Survivor: Island of the Idols

Survivor: Island of the Idols
Season 39
Region 1 DVD cover
Presented by	Jeff Probst
No. of days	39
No. of castaways	20
Winner	Tommy Sheehan
Runner-up	Dean Kowalski
Location	Mamanuca Islands, Fiji
No. of episodes	14
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 25 (2019-09-25) – December 18, 2019 (2019-12-18)
Additional information
Filming dates	March 21 (2019-03-21) – April 28, 2019 (2019-04-28) [1]
Season chronology
← Previous Edge of Extinction Next → Winners at War
List of episodes

Survivor: Island of the Idols is the 39th season of the American competitive reality television series Survivor . Hosted by Jeff Probst, it featured two tribes of ten new contestants. The season was filmed in Fiji during April and May 2019, and aired on CBS in the United States and Global in Canada from September 25, 2019, until December 18, 2019, when Tommy Sheehan was named the winner by an 8–2–0 vote over Dean Kowalski and Noura Salman. ^{[2] [3]}

This season introduced the eponymous Island of the Idols, as Survivor alumni Sandra Diaz-Twine, winner of Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains , and Rob Mariano, winner of Survivor: Redemption Island , returned to the game as mentors living on the Island of the Idols, though they did not compete for the million-dollar prize themselves. ^[4] Instead, Diaz-Twine and Mariano periodically hosted a contestant each episode and gave them a lesson to assist them in the game. They also gave the contestant a chance to win an advantage, but if they failed, they lost their vote at their next Tribal Council. ^[5]

The season received widespread media attention after contestant Dan Spilo was accused of inappropriately touching female contestants. While there was no in-game recourse provided from the production crew, Spilo was later ejected from the game following an off-camera incident involving a crew member. CBS and Survivor producers issued an apology for how they handled the situation and announced they would make significant changes to their safety protocols, to be fully in place by the 41st season, filming of which took place two years later following Island of the Idols' airing. ^[6]

Production

This season featured the Island of the Idols, a secluded location inhabited by Survivor winners Sandra Diaz-Twine and Rob Mariano, acting as non-competing advisers. Castaways were periodically exiled to the island throughout the season, where Diaz-Twine and Mariano taught them a lesson about a specific skill designed to help them in the game, such as fire-making or active listening, and then offered them an optional challenge to test that skill. Winning the challenge would yield a reward such as a hidden immunity idol or vote blocker, while losing the challenge meant losing the right to vote at the next Tribal Council attended by the losing castaway (though this was not revealed to the other players; a castaway without a vote would still go to the voting area during Tribal Council, but would write "no vote" on the parchment). Diaz-Twine and Mariano were not eligible to compete or win the grand prize, nor could they vote at Tribal Council. Unbeknownst to the castaways, the mentors secretly attended each Tribal Council in a hideaway, allowing them to eavesdrop on the proceedings. ^{[4] [5]}

Mentors Sandra Diaz-Twine and Rob Mariano

According to host and executive producer Jeff Probst, the idea to bring back past champions as mentors came from "wondering how to get a player like Boston Rob, who has said he'd never compete again because he doesn't feel he'd ever really have a shot to win, to return to the show." ^[7] Probst considered the mentors to be equivalent of on-camera producers for this season. Mariano and Diaz-Twine were even involved with the pre-production phase, posing for 3D modeling of their heads for the statues, and providing input on the type of lessons they would be able to teach, as well as how they would present these lessons. The two also had flexibility as to how significant each advantage would be, such as making an advantage be valid for a time ranging from one to three Tribal Councils. ^{[8] [9]} According to Diaz-Twine, Probst compared their mentor roles similarly to the single-episode cameo by Survivor: Caramoan winner John Cochran during Survivor: Game Changers , where he had provided strategic advice to a player as part of a reward. ^[10] Diaz-Twine and Mariano later returned to compete on the subsequent season, Survivor: Winners at War , which began filming in Fiji weeks after Island of the Idols production concluded, though this had not yet been confirmed when they were cast for this season. ^[11]

Probst said that production wanted players to try to figure out with as little information that they were told: that the title of the season was "Island of the Idols" and had hoped players would question if the separate island would be filled with immunity idols. They were not sure how players who were taken to the Island would behave on their return whether they would tell the truth or lie about what happened on the island, and were surprised that all players fibbed and did not discuss Rob or Sandra's presence there. ^[8]

Island of the Idols became the first season to feature a Canadian-born castaway (Tom Laidlaw), as the casting process opened for Canadian residents in mid-2018. ^[12] Previously, Canadian citizens had been ineligible to compete on the show as, according to Probst, the limitation was due to the rights that Mark Burnett and CBS had on the Survivor format, limiting it to contestants with American citizenship. ^[13] While Survivor has had contestants with dual citizenship in the past, such as Survivor: China winner Todd Herzog, they were required to give up their non-U.S. citizenship as a prerequisite for claiming their prize money. ^{[14] [15]}

Contestants

Tom Laidlaw

Elizabeth Beisel

Notable contestants from this season include retired National Hockey League defenseman Tom Laidlaw, Olympic swimmer Elizabeth Beisel, and professional poker player Ronnie Bardah. ^[16]

List of Survivor: Island of the Idols contestants ^[17]

Contestant	Age	From	Tribe			Finish
			Original	Switched	Merged	Placement	Day
Ronnie Bardah	36	Henderson, Nevada	Lairo			1st voted out	Day 3
Molly Byman	27	Durham, North Carolina	Vokai			2nd voted out	Day 6
Vince Moua	27	Palo Alto, California	Lairo			3rd voted out	Day 8
Chelsea Walker	27	Los Angeles, California				4th voted out	Day 11
Tom Laidlaw	60	Greenwich, Connecticut		Lairo		5th voted out	Day 14
Jason Linden	32	New York, New York	Vokai	Vokai		6th voted out	Day 16
Jack Nichting	23	Harrisonburg, Virginia		Lairo		7th voted out 1st jury member	Day 19
Kellee Kim	29	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania			Lumuwaku	8th voted out 2nd jury member	Day 22
Jamal Shipman	33	Providence, Rhode Island				9th voted out 3rd jury member	Day 24
Aaron Meredith	36	Warwick, Rhode Island	Lairo	Vokai		10th voted out 4th jury member	Day 27
Missy Byrd	24	Tacoma, Washington				11th voted out 5th jury member
Elizabeth Beisel	26	Saunderstown, Rhode Island				12th voted out 6th jury member	Day 30
Karishma Patel	37	Houston, Texas		Lairo		13th voted out 7th jury member	Day 32
Elaine Stott	41	Rockholds, Kentucky		Vokai		14th voted out 8th jury member	Day 35
Dan Spilo	48	Los Angeles, California	Vokai			Ejected	Day 36
Janet Carbin	59	Palm Bay, Florida		Lairo		15th voted out 9th jury member	Day 37
Lauren Beck	28	Glendale, California		Vokai		Eliminated 10th jury member	Day 38
Noura Salman	36	North Potomac, Maryland		Lairo		2nd runner-up	Day 39
Dean Kowalski	29	New York, New York	Lairo			Runner-up
Tommy Sheehan	26	Long Beach, New York	Vokai	Vokai		Sole Survivor

Future appearances

Tommy Sheehan competed on the thirty-seventh season of the MTV reality competition show The Challenge . ^[18] Chelsea Walker competed on the revival of Legends of the Hidden Temple . ^[19] In 2023, Missy Byrd competed on The CW and Roku Channel show Fight to Survive . ^[20]

Season summary

The 20 new castaways were randomly divided into two tribes of ten (Lairo and Vokai). Vokai won nearly every challenge, even after a tribe swap. Missy controlled much of the strategy on Lairo, while Vokai was run by Lauren and Tommy. At the swap, Lairo outsider Karishma flipped on her old tribe, while new bonds were formed on both tribes, causing some of the players to forgo their old alliances.

At the merge, Dan had been accused of inappropriate touching by several women on the tribe. In the midst of this, Lauren and Tommy used their social bonds to ultimately dismantle the Lairo alliance until only Dean remained. After Dan's ejection for an unspecified incident with a crewmember, Dean kept himself in the game by winning immunity challenges while Elaine and Janet were eliminated as they were considered too likeable to take to the end.

The Final Four were Dean, Lauren, Noura, and Tommy; Noura won the final challenge, and Tommy convinced her to take him to the end. Dean joined them in the Final Three after defeating Lauren in the fire-making challenge. The jury ultimately rewarded Tommy's strong social game by voting him the Sole Survivor.

Challenge winners and eliminations by episode

Episode			Challenge winner(s)		Island of the Idols		Eliminated
No.	Title	Original air date	Reward	Immunity	Player	Result	Tribe	Player
1	"I Vote You Out and That's It"	September 25, 2019	Vokai		Elizabeth (Lairo)	Lost	Lairo	Ronnie
2	"YOLO, Let's Play!"	October 2, 2019	Lairo		Kellee (Vokai)	Won	Vokai	Molly
3	"Honesty Would Be Chill"	October 9, 2019	Vokai		Vince (Lairo)	Won	Lairo	Vince
4	"Plan Z"	October 16, 2019	Vokai		Noura (Vokai)	Lost	Lairo	Chelsea
5	"Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds You"	October 23, 2019	Vokai	Vokai	None [lower-alpha 1]		Lairo	Tom
6	"Suck It Up Buttercup"	October 30, 2019	Vokai	Lairo	Elaine (Vokai)	Won	Vokai	Jason
7	"I Was Born at Night, But Not Last Night"	November 6, 2019	Vokai [lower-alpha 2]	Vokai	Janet (Lairo)	Declined	Lairo	Jack
8	"We Made It to the Merge!"	November 13, 2019	None [lower-alpha 3]	Aaron	None [lower-alpha 3]		Lumuwaku	Kellee
			Dan, Dean, Elaine, Elizabeth, Noura, Tommy [lower-alpha 2]	Aaron	Jamal	Lost [lower-alpha 4]		Jamal
				Missy
9	"Two for the Price of One"	November 20, 2019	Elaine [Elizabeth, Karishma, Missy, Tommy] [lower-alpha 5]	Noura	None [lower-alpha 6]			Aaron
				Elaine				Missy
10	"Bring on the Bacon"	November 27, 2019	None	Noura	Lauren	Won		Elizabeth
11	"A Very Simple Plan"	December 4, 2019	Janet, Tommy [Dan, Lauren]	Lauren	None			Karishma
12	"Just Go For It"	December 11, 2019	Tommy [Dean, Noura] [lower-alpha 2]	Dean	Dean	Won		Elaine
			None					Dan
13	"Mama, Look at Me Now"	December 18, 2019	Dean [Noura]	Dean	Dean, Janet, Lauren, Noura, Tommy [lower-alpha 7]	Dean [lower-alpha 7]		Janet
			None	Noura [lower-alpha 8] [Tommy]	None			Lauren
14	"Reunion Special"

1. There was no Island of the Idols due to the tribe switch.
2. There was an unaired reward challenge in this episode.
3. There was no reward challenge or Island of the Idols due to the merge.
4. There was no challenge; the note that invited Jamal to the Island of the Idols simply said that he would lose his vote at the next Tribal Council.
5. In addition to immunity, Elaine won reward for her entire "orange" tribe for lasting the longest in the challenge.
6. No one was sent to the Island of the Idols due to the double Tribal Council.
7. On Day 36, the remaining players were sent to the Island of the Idols for the remainder of the game and given a final lesson. Dean found the final advantage.
8. For winning the final Immunity Challenge, Noura had to assign additional immunity to another castaway, with the remaining two competing in a fire-making challenge to determine the third finalist; she gave additional immunity to Tommy.

Episodes

Contestants may be disqualified and ejected from the Series Location in the sole discretion of Producer, including, without limitation, for any of the following reasons (as determined by Producer in its sole discretion): ... In the case of misconduct or unlawful conduct (as determined by Producer in its sole discretion), including but not limited to stealing, or misappropriating food, harming, or threatening harm to, other Contestants or crew members, acts of violence, or criminal damage.

CBS's rules of Survivor ^{[44] [45]}

Though not in her best game interests at the time, Kim and her ally Janet Carbin ultimately agreed to vote out Spilo at the first merge Tribal Council, believing to have support from the other women on the tribe, including Byrd and Elizabeth Beisel, who had both expressed discomfort towards his actions. However, Kim saw herself being voted out of the game after a majority of the tribe believed her to be a bigger in-game threat than Spilo was. Issues on Spilo's behavior persisted in the tribe through the next few days, as both Beisel and Byrd admitted that they did not have any issues with him, and had simply decided to play on Kim's concerns in an attempt to gain her trust. ^[42] At the next Tribal Council, the impact of Spilo's behavior had come up, and Spilo took time to apologize to Kim and the other female tribe members for any wrongdoing, ^[42] even bringing up the impact of the Me Too movement during his speech. ^[43] The day after the episode aired, several contestants posted public apologies to Kim and Carbin for their behavior—seeing the problems with it after watching the episode—and for not seeing how much the situation affected the two women. ^{[46] [47] [48]}

Probst claimed that he and production talked to Kim about letting her have a chance to respond to Spilo, but she agreed with production that as a jury member she would remain quiet as per the game's rules. ^[43] Kim would later contradict this statement, claiming that she did not speak with Probst at all until after that particular Tribal Council. ^[49] For the remainder of the season, production continued to monitor the situation, with the staff performing individual interviews with players keeping abreast of any concerns or issues related to the situation and reminding contestants to report anything they feel uncomfortable about to production immediately. ^[43] At the end of Episode 12, on the morning of Day 36, Probst came to camp and announced to the remaining castaways that Spilo had been removed from the game, and would not be allowed to serve on the jury. A title card revealed that Spilo was ejected because of an off-camera incident that "did not involve a player". In an interview, Probst declined to elaborate on what happened, citing "privacy and confidentiality" concerns. This is the first time a contestant had to be ejected from the show by production. ^[50]

Many fans argued that Spilo should have been ejected from the game when Kim's concerns were first raised instead of creating a storyline out of it for the show. ^[45] CBS and MGM issued a joint statement reiterating that production had been monitoring the situation around the clock, as part of the standard practice for the show, and would have taken action if they felt Kim or any other player was at risk. "On Survivor, producers provide the castaways a wide berth to play the game. At the same time, all castaways are monitored and supervised at all times. They have full access to producers and doctors, and the production will intervene in situations where warranted." ^[51] Other fans were upset at Beisel and Byrd for invalidating Spilo's misconduct and using the situation to leverage their games. ^[52]

For the first time in the show's history, the finale and reunion shows were pre-taped, rather than aired live. The show went "live-to-tape" four hours earlier than usual to screen for potentially sensitive material relating to the allegations against Spilo and his subsequent ejection. ^[3] Spilo was uninvited from the reunion following his ejection, ^[53] while Biesel and Jack Nichting also did not show up to the finale. ^[3] The reunion included a one-on-one interview between Probst and Kim to address the allegations and the way they were handled, and resulted in Probst apologizing to Kim on behalf of the production team.

CBS and Survivor issued a second statement on December 18, 2019, prior to the finale to readdress the protocol for future seasons. Due to these events, castaways in Season 40 (which was filmed immediately after this season was) were given additional pre-production guidelines on "personal space, inappropriate behavior, and how to report these issues". Future seasons will see this orientation expanded to include the means to which castaways can report their concerns of other players in a confidential manner to production, and production will improve their staff's training to watch for these issues ahead of time, and to add a support system for affected castaways as part of their available on-island and post-elimination mental health support. Further, new rules will disallow "unwelcome physical contact, sexual harassment and impermissible biases" to be brought into the game, or they may led to a castaway's dismissal from the game. ^[54] Additionally, during the reunion, Probst apologized directly to Kim on behalf of the show and CBS for mistakes that were made, and then gave Kim several minutes to express her concerns and additional thoughts from the incident. Kim stated that the hardest part of the situation was not what Spilo did, but that she felt that she was "not supported or believed" by production, which Probst said was a misstep on their part. In response to these announced changes, Kim said "This has been a hard season, but I’m proud that the change I fought for is happening. I’ve been inspired & overwhelmed by the people who have reached out to support me & share their stories." ^[55]

Spilo spoke to People after the conclusion of the season, saying "I am deeply sorry for how my actions affected Kellee during the taping of this season of Survivor ... After apologizing at the Tribal Council when I first learned that Kellee still felt uncomfortable, I want to make sure I do so again, clearly and unambiguously." ^[56]

Reception

Critical response

Survivor: Island of the Idols was initially praised for the diverse cast and its gameplay prior to the merge episode. However, the controversy regarding Dan Spilo was met with universal disdain and intense scrutiny, resulting in the season being heavily panned by critics. Additional criticism was pointed at the following post-merge episodes, the edit portraying a very predictable winner, as well as the idol nullifier twist (obtained via a random coin flip) controversially ousting crowd-favorite Janet Carbin. ^{[57] [58]}

Andy Dehnart of Reality Blurred labeled the season as the worst ever while pointing out several systemic problems with the show as a whole. He noted that the past five seasons were all won by men, while the past four seasons had featured only one female finalist who did not receive a single vote at the Final Tribal Council. He stated, "in the last five seasons, there have been fifty-two jury votes cast, and fifty of those have gone to men." He also lambasted the show for not having a proper protocol in dealing with sexual harassment until the "inappropriate touching" controversy essentially forced CBS to develop a formal one. ^[59]

Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the inaction from producers had not only ruined the season but tainted the legacy and future of Survivor. He stated, "Somewhere, somebody needs to feel shame — not embarrassment, but shame — at what happened this season and owing to potential legal ramifications, I doubt we'll see any regret or remorse at all. I'm not accusing anybody of a crime. All I'm saying is: Kellee deserved better. The women of Survivor deserved better. The fans of Survivor deserved better. I don't know how anybody is supposed to trust the show to do right by its contestants again. You broke it, Survivor gang. I don't know how you're going to fix it." ^[60]

Caroline Framke of Variety stated that the way that CBS handled the controversy was "irresponsible and infuriating." Specifically, she talked about the merge episode, which highlighted the Dan Spilo controversy, and the ninth episode, which aired one week after the merge episode and did not discuss the controversy at all. She stated, "It's downright insulting, and a baffling display of the show's inability to grasp the gravity of what happened on its watch." ^[61]

James Poniewozik of The New York Times talked about the ending to the twelfth episode when Dan was ejected from the game. He stated, "Wednesday's episode abruptly ended with the cryptic announcement that a contestant, Dan Spilo, had been ejected from the show after an 'incident.' But regular viewers knew that this was just another twist in a story that had tarnished the season." He goes on to explain how CBS "failed its #MeToo test," accusing the network of not listening to Kellee Kim's complaints and concerns the first time she spoke about them. ^[62]

Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly , ranking the Survivor seasons through the 40th installment, placed Island of the Idols at the bottom of the list. He called the season "impossible to enjoy" due to Spilo's actions, and stated that "even though there were several things and people worth celebrating at various points in the show's 39th installment, the end result is that this felt like the least entertaining outing in the franchise’s history." ^[63]

Survivor fan site "The Purple Rock Podcast" ranked Island of the Idols 39th out of 40 seasons in 2020, stating that the "pre-merge portion of the game is enjoyable" but the season's "potential is completely squandered by the actions (and inaction) of the show's production team." ^[64]

Inside Survivor ranked this season 38th out of 40 saying that the bright spots are few and far between after the events of the merge and that the rewatch value is extremely low. ^[65]

Rob Has a Podcast ranked Island of the Idols 40th during their Survivor All-Time Top 40 Rankings podcast. ^[66]

No. overall	No. in season	Title  [21] [22]	Rating/share (18-49)	Weekly rank	Original air date  [21] [22]	U.S. viewers (millions)
569	1	"I Vote You Out and That's It"	1.3/6 [23]	18 [24]	September 25, 2019 (2019-09-25)	6.29 [23]
The two tribes, Lairo and Vokai, were dropped off at their camps with no introduction by Jeff, and several members wondered about the "Island of the Idols" theme. At Lairo, Tom bonded with Elaine and Vince, and the other seven members agreed to align against them. Missy felt more secure in aligning with the women, so she told Elaine her name had been mentioned for elimination. Elaine's sense of humor caught the attention of her tribemates, especially Ronnie; he proceeded to propose an alliance with her (masking his true intention of voting her out first), but she distrusted him. At Vokai, Janet led the tribe in making fire without flint. Jason quickly began searching for an idol, but Molly and Dan noted his absence from camp and targeted him. Jack bonded with Tommy, who subsequently bonded with several of his other tribemates. Kellee and Molly were put off by Dan's "touchy" behavior, voicing their concerns to Janet. Dan and Kellee later smoothed things over, though Kellee was still wary of Dan. Reward/Immunity Challenge: Tribe members climbed over a net and slid down a slide. One tribe member then used a grappling hook to lower a bridge. On the other side, the tribemates formed a human ladder for one person to drop two ropes, so that the rest of the tribe could meet them on top of the tower. There, three tribe members had to solve a village puzzle. The first tribe to assemble their puzzle correctly won immunity and flint. Vokai ran away with the victory during the puzzle portion of the challenge. Jeff had a Lairo member randomly draw the name of a tribemate to be sent to the Island of the Idols; Elaine drew Elizabeth's name. Jeff also said Elizabeth would return in time for Tribal Council that night. At the Island of the Idols, an excited Elizabeth was greeted by Boston Rob and Sandra, who taught her how to make fire. Elizabeth made fire after struggling, then accepted an offer to take on Rob in a fire-making challenge for an idol good at the next two Tribal Councils. Elizabeth lost the duel and therefore, her vote as well. Before she left, Rob and Sandra told her to randomly draw a Vokai member's name (which remained unrevealed) to be the next visitor to the Island of the Idols. Back at camp, Chelsea conferred with Elaine, Tom, and Vince, who targeted Ronnie. Elaine was targeted by some of the other tribe members, but after pledging her loyalty to them, Aaron targeted Vince instead. Elizabeth returned to camp and withheld the information about Rob and Sandra, as well as the fact that she lost her vote. At Tribal Council, Rob and Sandra watched the proceedings from a concealed alcove; Elaine continued to plead her case, while Ronnie made a case for tribe strength. Ultimately, Ronnie was blindsided by the rest of his tribe, sans Aaron and Elizabeth (the latter of whom cast no vote), becoming the first person eliminated from the game.
570	2	"YOLO, Let's Play!"	1.2/6 [25]	22 [26]	October 2, 2019 (2019-10-02)	6.57 [25]
The aftermath of Lairo's first Tribal Council was tense, with Vince questioning why he received votes and Aaron expressing frustration about being left out of the loop. Missy reassured him that he would be safe, but Aaron was skeptical. The following day, Chelsea stumbled upon an idol while gathering firewood. At Vokai, Noura's quirky behavior was a concern to her tribemates, while Jack, Jamal, and Molly were tightly aligned. A boat came in to pick up Kellee for Island of the Idols, as her name had been drawn by Elizabeth previously. Upon arriving, Kellee was greeted by Rob and Sandra, who told her more about themselves and said that her test would determine how well she paid attention socially. Rob offered Kellee an idol good for two Tribal Councils if she could correctly answer 4 of 5 questions; her hesitance made Rob offer the idol for 3 councils if she could get 3 of 5 right. Kellee ultimately won the challenge, but at camp, she also kept Rob and Sandra a secret in favor of a lie about a choice between urns. Reward/Immunity Challenge: The teams swam to the ocean floor to release a ladder. They had to use it for a respective teammate to climb up and unhook a bag containing three balls. Once ashore, the tribe used the ladder as a bridge to a table, where one member had to land all 3 balls into targets. The first tribe to do so won immunity and spices. Lairo won the challenge. The vote initially was a toss-up between Jason and Noura; Molly wanted Noura gone first, but Jamal saw Jason as a more dangerous player. Lauren saw an opportunity to target Molly for her perceived social prowess, roping in several tribe members, though Tommy was reluctant to make waves at the tribe's first vote. At Tribal Council, Jason and Noura both pled for their tribemates to spare them. Ultimately, Lauren’s plan came to fruition and Molly was voted out, leaving Jamal and Jack shocked.

Viewership and ratings per episode of Survivor: Island of the Idols

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)	Ref.
1	"I Vote You Out and That's It"	September 25, 2019	1.3/6	6.29	0.70	2.53	1.97	8.83	[23] [67]
2	"YOLO, Let's Play!"	October 2, 2019	1.2/6	6.57	0.58	2.11	1.76	8.69	[25] [68]
3	"Honesty Would Be Chill"	October 9, 2019	1.2/6	6.51	0.62	2.20	1.78	8.72	[27] [69]
4	"Plan Z"	October 16, 2019	1.4/7	6.91	0.63	2.13	2.02	9.06	[29] [70]
5	"Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds You"	October 23, 2019	1.3/6	6.82	0.62	2.17	1.90	9.00	[31] [71]
6	"Suck It Up Buttercup"	October 30, 2019	1.2/6	6.37	0.62	2.31	1.80	8.69	[33] [72]
7	" I Was Born at Night, But Not Last Night "	November 6, 2019	1.3/6	6.82	0.64	2.32	1.92	9.16	[35] [73]
8	"We Made It to the Merge!"	November 13, 2019	1.1/6	6.07	0.60	2.36	1.75	8.45	[36] [74]
9	"Two for the Price of One"	November 20, 2019	1.2/6	6.63	0.59	2.08	1.81	8.73	[37] [75]
10	"Bring on the Bacon"	November 27, 2019	1.1/6	6.48	0.66	2.35	1.77	8.84	[38] [76]
11	"A Very Simple Plan"	December 4, 2019	1.2/6	6.86	0.52	1.92	1.74	8.79	[39] [77]
12	"Just Go For It"	December 11, 2019	1.2/7	6.82	0.51	1.98	1.75	8.82	[40] [78]
13	"Mama, Look at Me Now"	December 18, 2019	1.2/6	6.52	0.54	1.99	1.77	8.53	[41] [79]
14	"Reunion Special"	December 18, 2019	0.9/5	4.61	0.55	2.08	1.41	6.70	[41] [79]

Canada

No.	Air date	Total viewers (millions)	Rank (week)	Refs
1	September 25, 2019	2.18	3	[80]
2	October 2, 2019	1.80	7	[81]
3	October 9, 2019	1.78	4	[82]
4	October 16, 2019	1.89	4	[83]
5	October 23, 2019	1.81	4	[84]
6	October 30, 2019	2.13	1	[85]
7	November 6, 2019	1.92	4	[86]
8	November 13, 2019	1.99	3	[87]
9	November 20, 2019	1.92	4	[88]
10	November 27, 2019	2.02	2	[89]
11	December 4, 2019	1.86	4	[90]
12	December 11, 2019	1.98	1	[91]
13	December 18, 2019	1.82	3	[92]
14

References

1. "Survivor 39 calendar". The True Dork Times. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
2. Ausiello, Michael (June 13, 2019). "CBS Fall Premiere Dates: NCIS, Five-0, Young Sheldon, Neighborhood and More". TVLine . Retrieved June 13, 2019.
3. Ross, Dalton (December 12, 2019). "Survivor to pre-tape reunion show due to sensitivity and security concerns". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved December 12, 2019.
4. Wigler, Josh (May 15, 2019). "'Survivor' Winners Sandra Diaz-Twine and Boston Rob Mariano to Return For Season 39". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
5. Tharp, Sharon (September 25, 2019). "'Survivor' Legends Boston Rob Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine Break Down Being Mentors for Season 39's 'Island of the Idols'". usmagazine.com. Us Magazine. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
6. Ross, Dalton (December 17, 2019). "Survivor and CBS announce new oversight after inappropriate touching incidents". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 31, 2020.
7. Ross, Dalton (May 15, 2019). "Survivor: Island of the Idols: Jeff Probst shares intel on NEXT season". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved May 15, 2019.
8. Ross, Dalton (September 25, 2019). "Jeff Probst explains why he missed the Survivor marooning". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved January 23, 2020.
9. Ross, Dalton (September 19, 2019). "Boston Rob and Sandra react to their ginormous Survivor statues". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved January 23, 2020.
10. Ross, Dalton (September 11, 2019). "Boston Rob and Sandra on why they said yes to Survivor: Island of the Idols". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved January 23, 2020.
11. Ross, Dalton (February 4, 2020). "Jeff Probst on the biggest get for Survivor: Winners at War". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 4, 2020.
12. West, Rachel (September 26, 2018). "Jeff Probst Announces Canadians Are Now Eligible To Compete On 'Survivor'". ET Canada . Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
13. Probst, Jeff (February 22, 2011). "Jeff Answers Your Questions: Feb 22, 2010". jeffprobst.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
14. "Justin.tv - RTVZone". Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
15. George, Daniel (September 9, 2019). "Who is the first Canadian-born Survivor player in the show's history?". FanSided . Retrieved September 10, 2019.
16. Holmes, Martin (May 6, 2019). "Season 39 Cast Revealed". Inside Survivor. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
17. "Who's In The Cast Of Survivor Season 39: Island Of The Idols?". CBS. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
18. Jackson, Dory (July 14, 2021). "MTV Announces The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies — Meet the Cast of 34 Vets and Rookies". People . Retrieved July 14, 2021.
19. Pierce-Bohan, Kayleena (November 13, 2021). "10 Ways The Legends Of The Hidden Temple Reboot Can Improve The Show". Screen Rant . Retrieved January 10, 2022.
20. Bell, BreAnna (June 8, 2022). "The CW Partners With the Roku Channel on 'Fight to Survive'". Variety . Retrieved August 10, 2023.
21. "Survivor Episode Listings". The Futon Critic.
22. "Survivor Season 39 Episode Guide". Zap2it.
23. Welch, Alex (September 26, 2019). "'Modern Family' adjusts up: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
24. Welch, Alex (October 1, 2019). "'The Masked Singer' and 'Sunday Night Football' lead premiere week: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Sept. 23-29". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
25. Welch, Alex (October 3, 2019). "'Chicago Med,' 'The Masked Singer' adjust up, 'Single Parents,' 'Almost Family' adjust down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
26. Welch, Alex (October 8, 2019). "NFL dominates the week, FOX takes the win: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Sept. 30 – Oct. 6". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
27. Welch, Alex (October 3, 2019). "'Survivor' and 'S.W.A.T.' adjust up, 'SEAL Team' and 'Almost Family' adjust down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
28. Welch, Alex (October 17, 2019). "'Thursday Night Football' and 'The Masked Singer' keep FOX on top: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Oct. 7-13". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
29. Welch, Alex (October 17, 2019). "'Chicago Med,' 'The Masked Singer' adjust up, 'SEAL Team,' 'Chicago P.D.,' 'Almost Family' adjust down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
30. Welch, Alex (October 22, 2019). "NFL, 'The Masked Singer,' and 'The Simpsons' lead: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Oct. 14-20". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
31. Welch, Alex (October 24, 2019). "'SEAL Team' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
32. Welch, Alex (October 29, 2019). "World Series and NFL dominate, FOX stays on top: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Oct. 21-27". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
33. Welch, Alex (October 31, 2019). "World Series, 'Survivor,' 'Chicago Fire' adjust up, 'Single Parents,' 'SEAL Team' adjust down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
34. Welch, Alex (November 5, 2019). "World Series carries FOX to another win: Broadcast top 25 and network rankings for Oct. 28 – Nov. 3". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
35. Welch, Alex (November 7, 2019). "'Chicago Fire' adjusts up, 'Nancy Drew' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
36. Welch, Alex (November 14, 2019). "'Survivor,' 'The Masked Singer,' all others hold: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
37. Welch, Alex (November 21, 2019). "'Chicago Med,' 'Survivor,' everything else unchanged: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 23, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
38. Welch, Alex (December 2, 2019). "'Almost Family' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
39. Rejent, Joseph (December 6, 2019). "'The Moodys' adjusts up: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
40. Welch, Alex (December 12, 2019). "'Nancy Drew' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
41. Welch, Alex (December 19, 2019). "'Live in Front of a Studio Audience' and 'Survivor' adjust up: Wednesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
42. Goldstein, Joelle (November 14, 2019). "Survivor Contestant Accused of 'Inappropriate Touching,' 2 Players Admit to Using Allegations to Win". People . Retrieved November 14, 2019.
43. Wigler, Josh (November 13, 2019). "'Survivor' Dives Into #MeToo Debate with Claims Against Hollywood Talent Manager". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 14, 2019.
44. "Survivor The Rules". scribd.com. Scribd. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
45. Andy Dehnart (November 14, 2019). "Survivor proves 'there are always consequences for standing up' in a bleak merge episode". realityblurred.com. Reality Blurred. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
46. Chokshi, Niraj (November 15, 2019). "Female 'Survivor' Contestants Apologize After #MeToo Backlash". The New York Times . Retrieved November 15, 2019.
47. Gomez, Patrick (November 14, 2019). "Survivor's Aaron Meredith posts tearful apology video for his role in controversial tribal". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved November 14, 2019.
48. Seemayor, Zach (November 14, 2019). "Lauren Beck Apologizes Following 'Survivor' Inappropriate Touching Controversy". Yahoo! . Retrieved November 14, 2019.
49. "Kellee Kim of 'Survivor' speaks out on inappropriate touching incidents". Entertainment Weekly .
50. Ross, Dalton (December 11, 2019). "Survivor host Jeff Probst talks about first player ever ejected from the game". ew.com. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
51. Ross, Dalton (November 14, 2019). "CBS and MGM issue statement addressing controversial Survivor episode". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved November 14, 2019.
52. Haring, Bruce (November 15, 2019). "'Survivor' Struggles With Harassment Issues, As Two Contestants Admit False Accusations Were "Gameplay"". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 15, 2019.
53. Helling, Steve (December 12, 2019). "Survivor Contestant Dan Spilo Was Uninvited from Live Finale After His Removal from Show". people.com. People. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
54. Andreeva, Nellie (December 17, 2019). "CBS & 'Survivor' Address Season 39 Controversy, Outline Measures To Prevent Inappropriate Behavior". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 17, 2019.
55. Low, Elaine (December 18, 2019). "'Survivor' Finale: Kellee Kim Says She 'Was Not Supported or Believed' After Misconduct Claims". Variety . Retrieved December 18, 2019.
56. Helling, Steve (December 17, 2019). "Survivor's Dan Spilo Breaks Silence on His Behavior on the Show: 'I Am Deeply Sorry'". People . Retrieved December 19, 2019.
57. "Who Won 'Survivor: Island of the Idols'?". Us Weekly. December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
58. "46% of 'Survivor' fans wanted Janet Carbin to win 'Island of the Idols' — Sorry, Tommy Sheehan! [POLL RESULTS]". December 19, 2019.
59. Andy Dehnart (December 19, 2019). "Survivor ends its worst season ever by doing one thing right: giving Kellee Kim an apology and time to speak". realityblurred.com. Reality Blurred. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
60. Fienberg, Daniel (December 12, 2019). "Critic's Notebook: Even After an Unprecedented Eviction, 'Survivor' May Be Permanently Broken". hollywoodreporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
61. Caroline Framke (November 21, 2019). "'Survivor' Mishandling Sexual Harassment Is Irresponsible and Infuriating (Column)". variety.com. Variety. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
62. James Poniewozik (December 12, 2019). "How 'Survivor' Failed Its #MeToo Test". The New York Times . Retrieved December 20, 2019.
63. Ross, Dalton (December 20, 2019). "Ranking every season of Survivor". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved December 22, 2019.
64. "Survivor season rankings (with spoiler-free summaries)". The Purple Rock Survivor Podcast. May 22, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
65. Pallon, Christine (September 30, 2020). "Best Season Rankings – No. 38 – Island of the Idols". Inside Survivor. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
66. "Survivor All-Time Top 40 Rankings | #40: Island of the Idols". Rob Has a Podcast . January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
67. Pucci, Douglas (September 27, 2019). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'The Masked Singer' Season Premiere Helps Fox to Dominate Prime Time as it Doubled the Runner-Up Network in Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
68. Pucci, Douglas (October 15, 2019). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'Emergence' Leads Broadcast Network Telecasts in Viewer Percentage Gains". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
69. Pucci, Douglas (October 18, 2019). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Nancy Drew' Series Debut Draws Top Audience in Time Slot for CW in Nearly Two Years". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
70. Pucci, Douglas (October 17, 2019). "Wednesday Final Ratings: Three-Hour 'Chicago' Crossover Event Boosts NBC to its Best In-Season Regular Schedule Wednesday Among Adults 18-49 in Three Years". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
71. Pucci, Douglas (October 25, 2019). "Wednesday Final Ratings: Tyler Perry's 'The Oval' and 'Sistas' on BET Off to Decent Starts". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
72. Pucci, Douglas (October 31, 2019). "Wednesday Final Ratings: Nearly 24 Million Viewers for World Series Game Seven Across All Fox Platforms". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
73. Pucci, Douglas (November 8, 2019). "Wednesday Final Ratings: Fox, with Two 'Masked Singer' Episodes, Dominates Prime Time in Demos, Nearly Doubles Runner-Up NBC Among Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
74. Pucci, Douglas (November 14, 2019). "Wednesday Final Ratings: More Than 13 Million Watch First Day of Impeachment Hearings Across Six Networks". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
75. Pucci, Douglas (November 21, 2019). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 6.6 Million Viewers for Democratic Debate on MSNBC". Programming Insider. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
76. Pucci, Douglas (December 3, 2019). "Wednesday Final Ratings: CBS Tops Thanksgiving Eve in Viewers, Adults 18-49 and 25-54". Programming Insider. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
77. Pucci, Douglas (December 7, 2019). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Christmas in Rockefeller Center' on NBC Leads the 8-10 p.m. Time Slot in Total Viewers". Programming Insider. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
78. Pucci, Douglas (December 12, 2019). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2' Season Finale on MTV Leads Cable Telecasts in Adults 18-34". Programming Insider. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
79. Pucci, Douglas (December 19, 2019). "Wednesday Final Ratings: Over 12 Million Watch Impeachment Vote Coverage Across Various Cable News Stations". Programming Insider. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
80. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) September 23, 2019 – September 29, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. October 8, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 14, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
81. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) September 30, 2019 – October 6, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. October 16, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
82. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) October 7, 2019 – October 13, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. October 22, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 31, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
83. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) October 14, 2019 – October 20, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. October 29, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 31, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
84. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) October 21, 2019 – October 27, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
85. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) October 28, 2019 – November 3, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. November 12, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
86. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) November 4, 2019 – November 10, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
87. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) November 11, 2019 – November 17, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
88. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) November 18, 2019 – November 24, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
89. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) November 25, 2019 – December 1, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. December 10, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
90. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) December 2, 2019 – December 8, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
91. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) December 9, 2019 – December 15, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. December 24, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
92. "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) December 16, 2019 – December 22, 2019" (PDF). Numeris. December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2020.

External links

• Official CBS Survivor Website