Survivor Season 38: Edge Of Extinction Episode Recaps: Who Is The Sole Survivor?
Don't miss a single moment of Survivor's latest epic season.
Posted on May 16, 2019 | 12:00am
In Survivor: Edge of Extinction, 18 castaways are trying to outwit, outplay, and outlast one another in order to claim a $1 million prize, not to mention the coveted title of Sole Survivor!
READ: Everything You Need To Know About Survivor: Edge Of Extinction
This season has a pretty wild twist that's sure to send the castaways into a frenzy, so we're tracking all of the major happenings in this one-stop recap. After each episode, you'll be able to find all the updates you need to stay up to date on Edge of Extinction.
But you know what that means—there are spoilers within! Survivors ready?
STREAM: Full Episodes Of Survivor: Edge Of Extinction On CBS All Access
Episode 13 / Back in the Game: Chris / Voted Off: Victoria, Lauren, and RIck / Season 38 Winner: Chris
The Final 5 were brought to witness the Edge of Extinction players fight to earn their way back into the game. After an intense showdown, Chris was the victor and Jeff gave him back his buff.
Chris tried to re-acclimate to camp life and find allies. Rick told Chris about his Idol, and they decided to work together, but Rick was worried about how he backstabbed him earlier in the game.
Chris told Lauren that he knew about her Idol because Kelley told him on Extinction.
At the first Immunity Challenge, Jeff revealed they'd also be getting a food reward of steak and chocolate cake. When Julie got stuck during the Challenge, Chris took the time to help her out—and she won. As a result, Julie chose Chris to go on the Reward, along with Lauren.
At the Reward, Chris spilled some tea about things he learned on Extinction. Meanwhile, Victoria pitched Gavin and Rick on taking Chris out at Tribal.
Chris had a heart to heart with Rick, who revealed that he'd received the split Idol that David and Rick had earlier in the season. Chris gave Rick half in a show of good faith. Chris tried to convince Lauren to player her Idol for him.
At Tribal, Rick had an emotional moment, admitted the game was getting to him and played his Immunity Idol after the voting. Lauren played her Idol for Chris. As a result, Victoria was voted out only two votes against her.
After Tribal, Rick went hunting for more Idols and revealed that he planted a couple of fake ones around camp days earlier. The rest of the castaways also started searching for Idols, but Rick found one.
Rick gave Chris the other half of his Idol back.
Lauren regretted playing her Idol for Chris. Julie found an Idol, not knowing it was one of Rick's fakes. Meanwhile, Lauren found an Idol... which was also a fake planted by Rick.
At the next Immunity Challenge, Rick won and guaranteed himself a spot in the Final 4.
Rick promised Gavin that he'd play his Idol for him in return for Gavin taking him to Final 3. Meanwhile, Lauren tinkered with the idea of voting out Chris, and also started to suspect that one of the Idols found was fake.
At Tribal, Julie tried to play her Idol, which Jeff revealed was a fake. Lauren tried to play hers as well, but Jeff revealed it too was a fake. Rick played his Idol for Gavin, which Chris felt betrayed by. Chris then also played his own Idol, which resulted in Lauren getting voted out.
At the final Immunity Challenge, Chris pulled out his first Immunity win and guaranteed himself Final 3.
Rick pleaded his case to Chris, but Chris told him to practice fire. Chris was convinced that no one would stand a chance against Rick with the Jury.
Chris decided to help Gavin and Julie to make fire, so either one of them could defeat him when they went against him in a fire-making competition.
At Tribal, Chris decided to give his Immunity Idol to Julie and instead opted to make fire against Rick in order to prove to the Jury that he deserves to win the game. Chris won the fire-making challenge, sending Rick to Jury and solidifying the Final 3 as Chris, Julie, and Gavin.
The Final 3 enjoyed their final day in Fiji and reflected on their game.
At the Final Tribal, the Jury interrogated the remaining castaways and the finalists made their closing arguments before the Jury voted.
During the live finale, Jeff revealed that Chris had won Survivor: Edge of Extinction.
Episode 12 / Voted Off: Aurora
Rick lied and told everyone that his Immunity Idol came from someone at Edge of Extinction, but everyone was still targeting him, so he went on the hunt for another one.
Lauren told the others that she didn't think he was gifted an item. Rick kept hunting for another Idol and actually found one.
At the Reward Challenge, Jeff revealed they were playing for a helicopter tour of Fiji and a day at a resort. Gavin won the challenge, and chose Victoria and Lauren to go with him.
Aurora felt offended that she wasn't chosen to go on the reward.
At Edge of Extinction, the cast-offs received the letters they wrote to themselves before the game started.
Rick made his Tribemates suspicious by disappearing at random.
At the Immunity Challenge, Rick won once again. Back at camp, everyone tried to figure out what their best move was. Rick continued trying to make his Tribemates paranoid.
At Tribal, before the vote, Rick revealed that he would play his Hidden Idol for Julie, who he believed was the target, in an effort to get the group to vote for Aurora. After the vote, Rick didn't actually use the Idol, but Aurora was still voted out.
She chose to go to Edge of Extinction.
Episode 11 / Voted Off: Ron
Ron gave Rick the Secret Advantage Menu he found on Day 1, but tore off the bottom to hide that it was expired.
Jeff introduced the castaway's loved ones at the Reward Challenge and revealed that they'd be their teammates for the competition, which Ron and his husband Lloyd won.
Ron chose Julie and her husband to come along on the reward, as well as Gavin and his wife, who were married two days before he left for Survivor. The couples all enjoyed a meal and beverages, but Ron took advantage of the privacy to talk game.
Aurora went through Rick's bag and found the Secret Advantage, but Rick caught her. Rick kept looking for an Idol and found a clue to one--hanging above the camp shelter.
In the middle of the night, Rick attempted to climb the tree quietly and succeeded, grabbing the Hidden Idol.
At the endurance Immunity Challenge, Rick tried to cut a deal immediately but no one bit and he was the first one to fall, followed by Ron. Victoria was next, then Julie, then Aurora, narrowing it down to Lauren and Gavin. Lauren fell, and Gavin won Immunity.
At camp, Rick started trolling everyone because he knew they were targeting him. Ron's masterplan was for everyone to vote for Rick, but to make Rick think they were voting for Aurora.
Victoria proposed to Lauren that Rick should be voted out first, but should he have an Idol, he should vote for Ron. Aurora told Victoria and Lauren about her extra vote Advantage and then gave her extra vote to Gavin.
At Tribal, Rick blew up Aurora's spot about looking through his bag. After voting, Rick presented Ron's Secret Advantage Menu but Jeff announced that it had expired. Rick made a show of being angry about being lied to but then presented his actual Idol.
With votes for Rick not counting combined with Gavin's extra vote, Ron was surprisingly voted off but chose to go to Extinction.
Episode 10 / Voted Off: Wardog
The Tribe was reeling from the surprise exit of Kelley. Gavin confronted Wardog about being left out of the Kelley blindside. Julie and Ron mended fences.
Ron tried to make as many allies as possible.
At the Reward Challenge, Jeff revealed that the castaways would be playing for a spa trip. Rick, Julie, Wardog, and Lauren won the challenge and headed off to the spa for a day of relaxation and strategizing.
On Extinction, Joe, Aubry, and Kelley bonded over being returnees that were bested. Reem was happy to see Kelley voted out. Reem confronted Kelly about the role she played in getting her voted out earlier in the game.
Back at camp, the losing Tribe members started to have conversations about taking out Rick at the next Tribal. Gavin wanted to get rid of Wardog, but was willing to adapt. Meanwhile, Ron and Aurora got into an argument about rice.
At the spa, Lauren and Julie talked about trying to take out Wardog, but Lauren was privately resistant and wanted to target Rick.
At the Immunity Challenge, it came down to Aurora and Rick, and Rick just barely squeaked out a victory. His winning Immunity immediately threw a wrench into everyone's plan.
Ron found himself to be a swing vote between getting out either Wardog or Aurora, and each of them tried to get in his ear before going to Tribal Council.
At Tribal, the castaways started to work the Jury by throwing out admissions and accusations. Jeff read the votes and revealed that Wardog was voted out. On his way out, he opted to go to Edge of Extinction.
Episode 9 / Voted Off: David and Kelley
The Tribe returned to camp after a crazy Tribal that saw Julia go home, and most members seemed to lay the blame of the game's upheaval up on Aurora. Wardog made a proposal for an alliance to vote her out. Aurora seemed to see the writing on the wall.
Jeff offered the castaways a choice to either play in the Immunity Challenge or forego Immunity and automatically be treated to a pile of pizza and beer.
Lauren, Victoria, Kelley, and Ron decided to take Jeff up on the reward while the rest of the group began the endurance challenge.
It came down to David and Aurora, and Aurora was not willing to cut a deal. Ultimately she didn't have to, because she won.
With Aurora having Immunity, Wardog suggested his alliance vote for David instead. Camp before Tribal was full of side conversations and wheeling-and-dealing.
Almost immediately at Tribal, Rick took aim at Wardog, Kelley, and Lauren for being a power trio and the whole conversation erupted. Jeff read the votes and revealed that David was voted off. David opted to go to the Edge of Extinction.
At Extinction, the cast-offs received some clues to an advantage. David was the first to figure it out and received the opportunity to send an advantage to someone in the game.
At the next Immunity Challenge, Rick revealed that he got the advantage from David, and it paid off big time—Rick won Immunity.
With Rick immune, everyone seemed to be targeting Aurora, but Wardog considered trying to take out Kelley and had conversations with almost everyone. Most seemed on board, but Ron wasn't biting. Before Tribal, Aurora gave Ron her Extra Vote Advantage.
At Tribal, the vote came down between Aurora and Kelley, but ultimately Kelley was blindsided. After leaving Tribal, she decided to go to Extinction.
Episode 8 / Voted Off: Julia
Ron was reeling from being blindsided by the vote, while David was excited about the possibilities it opened up.
Eric acclimated to his new home on Edge of Extinction, including catching a stingray to share with his fellow cast-offs.
Rick, Ron, Julie, and David discussed creating a new alliance. Julie got emotional feeling like she didn't have a support system.
Julia, Gavin, and Lauren started plotting against David.
At the Immunity Challenge, Gavin squeaked out a victory over David and won Individual Immunity.
As soon as they returned to camp, the alliances scattered to discuss strategies. Lots of different names were thrown out, and Ron struggled to get on the topside of the numbers. Gavin was against blindsiding Kelley, but the rest of the group was all for it.
Rick and David talked about using the Idol they shared. Kelley grew paranoid about being voted out and contemplated playing her Idol.
At Tribal, Julie got emotional again about potentially being blindsided. The different factions of the Tribe started shooting barbs at one another until an all-out argument erupted, particularly between Julia and Rick.
People started whispering and plotting in plain sight, which eventually led to outright discussion of plans. Ultimately, Julie jumped ship from her alliance after accusing them of leaving her in the dark.
After the castaways voted, Rick and David played their Immunity Idol for David. In a surprising turn of events, Julia was voted out. After leaving Tribal Council, she chose to go Edge of Extinction.
Episode 7 / Voted Off: Eric
Vata reeled from their first vote as a merged Tribe and the various alliances immediately started trying to figure out next steps.
On Extinction, Joe tried to keep it together.
At the Reward Challenge, Victoria, Julia, Aurora, Eric, Devin, and Wardog won Chinese takeout. The losers struggled to cope with yet another loss. Kelley wanted to try and pull Aurora into the Lesu 5 alliance to take out a member of Kama.
Wardog approached Rick about joining his alliance, but Rick was resistant considering Wardog's group didn't back him up when he was on the bottom. Rick was accused of playing emotionally by David, who also refused to give him back the second half of the Immunity Idol Rick gave him.
The castaways on Extinction received a new riddle. Aubry tracked down the clue, which led her to a Practice Advantage and the ability to provide an extra vote to someone in the game.
The Immunity Challenge was an endurance competition. Lauren passed out mid-challenge and medical assistance was called in. With Aurora and Victoria as the last two remaining, Aurora tried to strike a deal, concerned that she was on the bottom. Lauren came to and was okay, but a little embarrassed.
Despite resisting Aurora's negotiations, Victoria dropped first and Aurora won Immunity. Back at camp, Aurora found the extra vote Advantage given to her by Aubry.
Eric and Ron used the impending Loved Ones visit as a motivator for their alliance to turn people to their side. Kelley and Lauren felt they were on the bottom and debated playing their Idols at Tribal. Wardog campaigned to get out Rick or David.
Julia and Gavin discussed trying to flip the vote on Ron, but Victoria wasn't on board.
Tribal got heated when Jeff asked questions about the former Tribal lines. In a surprising vote, Eric was voted out. He opted to go to Edge of Extinction.
Episode 6 / Voted Off: Joe / Back In The Game: Rick / Left Extinction: Wendy and Keith
Jeff revealed that it was time for the Merge into a new Tribe called Vata.
But after giving the castaways their new buffs, Jeff also brought in the cast-offs and revealed the Edge of Extinction twist to the castaways.
The Edge of Extinction challenge was presented, which would allow one one cast-off to earn their way back in the game. Keith gave the disadvantage he earned to Chris, who also had an advantage in that he was able to practice elements of the challenge ahead of time. In a very tight challenge, it was ultimately Rick who won his way back into the game.
The remaining Edge of Extinction players were emotional over their loss, but Jeff revealed that they weren't necessarily out of the running yet and offered to take them back to Edge of Extinction. All of the remaining players chose to go back.
Getting back to Extinction, however, Keith and Wendy changed their minds and opted to raise the mast and leave. Chris, Aubry, and Reem stayed behind.
Rick navigated the landscape of the newly merged Tribe. Lauren and Kelley tried to figure out who to align themselves with since they were on the bottom of the numbers, so Kelley sat down for a conversation with Joe. Julie, however, suggested that either Lauren or Kelley should be sent home.
Rick discovered that he was given two pieces of an Immunity Idol and that he had to give half to another player. After the next Tribal Council, the Idol would become a fully formed Immunity Idol. Rick told David about it.
At the Immunity Challenge, Julie won the first individual Immunity Idol of the season. Alliances and conversations started happening at camp before Tribal.
Julie tried to pull Rick onto her side, letting him know about Lesu's plan to send him back out. Rick gave David the other half of his Immunity Idol.
Ron tried to rally his alliance to get rid of Joe, while his other alliance members wanted to go for Kelley.
At Tribal, the castaways were very blunt in where the Tribal lines were drawn. Jeff read the votes and revealed that Joe was voted off, which blindsided some people. Joe chose to go to the Edge of Extinction.
Episode 5 / Voted Off: Aubry and Wendy
Rick arrived at the Edge of Extinction.
The three Tribes went immediately to a Reward Challenge, where they were playing for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and milk. Kama finished first, and Manu finished second. Lesu wallowed in another defeat.
Joe spent a lot of time trying to provide for his Tribemates on Kama to make them comfortable with keeping him around despite being a returnee.
The rest of the Tribe debated whether to take him out before the Merge. Ron was in favor of keeping him around purely for his contributions to camp and help in challenges.
At Manu, the Tribe enjoyed their PB&Js. Aubry was eager to play the game and make a big move while the rest of the Tribe was busy being best friends. Meanwhile, the Tribe plotted against her.
At Lesu, David went on the hunt for an Immunity Idol and his Tribemates discussed voting him out. Wardog proposed an alliance with Kelley.
At the Edge of Extinction, Chris found a crate buried on the island. Inside the crate was a note for each castaway, which contained a riddle on a map that Rick quickly figured out pointed to specific trees.
The group decided they would all go to the location together, but Keith ditched them and went by himself. The rest of the group caught up with him and beat him there, Chris finding three bamboo rods tied together with a note that read "practice" and Rick finding a Secret Advantage that allowed him to give an anonymous extra vote to someone that goes to Tribal Council.
At the Immunity Challenge, Lesu struggled once more, falling way behind. Kama finished the challenge first, but Lesu staged an incredible comeback and came in second, sending Manu to Tribal Council.
Aubry talked to Victoria and Wendy about potentially taking out one of the guys at Tribal, but Wendy couldn't make up her mind which made Aubry suspicious.
When Aubry went to get her Idol to prepare for Tribal, she discovered that she received an anonymous Secret Advantage for an extra vote--the same one that Rick found at Edge of Extinction.
At Tribal, Aubry was blindsided and voted out. After she left, she chose to go to the Edge of Extinction.
The episode continued with the next Reward Challenge, where the three Tribes competed for coffee, tea, and pastries. Kama came in first, Manu second. Lesu reeled from yet another loss.
At camp, Kama dug into their rewards. Joe continued to feel paranoid about the target on his back.
Lesu struggled with their consistent losses, Lauren in particular feeling depleted. David tried to catch a fish. Wardog tried to rally the rest of the Tribe against Lauren, but Kelley and David weren't biting.
The Edge of Extinction castaways got new maps, which led to Keith finding a Secret Advantage to hinder someone's game. Reem was annoyed that she technically found the Advantage but Keith swiped it. When Chris called her out on it, Reem flipped out.
At the second Immunity Challenge, Jeff revealed that there'd be only one Immunity Idol up for grabs despite there being three Tribes. Once again, Kama won, which meant Lesu and Mana would go to Tribal together.
Manu pondered trying to force a rock draw at the combined Tribal. Lesu tried to talk strategy but Wardog hogged the conversation. They began looking for an Idol as a Tribe, which Kelley found.
Tribal got heated as the castaways started whispering and butting heads. Jeff read the votes, and it was tied between Lauren and Wendy, forcing a revote.
After some more discussion, the castaways revoted. In the revote, Wendy was voted off. However, she chose to go to the Edge of Extinction.
Episode 4 / Voted Off: Rick
Chris arrived at the Edge of Extinction and said he felt like he was betrayed, but Keith and Reem weren't sympathetic.
At Manu, Wendy put back the flint she stole and thought she got away with it, but Kelley easily guessed that it was her.
At a meeting with Jeff, Kama was shocked to see that Chris was voted out of Manu. Jeff used this as an opportunity to utter the dreaded "Drop your buffs!" and revealed that there would now be three Tribes.
Everybody wound up with the same Tribemates except for Wendy. The new Tribe, Lesu, was comprised of five former Manu. New alliances started forming as the new Tribes went back to their camps. Ron and Julia searched Joe's stuff to see if he had an Idol, but they didn't find anything.
Lauren struggled to adapt to the physical and emotional hardships of being on Survivor.
Wendy gave her new Tribemates the tour of the Manu camp, as well as a full breakdown of everything that happened with her previous Tribe. When her new Tribemates were determined to kill the chickens, she decided to let them loose. The Manu Tribe was clearly onto Wendy's "master plan" of letting the chickens go.
Meanwhile, at the Edge of Extinction, the cast-offs tried to stay dry during a downpour. Chris struggled with his blindside, not to mention being shunned by Keith and Reem. But then Chris caught some fish and they changed their tune.
At the Immunity Challenge, two Idols were up for grabs. Lesu lost the challenge, sending them to Tribal Council.
At Tribal, Lesu admitted their shortcomings as a Tribe. Kelley got emotional, citing how she was sad that the close bond between her Tribemates was going to have to be broken up. When Jeff read the votes, it was tied between Lauren and Rick. Ultimately, Rick was voted out.
When confronted with the choice to go to Edge of Extinction, Rick chose to go.
Episode 3 / Voted Off: Chris
Keith chose to go to the Edge of Extinction, where he was greeted by Reem. In the morning, they found maps in a bottle. The scoured the island looking for a set of steps, which led them to a small basket of rice.
At the Reward Challenge, the Tribes competed for a choice between pillows or chickens. Manu won the challenge—their first win of the season—and chose to take the chickens.
Wendy suffered an injury during the challenge and realized that her ankle was swollen. She also struggled to deal with the fact that her Tribemates wanted to kill the chickens.
Kama continued to conspire against the returning players, but Joe overheard Victoria and Ron talking about it. Aubry was desperate to find an Immunity Idol, which she had never done, and finally did.
Back at Manu, Wendy continued to argue with the Tribe about not killing the chickens, which coupled with her injury, put a target on her back.
At the Immunity Challenge, Kama won by a hair. Back at Manu's camp, Wendy swiped the flint to prevent the Tribe from cooking—and therefore killing—a chicken. David and Rick tried to sway Wendy into voting Kelley out.
At Tribal, things got heated about the social complexities of a Tribe that has continually lost. When Jeff counted the votes, Chris was revealed to be the third person voted out.
After leaving Tribal Council, Chris opted to go to the Edge of Extinction.
Episode 2 / Voted Off: Keith
At the Edge of Extinction, Reem tried to figure out what to expect. From what she could tell, she was simply stranded indefinitely. A note told her that if she wanted to quit, she just had to raise a sail and a boat would pick her up.
At Manu, Wendy tried to campaign against Kelley, getting Keith, Rick, and David on her side. Meanwhile, Wardog and Kelley were rallying against Wendy. Rick and David aligned closely.
Meanwhile, Kama bonded by creating a cheer dance. Despite the fun times, the tribe started to become suspicious of Aubry and her relationship management.
Both Tribes went hunting for Idols, but it was Lauren who actually found one.
The Immunity and Reward Challenges were combined, and the reward options were either spices or a fishing kit, which Kama won, their second victory in a row. They chose to take the fishing gear.
Before Tribal Council Wardog started throwing out Keith's name as a possibility, blaming him for their loss. Kelley, however, was confused by this because she didn't consider Keith a threat. David, meanwhile, tried to rally a vote for Kelley.
Kelley was onto them and concerned that she'd get blindsided at Tribal. As it turned out, this was not the case—Keith was the second person voted out this season.
Keith left Tribal Council and reached the signpost asking if he wanted to go to the Edge of Extinction. Roll credits!
Episode 1 / Voted Off: Reem
Host Jeff Probst welcomed the new castaways to the game and revealed that four Survivor returnees would be joining them: Joe Anglim, Kelley Wentworth, Aubry Bracco, and David Wright. The marooning began, with the Kama and Manu tribes gathering all of the supplies they could.
The two tribes got to know each other and the returnees were concerned about having early targets on their backs.
Wendy revealed that she has Tourette's syndrome and mild OCD. Julie struggled to get into survival mode. Kama had a strong start at camp with plenty of supplies and fire.
Ron used the Secret Advantage he found during the marooning and followed the clue to a "Secret Advantage Menu," which let him choose from a variety of advantages that are valid until after the third Tribal Council.
The castaways discussed their theories on what "Edge of Extinction" actually means for the game.
Eric made it clear to Gavin that he didn't want to rely on the returnees to show them the way of Survivor. Keith and Reem bonded, and then Wendy joined Reem to teach Keith how to swim.
In the Immunity/Reward Challenge, Kama took home the first Immunity Idol of the season—and a piece of flint to help with fire.
Manu started the pre-Tribal ritual of solidifying alliances and gathering votes. Tribal Council was heated, with Reem speaking out about her annoyance that her name was thrown around to be voted out because she was too "motherly." In the end, Manu did indeed vote for Reem to go.
But as she made her exit, Reem was confronted with a choice: end her journey and go home, or pick up her torch, get on a boat, and head to the Edge of Extinction. She chose to stay in the game.
When she arrived, she found herself alone on a desolate island.
Watch all-new episodes of Survivor: Edge of Extinction on Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS and CBS All Access.
READ: Everything You Need To Know About Survivor: Edge Of Extinction
This season has a pretty wild twist that's sure to send the castaways into a frenzy, so we're tracking all of the major happenings in this one-stop recap. After each episode, you'll be able to find all the updates you need to stay up to date on Edge of Extinction.
But you know what that means—there are spoilers within! Survivors ready?
STREAM: Full Episodes Of Survivor: Edge Of Extinction On CBS All Access
Episode 13 / Back in the Game: Chris / Voted Off: Victoria, Lauren, and RIck / Season 38 Winner: Chris
The Final 5 were brought to witness the Edge of Extinction players fight to earn their way back into the game. After an intense showdown, Chris was the victor and Jeff gave him back his buff.
Chris tried to re-acclimate to camp life and find allies. Rick told Chris about his Idol, and they decided to work together, but Rick was worried about how he backstabbed him earlier in the game.
Chris told Lauren that he knew about her Idol because Kelley told him on Extinction.
At the first Immunity Challenge, Jeff revealed they'd also be getting a food reward of steak and chocolate cake. When Julie got stuck during the Challenge, Chris took the time to help her out—and she won. As a result, Julie chose Chris to go on the Reward, along with Lauren.
At the Reward, Chris spilled some tea about things he learned on Extinction. Meanwhile, Victoria pitched Gavin and Rick on taking Chris out at Tribal.
Chris had a heart to heart with Rick, who revealed that he'd received the split Idol that David and Rick had earlier in the season. Chris gave Rick half in a show of good faith. Chris tried to convince Lauren to player her Idol for him.
At Tribal, Rick had an emotional moment, admitted the game was getting to him and played his Immunity Idol after the voting. Lauren played her Idol for Chris. As a result, Victoria was voted out only two votes against her.
After Tribal, Rick went hunting for more Idols and revealed that he planted a couple of fake ones around camp days earlier. The rest of the castaways also started searching for Idols, but Rick found one.
Rick gave Chris the other half of his Idol back.
Lauren regretted playing her Idol for Chris. Julie found an Idol, not knowing it was one of Rick's fakes. Meanwhile, Lauren found an Idol... which was also a fake planted by Rick.
At the next Immunity Challenge, Rick won and guaranteed himself a spot in the Final 4.
Rick promised Gavin that he'd play his Idol for him in return for Gavin taking him to Final 3. Meanwhile, Lauren tinkered with the idea of voting out Chris, and also started to suspect that one of the Idols found was fake.
At Tribal, Julie tried to play her Idol, which Jeff revealed was a fake. Lauren tried to play hers as well, but Jeff revealed it too was a fake. Rick played his Idol for Gavin, which Chris felt betrayed by. Chris then also played his own Idol, which resulted in Lauren getting voted out.
At the final Immunity Challenge, Chris pulled out his first Immunity win and guaranteed himself Final 3.
Rick pleaded his case to Chris, but Chris told him to practice fire. Chris was convinced that no one would stand a chance against Rick with the Jury.
Chris decided to help Gavin and Julie to make fire, so either one of them could defeat him when they went against him in a fire-making competition.
At Tribal, Chris decided to give his Immunity Idol to Julie and instead opted to make fire against Rick in order to prove to the Jury that he deserves to win the game. Chris won the fire-making challenge, sending Rick to Jury and solidifying the Final 3 as Chris, Julie, and Gavin.
The Final 3 enjoyed their final day in Fiji and reflected on their game.
At the Final Tribal, the Jury interrogated the remaining castaways and the finalists made their closing arguments before the Jury voted.
During the live finale, Jeff revealed that Chris had won Survivor: Edge of Extinction.
Episode 12 / Voted Off: Aurora
Rick lied and told everyone that his Immunity Idol came from someone at Edge of Extinction, but everyone was still targeting him, so he went on the hunt for another one.
Lauren told the others that she didn't think he was gifted an item. Rick kept hunting for another Idol and actually found one.
At the Reward Challenge, Jeff revealed they were playing for a helicopter tour of Fiji and a day at a resort. Gavin won the challenge, and chose Victoria and Lauren to go with him.
Aurora felt offended that she wasn't chosen to go on the reward.
At Edge of Extinction, the cast-offs received the letters they wrote to themselves before the game started.
Rick made his Tribemates suspicious by disappearing at random.
At the Immunity Challenge, Rick won once again. Back at camp, everyone tried to figure out what their best move was. Rick continued trying to make his Tribemates paranoid.
At Tribal, before the vote, Rick revealed that he would play his Hidden Idol for Julie, who he believed was the target, in an effort to get the group to vote for Aurora. After the vote, Rick didn't actually use the Idol, but Aurora was still voted out.
She chose to go to Edge of Extinction.
Episode 11 / Voted Off: Ron
Ron gave Rick the Secret Advantage Menu he found on Day 1, but tore off the bottom to hide that it was expired.
Jeff introduced the castaway's loved ones at the Reward Challenge and revealed that they'd be their teammates for the competition, which Ron and his husband Lloyd won.
Ron chose Julie and her husband to come along on the reward, as well as Gavin and his wife, who were married two days before he left for Survivor. The couples all enjoyed a meal and beverages, but Ron took advantage of the privacy to talk game.
Aurora went through Rick's bag and found the Secret Advantage, but Rick caught her. Rick kept looking for an Idol and found a clue to one--hanging above the camp shelter.
In the middle of the night, Rick attempted to climb the tree quietly and succeeded, grabbing the Hidden Idol.
At the endurance Immunity Challenge, Rick tried to cut a deal immediately but no one bit and he was the first one to fall, followed by Ron. Victoria was next, then Julie, then Aurora, narrowing it down to Lauren and Gavin. Lauren fell, and Gavin won Immunity.
At camp, Rick started trolling everyone because he knew they were targeting him. Ron's masterplan was for everyone to vote for Rick, but to make Rick think they were voting for Aurora.
Victoria proposed to Lauren that Rick should be voted out first, but should he have an Idol, he should vote for Ron. Aurora told Victoria and Lauren about her extra vote Advantage and then gave her extra vote to Gavin.
At Tribal, Rick blew up Aurora's spot about looking through his bag. After voting, Rick presented Ron's Secret Advantage Menu but Jeff announced that it had expired. Rick made a show of being angry about being lied to but then presented his actual Idol.
With votes for Rick not counting combined with Gavin's extra vote, Ron was surprisingly voted off but chose to go to Extinction.
Episode 10 / Voted Off: Wardog
The Tribe was reeling from the surprise exit of Kelley. Gavin confronted Wardog about being left out of the Kelley blindside. Julie and Ron mended fences.
Ron tried to make as many allies as possible.
At the Reward Challenge, Jeff revealed that the castaways would be playing for a spa trip. Rick, Julie, Wardog, and Lauren won the challenge and headed off to the spa for a day of relaxation and strategizing.
On Extinction, Joe, Aubry, and Kelley bonded over being returnees that were bested. Reem was happy to see Kelley voted out. Reem confronted Kelly about the role she played in getting her voted out earlier in the game.
Back at camp, the losing Tribe members started to have conversations about taking out Rick at the next Tribal. Gavin wanted to get rid of Wardog, but was willing to adapt. Meanwhile, Ron and Aurora got into an argument about rice.
At the spa, Lauren and Julie talked about trying to take out Wardog, but Lauren was privately resistant and wanted to target Rick.
At the Immunity Challenge, it came down to Aurora and Rick, and Rick just barely squeaked out a victory. His winning Immunity immediately threw a wrench into everyone's plan.
Ron found himself to be a swing vote between getting out either Wardog or Aurora, and each of them tried to get in his ear before going to Tribal Council.
At Tribal, the castaways started to work the Jury by throwing out admissions and accusations. Jeff read the votes and revealed that Wardog was voted out. On his way out, he opted to go to Edge of Extinction.
Episode 9 / Voted Off: David and Kelley
The Tribe returned to camp after a crazy Tribal that saw Julia go home, and most members seemed to lay the blame of the game's upheaval up on Aurora. Wardog made a proposal for an alliance to vote her out. Aurora seemed to see the writing on the wall.
Jeff offered the castaways a choice to either play in the Immunity Challenge or forego Immunity and automatically be treated to a pile of pizza and beer.
Lauren, Victoria, Kelley, and Ron decided to take Jeff up on the reward while the rest of the group began the endurance challenge.
It came down to David and Aurora, and Aurora was not willing to cut a deal. Ultimately she didn't have to, because she won.
With Aurora having Immunity, Wardog suggested his alliance vote for David instead. Camp before Tribal was full of side conversations and wheeling-and-dealing.
Almost immediately at Tribal, Rick took aim at Wardog, Kelley, and Lauren for being a power trio and the whole conversation erupted. Jeff read the votes and revealed that David was voted off. David opted to go to the Edge of Extinction.
At Extinction, the cast-offs received some clues to an advantage. David was the first to figure it out and received the opportunity to send an advantage to someone in the game.
At the next Immunity Challenge, Rick revealed that he got the advantage from David, and it paid off big time—Rick won Immunity.
With Rick immune, everyone seemed to be targeting Aurora, but Wardog considered trying to take out Kelley and had conversations with almost everyone. Most seemed on board, but Ron wasn't biting. Before Tribal, Aurora gave Ron her Extra Vote Advantage.
At Tribal, the vote came down between Aurora and Kelley, but ultimately Kelley was blindsided. After leaving Tribal, she decided to go to Extinction.
Episode 8 / Voted Off: Julia
Ron was reeling from being blindsided by the vote, while David was excited about the possibilities it opened up.
Eric acclimated to his new home on Edge of Extinction, including catching a stingray to share with his fellow cast-offs.
Rick, Ron, Julie, and David discussed creating a new alliance. Julie got emotional feeling like she didn't have a support system.
Julia, Gavin, and Lauren started plotting against David.
At the Immunity Challenge, Gavin squeaked out a victory over David and won Individual Immunity.
As soon as they returned to camp, the alliances scattered to discuss strategies. Lots of different names were thrown out, and Ron struggled to get on the topside of the numbers. Gavin was against blindsiding Kelley, but the rest of the group was all for it.
Rick and David talked about using the Idol they shared. Kelley grew paranoid about being voted out and contemplated playing her Idol.
At Tribal, Julie got emotional again about potentially being blindsided. The different factions of the Tribe started shooting barbs at one another until an all-out argument erupted, particularly between Julia and Rick.
People started whispering and plotting in plain sight, which eventually led to outright discussion of plans. Ultimately, Julie jumped ship from her alliance after accusing them of leaving her in the dark.
After the castaways voted, Rick and David played their Immunity Idol for David. In a surprising turn of events, Julia was voted out. After leaving Tribal Council, she chose to go Edge of Extinction.
Episode 7 / Voted Off: Eric
Vata reeled from their first vote as a merged Tribe and the various alliances immediately started trying to figure out next steps.
On Extinction, Joe tried to keep it together.
At the Reward Challenge, Victoria, Julia, Aurora, Eric, Devin, and Wardog won Chinese takeout. The losers struggled to cope with yet another loss. Kelley wanted to try and pull Aurora into the Lesu 5 alliance to take out a member of Kama.
Wardog approached Rick about joining his alliance, but Rick was resistant considering Wardog's group didn't back him up when he was on the bottom. Rick was accused of playing emotionally by David, who also refused to give him back the second half of the Immunity Idol Rick gave him.
The castaways on Extinction received a new riddle. Aubry tracked down the clue, which led her to a Practice Advantage and the ability to provide an extra vote to someone in the game.
The Immunity Challenge was an endurance competition. Lauren passed out mid-challenge and medical assistance was called in. With Aurora and Victoria as the last two remaining, Aurora tried to strike a deal, concerned that she was on the bottom. Lauren came to and was okay, but a little embarrassed.
Despite resisting Aurora's negotiations, Victoria dropped first and Aurora won Immunity. Back at camp, Aurora found the extra vote Advantage given to her by Aubry.
Eric and Ron used the impending Loved Ones visit as a motivator for their alliance to turn people to their side. Kelley and Lauren felt they were on the bottom and debated playing their Idols at Tribal. Wardog campaigned to get out Rick or David.
Julia and Gavin discussed trying to flip the vote on Ron, but Victoria wasn't on board.
Tribal got heated when Jeff asked questions about the former Tribal lines. In a surprising vote, Eric was voted out. He opted to go to Edge of Extinction.
Episode 6 / Voted Off: Joe / Back In The Game: Rick / Left Extinction: Wendy and Keith
Jeff revealed that it was time for the Merge into a new Tribe called Vata.
But after giving the castaways their new buffs, Jeff also brought in the cast-offs and revealed the Edge of Extinction twist to the castaways.
The Edge of Extinction challenge was presented, which would allow one one cast-off to earn their way back in the game. Keith gave the disadvantage he earned to Chris, who also had an advantage in that he was able to practice elements of the challenge ahead of time. In a very tight challenge, it was ultimately Rick who won his way back into the game.
The remaining Edge of Extinction players were emotional over their loss, but Jeff revealed that they weren't necessarily out of the running yet and offered to take them back to Edge of Extinction. All of the remaining players chose to go back.
Getting back to Extinction, however, Keith and Wendy changed their minds and opted to raise the mast and leave. Chris, Aubry, and Reem stayed behind.
Rick navigated the landscape of the newly merged Tribe. Lauren and Kelley tried to figure out who to align themselves with since they were on the bottom of the numbers, so Kelley sat down for a conversation with Joe. Julie, however, suggested that either Lauren or Kelley should be sent home.
Rick discovered that he was given two pieces of an Immunity Idol and that he had to give half to another player. After the next Tribal Council, the Idol would become a fully formed Immunity Idol. Rick told David about it.
At the Immunity Challenge, Julie won the first individual Immunity Idol of the season. Alliances and conversations started happening at camp before Tribal.
Julie tried to pull Rick onto her side, letting him know about Lesu's plan to send him back out. Rick gave David the other half of his Immunity Idol.
Ron tried to rally his alliance to get rid of Joe, while his other alliance members wanted to go for Kelley.
At Tribal, the castaways were very blunt in where the Tribal lines were drawn. Jeff read the votes and revealed that Joe was voted off, which blindsided some people. Joe chose to go to the Edge of Extinction.
Episode 5 / Voted Off: Aubry and Wendy
Rick arrived at the Edge of Extinction.
The three Tribes went immediately to a Reward Challenge, where they were playing for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and milk. Kama finished first, and Manu finished second. Lesu wallowed in another defeat.
Joe spent a lot of time trying to provide for his Tribemates on Kama to make them comfortable with keeping him around despite being a returnee.
The rest of the Tribe debated whether to take him out before the Merge. Ron was in favor of keeping him around purely for his contributions to camp and help in challenges.
At Manu, the Tribe enjoyed their PB&Js. Aubry was eager to play the game and make a big move while the rest of the Tribe was busy being best friends. Meanwhile, the Tribe plotted against her.
At Lesu, David went on the hunt for an Immunity Idol and his Tribemates discussed voting him out. Wardog proposed an alliance with Kelley.
At the Edge of Extinction, Chris found a crate buried on the island. Inside the crate was a note for each castaway, which contained a riddle on a map that Rick quickly figured out pointed to specific trees.
The group decided they would all go to the location together, but Keith ditched them and went by himself. The rest of the group caught up with him and beat him there, Chris finding three bamboo rods tied together with a note that read "practice" and Rick finding a Secret Advantage that allowed him to give an anonymous extra vote to someone that goes to Tribal Council.
At the Immunity Challenge, Lesu struggled once more, falling way behind. Kama finished the challenge first, but Lesu staged an incredible comeback and came in second, sending Manu to Tribal Council.
Aubry talked to Victoria and Wendy about potentially taking out one of the guys at Tribal, but Wendy couldn't make up her mind which made Aubry suspicious.
When Aubry went to get her Idol to prepare for Tribal, she discovered that she received an anonymous Secret Advantage for an extra vote--the same one that Rick found at Edge of Extinction.
At Tribal, Aubry was blindsided and voted out. After she left, she chose to go to the Edge of Extinction.
The episode continued with the next Reward Challenge, where the three Tribes competed for coffee, tea, and pastries. Kama came in first, Manu second. Lesu reeled from yet another loss.
At camp, Kama dug into their rewards. Joe continued to feel paranoid about the target on his back.
Lesu struggled with their consistent losses, Lauren in particular feeling depleted. David tried to catch a fish. Wardog tried to rally the rest of the Tribe against Lauren, but Kelley and David weren't biting.
The Edge of Extinction castaways got new maps, which led to Keith finding a Secret Advantage to hinder someone's game. Reem was annoyed that she technically found the Advantage but Keith swiped it. When Chris called her out on it, Reem flipped out.
At the second Immunity Challenge, Jeff revealed that there'd be only one Immunity Idol up for grabs despite there being three Tribes. Once again, Kama won, which meant Lesu and Mana would go to Tribal together.
Manu pondered trying to force a rock draw at the combined Tribal. Lesu tried to talk strategy but Wardog hogged the conversation. They began looking for an Idol as a Tribe, which Kelley found.
Tribal got heated as the castaways started whispering and butting heads. Jeff read the votes, and it was tied between Lauren and Wendy, forcing a revote.
After some more discussion, the castaways revoted. In the revote, Wendy was voted off. However, she chose to go to the Edge of Extinction.
Episode 4 / Voted Off: Rick
Chris arrived at the Edge of Extinction and said he felt like he was betrayed, but Keith and Reem weren't sympathetic.
At Manu, Wendy put back the flint she stole and thought she got away with it, but Kelley easily guessed that it was her.
At a meeting with Jeff, Kama was shocked to see that Chris was voted out of Manu. Jeff used this as an opportunity to utter the dreaded "Drop your buffs!" and revealed that there would now be three Tribes.
Everybody wound up with the same Tribemates except for Wendy. The new Tribe, Lesu, was comprised of five former Manu. New alliances started forming as the new Tribes went back to their camps. Ron and Julia searched Joe's stuff to see if he had an Idol, but they didn't find anything.
Lauren struggled to adapt to the physical and emotional hardships of being on Survivor.
Wendy gave her new Tribemates the tour of the Manu camp, as well as a full breakdown of everything that happened with her previous Tribe. When her new Tribemates were determined to kill the chickens, she decided to let them loose. The Manu Tribe was clearly onto Wendy's "master plan" of letting the chickens go.
Meanwhile, at the Edge of Extinction, the cast-offs tried to stay dry during a downpour. Chris struggled with his blindside, not to mention being shunned by Keith and Reem. But then Chris caught some fish and they changed their tune.
At the Immunity Challenge, two Idols were up for grabs. Lesu lost the challenge, sending them to Tribal Council.
At Tribal, Lesu admitted their shortcomings as a Tribe. Kelley got emotional, citing how she was sad that the close bond between her Tribemates was going to have to be broken up. When Jeff read the votes, it was tied between Lauren and Rick. Ultimately, Rick was voted out.
When confronted with the choice to go to Edge of Extinction, Rick chose to go.
Episode 3 / Voted Off: Chris
Keith chose to go to the Edge of Extinction, where he was greeted by Reem. In the morning, they found maps in a bottle. The scoured the island looking for a set of steps, which led them to a small basket of rice.
At the Reward Challenge, the Tribes competed for a choice between pillows or chickens. Manu won the challenge—their first win of the season—and chose to take the chickens.
Wendy suffered an injury during the challenge and realized that her ankle was swollen. She also struggled to deal with the fact that her Tribemates wanted to kill the chickens.
Kama continued to conspire against the returning players, but Joe overheard Victoria and Ron talking about it. Aubry was desperate to find an Immunity Idol, which she had never done, and finally did.
Back at Manu, Wendy continued to argue with the Tribe about not killing the chickens, which coupled with her injury, put a target on her back.
At the Immunity Challenge, Kama won by a hair. Back at Manu's camp, Wendy swiped the flint to prevent the Tribe from cooking—and therefore killing—a chicken. David and Rick tried to sway Wendy into voting Kelley out.
At Tribal, things got heated about the social complexities of a Tribe that has continually lost. When Jeff counted the votes, Chris was revealed to be the third person voted out.
After leaving Tribal Council, Chris opted to go to the Edge of Extinction.
Episode 2 / Voted Off: Keith
At the Edge of Extinction, Reem tried to figure out what to expect. From what she could tell, she was simply stranded indefinitely. A note told her that if she wanted to quit, she just had to raise a sail and a boat would pick her up.
At Manu, Wendy tried to campaign against Kelley, getting Keith, Rick, and David on her side. Meanwhile, Wardog and Kelley were rallying against Wendy. Rick and David aligned closely.
Meanwhile, Kama bonded by creating a cheer dance. Despite the fun times, the tribe started to become suspicious of Aubry and her relationship management.
Both Tribes went hunting for Idols, but it was Lauren who actually found one.
The Immunity and Reward Challenges were combined, and the reward options were either spices or a fishing kit, which Kama won, their second victory in a row. They chose to take the fishing gear.
Before Tribal Council Wardog started throwing out Keith's name as a possibility, blaming him for their loss. Kelley, however, was confused by this because she didn't consider Keith a threat. David, meanwhile, tried to rally a vote for Kelley.
Kelley was onto them and concerned that she'd get blindsided at Tribal. As it turned out, this was not the case—Keith was the second person voted out this season.
Keith left Tribal Council and reached the signpost asking if he wanted to go to the Edge of Extinction. Roll credits!
Episode 1 / Voted Off: Reem
Host Jeff Probst welcomed the new castaways to the game and revealed that four Survivor returnees would be joining them: Joe Anglim, Kelley Wentworth, Aubry Bracco, and David Wright. The marooning began, with the Kama and Manu tribes gathering all of the supplies they could.
The two tribes got to know each other and the returnees were concerned about having early targets on their backs.
Wendy revealed that she has Tourette's syndrome and mild OCD. Julie struggled to get into survival mode. Kama had a strong start at camp with plenty of supplies and fire.
Ron used the Secret Advantage he found during the marooning and followed the clue to a "Secret Advantage Menu," which let him choose from a variety of advantages that are valid until after the third Tribal Council.
The castaways discussed their theories on what "Edge of Extinction" actually means for the game.
Eric made it clear to Gavin that he didn't want to rely on the returnees to show them the way of Survivor. Keith and Reem bonded, and then Wendy joined Reem to teach Keith how to swim.
In the Immunity/Reward Challenge, Kama took home the first Immunity Idol of the season—and a piece of flint to help with fire.
Manu started the pre-Tribal ritual of solidifying alliances and gathering votes. Tribal Council was heated, with Reem speaking out about her annoyance that her name was thrown around to be voted out because she was too "motherly." In the end, Manu did indeed vote for Reem to go.
But as she made her exit, Reem was confronted with a choice: end her journey and go home, or pick up her torch, get on a boat, and head to the Edge of Extinction. She chose to stay in the game.
When she arrived, she found herself alone on a desolate island.
Watch all-new episodes of Survivor: Edge of Extinction on Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS and CBS All Access.