China
A visually stunning season shot amid Chinese temples, with a cast that produced one of the all-time great Final Tribal Council performances.
Sole Survivor
Todd Herzog
Won the jury 4-2-1
Also read at the Final Tribal Council
How Todd Herzog won
Todd, a young flight attendant, orchestrated the season's key blindsides and then delivered a masterful, unapologetic jury speech that owned his lies and sealed the win.
Era
The Old School Era
2000–2010
Timeline
15th of 50
Aired 2007
Filming
China
1st of 1 season filmed here
The 2 tribes marooned when the game began — and where the names come from.
Mandarin for 'Flying Dragon'.
Mandarin for 'Fighting Tiger'.
At the merge · they became Hae Da Fung — Merge tribe — rendered from Mandarin as roughly 'Black Fighting Wind' / 'black storm'.
The named voting bloc that ran this season — the stories give away late-game moves, so they sit behind the idol.
The China core of Todd Herzog, Amanda Kimmel, and Courtney Yates (built out from the original Fei Long tribe). They methodically picked off the rival Zhan Hu players and rode their numbers to a final three of all three architects — Todd talking his way to the win.
Idol moments
James Clement
James's own alliance, terrified of a man who'd never give up power, blindsided him while he sat on not one but two hidden immunity idols. He played neither — never even reached for them.
In the record book
2
idols a castaway was voted out still holding
The cautionary tale of them all — James left China clutching not one but two hidden immunity idols, never playing either of them.
Around the fire
“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…”
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