and “watching Jerry Springer.”

If you've got an immunity idol, you can save yourself from getting voted off the show. And if you've got two immunity idols, you can save yourself two weeks in a row. Contestant James Clement had two idols going into the elimination vote. But he was so confident about his chances of getting voted off that he decided not to use them. And then in a shocking twist, his fellow survivors got rid of him — and created gripping TV in the process.

Pity poor Erik Reichenbach. He made it all the way to the final five and had an immunity necklace that would have guaranteed him a place in the top four. But then, in a heartbreaking move, the four other finalists convinced him to give up the idol. And he actually did it! “You officially go down as the dumbest Survivor ever. In the history of Survivor, ever,” said Parvati Shallow as the others unanimously voted Erik off. Harsh.

The love story between "Boston" Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich must have had the Survivor showrunners rubbing their hands together in glee. The pair met on the show, fell in love, and even got engaged during the finale — all in front of an audience of millions. This is one TV romance that has stood the test of time, too. The couple is still together, and they share their lives with four kids.

Fans of the show know just how important finding an idol is. So that makes Ozzy Lusth's scheme to trick his fellow survivors with a fake idol — in this case, a stick with a happy face carved into it — all the more ingenious. Jason Siska found it, fell for the prank, and even tried to protect fellow contestant Eliza Orlins with it. Her reaction? "It's a stick!" Iconic.

Russell Hantz has to be one of the most hated characters to ever appear on Survivor. Part of the reason is that he burned his fellow contestants' socks in the campfire. But it's mostly because he told his tribemates a colossal lie. He said he was a firefighter who'd worked to help people after Hurricane Katrina had devastated New Orleans. Somehow, though, the ruthless game player still finished the series in second place.

There wasn't a dry eye in the house after this one. Ethan Zohn had already won Survivor: Africa and suffered through two rounds of cancer before he joined the ranks of Winners at War. But when he competed in a grueling Edge of Extinction challenge, he took things to a whole new level. Ethan completed the tough task despite passing out halfway through. The other survivors mucked in, too, and they came away with a symbolic fire token.

It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. And during one brutal challenge of the Kaôh Rōng season, not one but three survivors fell by the wayside. The contestants had to dig up three bags of balls and then throw them into holes. But it was so hot that Caleb Reynolds passed out with a temperature of 107 degrees. Cydney Gillon and Debbie Wanner also fainted — but Caleb was so ill that he had to be taken out of the series altogether.

The list of people who had their time on Survivor cut short due to injury is unsurprisingly long. But the variety of the injuries is very surprising! Think back to the time Bruce Kanegai was catastrophically constipated in Panama. Or when Shamar Thomas got sand in his eye on Caramoan. A staph infection and a bladder infection saw Neal Gottlieb and Joe del Campo, respectively, say their goodbyes on Kaôh Rōng. It's a wonder why anyone volunteers for the show.

You don't often see the host of a show get mad at the contestants — but Jeff Probst made a special exception for Colton Crumbie. Colton returned to the series for Blood vs. Water after having dropped out of a previous season. So when Colton quit again, Probst seemingly lost his patience. “We brought a quitter back and we got a quitter again,” he admonished. The host even accused Colton of faking an illness when he quit the first time around!

There's rarely been a crueler way for a survivor to be voted off a series. In this case, though, the tribal councils couldn't agree on who should go between Hannah Shapiro and Zeke Smith. That meant that the others had to blindly pick rocks out of a bag until someone picked the pebble — and got eliminated. The (dis)honor ultimately fell to Jessica Lewis. And that had to hurt.

We've all seen that episode of Friends where we find out that Chandler peed on Monica after she got stung by a jellyfish, right? Well, it seems that survivor Paschal English mistook this for a documentary and had tribemate Kathy Vavrick-O’Brien do the same thing to him after a close encounter with a jellyfish. Just for the record, though, the whole peeing-on-a-jellyfish-sting thing is a total myth.

Jenna Morasca ended up winning Survivor: Amazon — but most people will remember her and Heidi Strobel as the women who stripped down for chocolate and peanut butter. That's right: the pair forfeited an immunity challenge in exchange for a tasty treat and showing off their bodies. There were two interesting consequences to this act as well. The first is that peanut butter is now an integral part of the show. The second is that Jenna and Heidi got a Playboy shoot out of it. Win-win.

The first series of Survivor is iconic for any number of reasons. But foremost among them is that an almost unimaginable 125 million people watched at least some part of the Survivor: Borneo finale. These fans were treated to a tight final vote followed by Richard Hatch taking home the Sole Survivor title. But they may have missed the fact that Richard would later spend 51 months in prison on charges of tax evasion.

Viewers at home were likely only watching this shocking event through the gaps in their fingers. Fortunately, the moment Michael Skupin actually fell into the fire happened off-camera. But the audience could still hear his blood-chilling screams and see the devastating third-degree burns he endured. Michael was quickly evacuated from the island and treated for his severe injuries.

Some Survivor moments stand the test of time because they're shocking, or they're crazy, or they're simply unbelievable. But this one stands out because it's just so darn funny. Adam Klein mistook an object on the tribal council podium as an immunity idol and tried to wrench it off. Emphasis on the tried because Adam couldn't remove the thing... and it wasn't an idol anyway. D'oh.

Ciera Eastin's name went down in Survivor history when she voted to get her own mother kicked out of the show. If we're being fair, we'd point out that she did at least try to avoid casting this vote and only did it when she ran out of choices. Still, it's a fan-favorite moment from a constant Survivor presence. Ciera has, after all, competed on three separate seasons.

The food challenges have become part and parcel of Survivor lore. But in the very first season, no one could have expected just how far the contestants would go. So when the tribe started eating worm larvae to try to beat a challenge, the bar was well and truly set. Fish eyes, sea slugs, and fafaru are just a sample of the "delicious" dishes that followed in subsequent seasons.

Boston Rob proved that he would do anything for his girl Amber — including screwing over his fellow campmates. The deal was that Rob wouldn't vote for Lex van den Berghe if Lex agreed to not vote for Amber. But when push came to shove, Lex kept his word and Rob didn't. The result? Lex and Rob got shown the door, and Amber won the season.

During Survivor: Heroes vs. Villians, Sandra Diaz-Twine seemed to want to get Russell Hantz booted out of the camp more than actually winning the game. Seriously, she hated the guy. And her most iconic act was when she casually burned his beloved hat on the fire. “Screw it, that’s payback for everything he’s done to me in this game. I don’t care,” she said.

Tony Vlachos did little to endear the New Jersey police to the hearts of the millions of Survivor viewers. Because even though he actually won his season, the way in which he did it was a little underhanded. The police officer learned as much as he could about his fellow tribemates by crafting “spy shacks” and listening in on people's conversations. A congressional candidate later called him a “trickster, liar, backstabber, and dealer.”

Tom Hanks had Wilson in Castaway, and Shane Powers had a chunk of wood on Survivor: Panama. During his run on the show, Shane would often retire to use his wood block as if it were a BlackBerry. “It’s got texting, email, phone, and web browser,” he said. He was also apparently suffering from not being able to smoke, so maybe that played into his bizarre behavior!

Brandon Hantz's uncle Russell is one of the most love-to-hate-him figures in Survivor history. But when Brandon competed on the show in 2013, he took his role as a villain a step too far. In one spectacular outburst, he sabotaged his own camp by destroying their food supply and cussing out his tribemates. Their response? To go on a challenge strike and immediately kick him out.

With all the game-playing and back-stabbing that goes on in a regular season of Survivor, it's pretty hard to imagine anybody getting no votes at a tribal council. But Cirie Fields was that person — and it still didn't save her from being eliminated! That's because even though none of her tribemates voted for her, everybody else had immunity, so she was the only one who could go. Cruel.

There have only been two times in the history of Survivor that the tribes have had to be evacuated from their islands. Normally, part of the appeal of the show is seeing how people will cope in the worst conditions imaginable. But in 2016 and 2018, the show was temporarily abandoned when the weather turned so bad that lives were actually in jeopardy.

Sandra Diaz-Twine had won Survivor twice before she headed into the Winners at War season. She even started referring to herself as the "queen of the game." But Sandra seemingly made a tactical error when it came to Denise Stapley. Denise and Sandra made a pact that Denise would give Sandra a fire token if she didn't vote her off. Sandra kept her part of the bargain — but Denise did not. And the audience was stunned.

Rupert Boneham gave off a kind of pirate vibe during his time on the Pearl Islands season. And he actually went full pirate during a challenge where the tribes had to find food in a fishing village. The sneaky survivor stole his rivals' shoes — and then traded them with the villagers for their supplies. It was undeniably villainous... but we can't help but be impressed by his quick thinking.

Nudity on Survivor is usually tastefully treated with pixelation. So when Heidi and Jenna stripped off in their season, the viewers didn't actually see anything. But there was one occasion where the pixelation painters let a private part slip through the net. That's right: Marcus Lehman's mini survivor was broadcast to the nation in what the Parents Television Council called a “shocking and purposeful” event.

Survivor watchers were big fans of Colby Donaldson — but the producers of the show might have taken a different view. The Texan basically caused an international incident when he took bits of coral from the Great Barrier Reef as souvenirs for his loved ones. This was a big no-no, and it got Colby in hot water with the Australian government. Only an apology from the showrunners settled everything down.

"Boston" Rob has contested Survivor five times, and at one point or another, he seemingly decided that he didn't need to play by anybody else's rules. Most people would kill for a shot at getting an immunity idol — but that would be too easy for Rob. So what did he do when he found a clue on Redemption Island? He literally threw it in a volcano. It's a novel approach, for sure.

Survivor is renowned for testing the limits of the tribemates' endurance — but one challenge took things to another level. It was called “Bob-Bob-Buoy,” and it involved the contestants staying on a buoy until they were the last person standing. And an incredible 11 hours and 55 minutes later, as Tom Westman was finally declared the winner. But he only won because Ian Rosenberger agreed to give up.

Wendell Holland had some truly harsh words for Chris Noble after he voted him off. "Socially, you don't know what you're doing," Wendell said. "I hope you stop saying 'I' so much. I hope you start listening to people. Oh, yeah. And finally…somebody had to say it. I'll say it. Stop rapping. You're trash. At rapping. You're garbage at rapping. You can't rap. You have no bars. Put the mic down, bro. Put the pen down, bro. Use an eraser."

The Edge of Extinction season is perhaps not fondly remembered by fans — and it could be because of its controversial winner. After all, most Sole Survivors spend the entire 39 days on their islands before being crowned champs. But Chris Underwood — the Extinction winner — was voted off on the eighth day... only to return at the last minute, win immunity, and take the title. Somewhere, someone is still debating the move to this day.

An event so seismic that it got its own nickname: Jacket-gate. Angelina Keeley thought it would be okay to ask Natalie Cole for her jacket — right after the council had just snuffed out Natalie's torch. But Natalie stonewalled her as she walked away. And when Angelina asked again — and again — for a response, Natalie continued to give her the silent treatment. We can't say we blame her, either!

Sarah Lacina didn't take the title on Winners at War, but she may have won the moral victory. At a tribal council, she said, "It made me realize that if a woman in this game lies or cheats or steals, she's fake and phony. If a guy does it, it's good gameplay. It's a gender bias. It holds me back. It holds other women back from playing the game the way we should be playing the game." And let's face it, she's not wrong.

Richard Hatch was many things to many people — but one of his most iconic moments came when he actually bit a shark! In all fairness to Richard, the shark had taken a few nibbles at him first. This was seemingly just Richard's way of exacting some revenge before his tribe could feast on the shark later. It's one of those things that had to be seen to be believed.

This was one for the books: two contestants took home $100,000 each without finishing in first or second place. It was all down to a snafu involving the answer to a trivia question. Lex van den Berghe was told during the filming of the final that he'd gotten an answer about his tribemates' piercings wrong... and was then voted out of the show along with Tom Buchanan. But it turned out he'd gotten the answer right, and the producers were forced to literally pay for the error.

Dan Spilo became the first person to ever be removed from Survivor by the producers. He'd already gotten himself in trouble for his inappropriate behavior toward tribemate Kellee Kim, but the final straw came when he also crossed the line with a crewmember. "Dan was removed from the game after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player," the viewer was told. And Dan was never seen or heard from again.

Jeff Varner became the ultimate villain in possibly the most controversial tribal council to date. "There is deception here. Deceptions on levels that these guys don't even understand," Jeff said — and then turned to Zeke Smith. "Why haven't you told anyone that you're transgender?" This outrageous and frankly immoral choice to out his tribemate without consent got Jeff a one-way ticket home. Probst didn't even have to count the votes.