All castaways
Neal Gottlieb

Castaway

Neal Gottlieb

Neal Gottlieb

The Kaôh Rōng strategist medically evacuated with a hidden idol still in his pocket — then the first player ever voted off a jury.

Seasons
1
Occupation
Ice cream entrepreneur
Hometown
Sausalito, CA
The story

Neal Gottlieb, the founder of an ice cream company, was a sharp strategic force on Kaôh Rōng's Brains tribe who found a hidden immunity idol and looked poised for a deep run. The opposing alliance was so wary of that idol they planned to split votes against him at the first merge Tribal.

They never got the chance: an infection forced the medical team to pull him on Day 19, idol unplayed. He returned as a juror only to make history again — when Michele used a final-challenge advantage to remove a juror, Neal became the first person ever voted off a Survivor jury, denied even a finale vote.

By the torchlight

Career record

11th
best finish
19
days on the island
1
idol found

Where they finished

the bigger the blaze, the deeper the run

  1. 11thS32
  1. 32

    Kaôh Rōng

    11th

    2016 · Cambodia · Chan Loh

    19 days1 idol found

Read the votes

At Tribal Council

Pulled from the urn — every vote ever cast against Neal, and how often Neal read the night right.

0
votes against
1
Tribal sat at
1 / 1
read right
100% of the time
The tribe weighs in

Rate Neal's game

Tribe rating

Rate Neal

Your scores

7
7
7
The wider tribe

Played alongside Neal

Castaways Neal shared the island with — tap any face to cross over to their game.

32Kaôh Rōng2016+5 more from Kaôh Rōng
Around the fire

Common questions

Did Neal Gottlieb win Survivor?
No. Neal Gottlieb competed on Survivor but did not win. The Kaôh Rōng strategist medically evacuated with a hidden idol still in his pocket — then the first player ever voted off a jury.
How many times has Neal Gottlieb played Survivor?
Neal Gottlieb has played 1 season of Survivor: Season 32 (Kaôh Rōng).
What is Neal Gottlieb's best finish on Survivor?
Neal Gottlieb's best finish is 11th on Survivor: Kaôh Rōng (Season 32).
How many days has Neal Gottlieb played Survivor?
Neal Gottlieb has spent 19 days on the island across 1 season.
How many times was Neal Gottlieb voted against at Tribal Council?
Across 1 Tribal Council, 0 votes were cast against Neal Gottlieb.
What is Neal Gottlieb known for?
The Kaôh Rōng strategist medically evacuated with a hidden idol still in his pocket — then the first player ever voted off a jury.

Around the fire

The tribe's debating Neal's game right now

“Cirie never needed an idol. She WAS the idol — read every vote a round early and bent the whole jungle to her will without a single immunity win. That's the cei…”
— MergeBeast · 64 🔥 and climbing

Cast your vote, drop a hot take, and climb your torch — every contribution is tied to your profile at Tribal Council.

Join the debate at Tribal