Survivor: David vs. Goliath

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Survivor: David vs. Goliath
Season 37
Survivor david vs goliath region 1 dvd season thirty-seven.png
Region 1 DVD cover
Presented by Jeff Probst
No. of days39
No. of castaways20
Winner Nick Wilson
Runner-up Mike White
Location Mamanuca Islands, Fiji
No. of episodes14
Release
Original network CBS
Original releaseSeptember 26 (2018-09-26) –
December 19, 2018 (2018-12-19)
Additional information
Filming datesMarch 29 (2018-03-29) –
May 6, 2018 (2018-05-06)
Season chronology
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List of episodes

Survivor: David vs. Goliath is the 37th season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor . The season features 20 new contestants divided into two tribes embodied by two biblical figures: "David", composed of ten underdogs who constantly have to overcome obstacles, and "Goliath", composed of ten overachievers who have used their advantages in life to excel in their fields. The season premiered on September 26, 2018, with an extended 90-minute episode, [1] and concluded with a live season finale on December 19, 2018, where Nick Wilson was named the winner over Mike White and Angelina Keeley in a 7–3–0 vote.

Contents

This season was the sixth to be filmed in Fiji. [2] Due to Severe Tropical Cyclone Keni striking during the season's filming, the castaways and crew were evacuated for two days, the second such occurrence on Survivor following Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X , which had also been filmed in Fiji two years earlier. [3]

Contestants

The cast is composed of 20 players splitting into two tribes. On day 10 during the tribe switch, David and Goliath were renamed Vuku and Jabeni, meaning "ability" and "champion" in Fijian, respectively. The third tribe, Tiva, was named after the Fijian word for "divert" or "stray". Notable contestants from this season include filmmaker and two-time The Amazing Race contestant Mike White, and professional wrestler and Tough Enough III co-winner John Hennigan. The merged tribe Kalokalo was named after the Fijian word for "star", which was suggested by contestant Elizabeth Olson.

John Hennigan Johnny Impact Alpha 1 alt (cropped).jpg
John Hennigan
Mike White Mike White in 2011.jpg
Mike White
List of Survivor: David vs. Goliath contestants
ContestantAgeFromTribeFinish
OriginalSwitchedMergedPlacementDay
Pat Cusack41 Watervliet,
New York 		DavidMedically
evacuated		Day 3
Jessica Peet19 Lakeland,
Florida 		1st voted outDay 6
Jeremy Crawford40 New York City,
New York 		Goliath2nd voted outDay 9
Bi Nguyen28 Houston,
Texas 		DavidQuit (Injury)Day 10
Natalia Azoqa26 Irvine,
California 		GoliathVuku3rd voted outDay 11
Natalie Cole57 Los Angeles,
California 		Jabeni4th voted outDay 15
Lyrsa Torres36 Boston,
Massachusetts 		David5th voted outDay 17
Elizabeth Olson31 Longview,
Texas 		VukuKalokalo6th voted out
1st jury member		Day 20
John Hennigan 38 Los Angeles,
California 		GoliathTiva7th voted out
2nd jury member		Day 22
Dan Rengering28 Gainesville,
Florida 		8th voted out
3rd jury member		Day 25
Alec Merlino24 San Clemente,
California 		Vuku9th voted out
4th jury member		Day 28
Carl Boudreaux41 Houston,
Texas 		David10th voted out
5th jury member		Day 30
Gabby Pascuzzi25 Denver,
Colorado 		Tiva11th voted out
6th jury member		Day 32
Christian Hubicki32 Tallahassee,
Florida 		12th voted out
7th jury member		Day 35
Davie Rickenbacker30 Atlanta,
Georgia 		Vuku13th voted out
8th jury member		Day 36
Alison Raybould28 Chapel Hill,
North Carolina 		GoliathTiva14th voted out
9th jury member		Day 37
Kara Kay30 San Diego,
California 		VukuEliminated
10th jury member		Day 38
Angelina Keeley28 San Clemente,
California 		Jabeni2nd runner-upDay 39
Mike White 47 Los Angeles,
California 		Runner-up
Nick Wilson 27 Williamsburg,
Kentucky 		DavidSole Survivor

Future appearances

Nick Wilson returned to compete on Survivor: Winners at War . [4]

Season summary

The 20 new castaways were divided into two tribes based on adversity: David (underdogs) and Goliath (overachievers). Due to a series of injuries, the David tribe were down in numbers when the tribes were shuffled; on all three new tribes, the Goliaths held the majority. However, the Davids were able to take advantage of the dissension among the Goliaths, working with them to eliminate several Goliaths.

The Goliaths entered the merge in the majority. While the Goliaths tried to decimate the David alliance, the Davids’ sharp strategizing and well-timed playing of advantages put them in the majority after blindsiding the Goliath alliance’s leaders, John and Dan. Christian and Gabby then betrayed their David alliance to eliminate Carl, which ultimately turned the other Davids against them; Mike from the Goliath alliance used the opportunity to lead the charge to eliminate the rest of the Davids, while Kara played both sides from the middle. However, Nick from the David tribe won the last three immunity challenges, making his way to the end of the game with Goliaths (and Jabeni tribemates) Mike and Angelina. The jury respected Nick's social game and ability to fight his way out of being an underdog over Mike's late-game strategic emergence and Angelina's selfish, manipulative personality, voting Nick the Sole Survivor in a 7-3-0 vote over Mike and Angelina respectively.

Challenge winners and eliminations by episodes
EpisodeChallenge winner(s)Eliminated
No.TitleOriginal air dateRewardImmunityTribePlayer
1"Appearances are Deceiving"September 26, 2018DavidDavidPat
Goliath
2"The Chicken Has Flown the Coop"October 3, 2018GoliathDavidJessica
3"I Am Goliath Strong"October 10, 2018DavidGoliathJeremy
4"Time to Bring About the Charmpocalypse"October 17, 2018Carl [lower-alpha 1] DavidBi
TivaVukuNatalia
Jabeni
5"Jackets and Eggs"October 24, 2018VukuVukuJabeniNatalie
JabeniTiva
6"Aren’t Brochachos Just Adorable?"October 31, 2018TivaTivaJabeniLyrsa
JabeniVuku
7"There's Gonna Be Tears Shed"November 7, 2018None [lower-alpha 2] AlisonKalokaloElizabeth
8"You Get What You Give"November 14, 2018Alec, Alison,
Christian, Gabby,
John, Nick		DanJohn
9"Breadth-First Search"November 21, 2018Alec,
Dan, Davie,
Kara, Mike		AlecDan
10"Tribal Lines Are Blurred"November 28, 2018Alec,
Alison, Christian,
Gabby, Mike		ChristianAlec
Carl, Davie,
Kara, Mike		DavieCarl
11"So Smart They're Dumb"December 5, 2018Angelina, Nick
[Davie, Mike]		KaraGabby
12"Are You Feeling Lucky?"December 12, 2018Davie
[Kara, Nick]		MikeChristian
13"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility"December 19, 2018Nick
[Angelina, Mike]		NickDavie
NoneNickAlison
Nick [lower-alpha 3]
[Angelina]		Kara
14"Reunion Special"
  1. ↑ Carl drew a package without a buff during the tribe swap. As a result, he was exiled and joined the tribe that lost the next Immunity Challenge: Vuku.
  2. ↑ There was no reward challenge due to the merge.
  3. ↑ For winning the final Immunity Challenge, Nick had to assign additional immunity to another player, with the remaining two competing in a fire-making challenge to determine the third finalist; he gave additional immunity to Angelina.

Episodes

Andreeva, Nellie (July 9, 2018). "CBS Fall 2018 Premiere Dates: 'Big Bang' & 'Young Sheldon' To Help Launch 'Magnum PI' & 'Murphy Brown' Revival". Deadline. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  • ↑ Ross, Dalton (May 23, 2018). "Survivor: David vs. Goliath: Jeff Probst and Mark Burnett share intel on NEXT season". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  • ↑ Ross, Dalton (October 25, 2018). "Survivor host Jeff Probst reveals where evacuated cast went during cyclone". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  • ↑ Meet the cast of Survivor: Winners at War Entertainment Weekly, Retrieved July 11, 2023
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (September 27, 2018). "'Chicago Fire' and 'Survivor' adjusts up, 'Star' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (October 4, 2018). "'Single Parents,' 'Empire,' everything else unchanged: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (October 11, 2018). "'Survivor,' 'Empire,' and 'Chicago Fire' adjust up: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  • ↑ Welch, Alex (October 11, 2018). "'This is Us' and Sunday Night Football stay on top: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Oct. 1–7". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (October 18, 2018). "'Chicago P.D.' and 'Single Parents' adjust down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  • ↑ Welch, Alex (October 24, 2018). "'The Conners' and 'Sunday Night Football' lead: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Oct. 15–21". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 25, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (October 25, 2018). "'Survivor,' 'Chicago Fire,' and 'World Series' adjust up, 'Single Parents' and 'Chicago Med' adjust down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  • ↑ Welch, Alex (October 31, 2018). "World Series gives FOX the win: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Oct. 22–28". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (November 1, 2018). "'Chicago Fire,' 'Modern Family,' everything else unchanged: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  • ↑ Welch, Alex (November 6, 2018). "'Sunday Night Football' and 'Big Bang Theory' lead in viewers: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Oct. 29 – Nov. 4". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (November 8, 2018). "'The Goldbergs,' 'Riverdale,' everything else unchanged: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  • ↑ Welch, Alex (November 14, 2018). "'The Big Bang Theory' and 'Sunday Night Football' win the week: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Nov. 5–11". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (November 15, 2018). "CMAs, 'Empire,' 'All American,' everything else unchanged: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  • ↑ Welch, Alex (November 20, 2018). "'Sunday Night Football' continues to slip, CMAs land high: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Nov. 12–18". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (November 26, 2018). "'Single Parents' rerun adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  • ↑ Welch, Alex (November 28, 2018). "NBC dominates Thanksgiving week with live NFL coverage: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Nov. 19–25". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (November 30, 2018). "'Empire' adjusts up, 'Riverdale' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  • ↑ Welch, Alex (December 4, 2018). "'This is Us' leads scripted, 'Rudolph' lands high: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Nov. 26 – Dec. 2". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (December 6, 2018). "'Star,' 'Riverdale,' 'Chicago Fire,' and all others hold: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  • ↑ Welch, Alex (December 11, 2018). "'Sunday Night Football' and 'The Simpsons' win the week: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Dec. 3–9". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (December 13, 2018). "'Riverdale,' 'The Goldbergs,' 'SEAL Team,' everything else unchanged : Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  • ↑ Welch, Alex (December 20, 2018). "'Sunday Night Football' dips, but still wins the week: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Dec. 10–16". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  • 1 2 3 4 Welch, Alex (December 20, 2018). "'Survivor' reunion special adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  • 1 2 Welch, Alex (December 27, 2018). "'Sunday Night Football' stays steady, 'The Voice' finale lands high: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Dec. 17–23". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 28, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  • ↑ McAtee, Riley (November 29, 2018). "Why the 37th Season of 'Survivor' Just Might Be Its Best". The Ringer. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  • ↑ Favaro, Michael (December 23, 2018). "Survivor David vs. Goliath: Why did ____ finish in 3rd place?". Surviving Tribal. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  • ↑ George, Daniel (January 20, 2019). "Survivor David vs. Goliath: Should Angelina Keeley return?". Surviving Tribal.
  • ↑ "The Best Thing on TV This Year Was: 'Survivor: David vs. Goliath'". Vice . December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  • ↑ "Has 'Survivor: David vs. Goliath' Been the Best 'Survivor' Season Ever?". Decider . December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  • ↑ "'Survivor David vs Goliath' Delivers Its Iconic Slingshot Moment". The Hollywood Reporter . November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  • 1 2 "Jeff Probst on that 'historic Survivor moment'". Entertainment Weekly . November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  • ↑ "Ranking every season of Survivor". Entertainment Weekly . December 20, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  • ↑ "Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 9 recap: Thankful". FanSided . November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  • ↑ "Who Won Survivor: David vs. Goliath?". E! . December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  • ↑ "Survivor season rankings (with spoiler-free summaries)". The Purple Rock Survivor Podcast. May 22, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  • ↑ Stanley, Garrett (November 16, 2020). "Best Season Rankings – No. 5 – David vs. Goliath". Inside Survivor. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  • ↑ "Survivor All-Time Top 40 Rankings | #6: David vs. Goliath". Rob Has a Podcast . August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  • ↑ "Jeff Probst on how Survivor scored in season 37". The Hollywood Reporter . November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  • ↑ "'Survivor David vs Goliath': The Unlikely Story Behind the Biggest Blindside Yet". Entertainment Weekly . November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
    • No.
    overall    		No. in
    season    		TitleRating/share
    (18–49)    		Weekly
    rank    		Original air dateU.S. viewers
    (millions)
    5411"Appearances are Deceiving"1.7/7 [5] N/ASeptember 26, 2018 (2018-09-26)7.83 [5]

    Host Jeff Probst explained the theme of the season before asking the Goliath tribe to choose who they perceived to be the weakest man and weakest woman on the David tribe, and to choose their own strongest man and strongest woman. They picked Christian & Lyrsa from the Davids and John & Alison from their tribe to run a reward challenge. The Davids got to choose which tribe completed which task in the challenge.

    • Reward Challenge: One pair from each tribe will have to cross either a balance beam over water, plank bridge, or two person balance beam, then go through a crawl under, net tunnel, or rope tunnel, then transfer 30 sandbags from one platform to another, complete a slide puzzle, or complete a 15 piece puzzle. Once they are done, they will climb out to get a shelter-making kit. The first tribe to get the kit wins it.

    Christian's quick solving of the slide puzzle led him and Lyrsa to win the kit for the Davids. At their camp, Pat took charge of building the shelter, but his bossy nature got on some of his tribemates' nerves. Nick spent more time making alliances rather than helping at camp, which frustrated Carl. Bonds formed between Christian & Gabby, Elizabeth & Lyrsa, and Carl & Davie. On Goliath, Dan felt an attraction towards Kara, while Natalia was put off by Natalie's orders to build the shelter despite not working herself. Everyone searched for an idol, which Dan, Kara, and Natalia eventually found, and Dan kept. Throughout the first few days, heavy rain pounded both tribes.

    • Reward/Immunity Challenge: Castaways will have to sprint through an obstacle to a sand pit where one person from each tribe will have to dig under a log. After getting through the log, the first person will grab a machete and chop rope to release a set of ladders. The second tribe will have to untie knots instead. They will then pole vault on a platform. Once everyone is across the pole vault, they will then need to solve a number puzzle. The first tribe to finish their puzzle wins immunity and flint.

    Goliath held off David's comeback to win immunity. The boat ride back to the David camp encountered rough waters, and Pat sustained a back injury that required the medical team's attention. Medical decided that Pat's injury was too severe for him to continue, and they evacuated him from the game. Jeff then cancelled Tribal Council and gave David flint. The epilogue at the end of Pat's final words revealed that he received treatment after production for this season concluded, and has since made a full recovery.

    5422"The Chicken Has Flown the Coop"1.5/7 [6] N/AOctober 3, 2018 (2018-10-03)7.27 [6]

    The cyclone continued through the night, and Jeff provided a firemaking kit and tarp to each tribe. At the David camp, Christian and Nick aligned, and Davie found an idol. Carl, wanting to keep the tribe strong, targeted Lyrsa. Elizabeth warned Lyrsa that she was in danger, and she responded by targeting Carl. At the Goliath camp, Dan and Kara's connection raised red flags with their tribemates. Jeremy found Dan's idol hidden in his coat and told Mike about it. Still, most of the tribe affirmed their desire to vote out Natalie, but John told her that she was a target, in an attempt to align with her. Jeremy then tried to convince Natalie to change her ways, but it only made him want to target her more.

    • Reward/Immunity Challenge: One member from each tribe will climb a ladder using two rungs to retrieve a key, which will unlock their boat. They will then paddle out to retrieve bags of puzzle pieces and return to shore where five castaways will need to balance a table and complete a block puzzle. The first tribe to finish their puzzle wins immunity and a fishing kit.

    Goliath won the grueling challenge. Bi and Jessica told Gabby that Lyrsa would go home, but Gabby was paranoid over the lack of further information. Elizabeth suggested targeting Jessica for her social connections to Carl, Bi, and Davie. Christian and Nick were the swing votes; at Tribal Council, they voted against Jessica, sending her out of the game.

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