Samoa
Widely hailed as the greatest season ever made — twenty legends sorted by reputation, building to the most famous idol play in the show's history.
Sole Survivor
Sandra Diaz-Twine
Won the jury 6-3-0
Also read at the Final Tribal Council
From the Reader
The Closest Survivor Ever Came to Perfect
3 min read · season retrospective
Era
The Old School Era
2000–2010
Timeline
20th of 50
Aired 2010
Filming
Samoa
2nd of 4 seasons filmed here
The 2 tribes marooned when the game began — and where the names come from.
The returning fan-favorite 'heroes' — one half of the season's hero/villain theme.
The returning villains — the cutthroat half of the season's hero/villain theme.
At the merge · they became Yin Yang — Heroes vs. Villains merge tribe — named for the Taoist yin-yang, the light/dark duality that defined the season.
Veterans who came back for another shot at the title.
The named voting bloc that ran this season — the stories give away late-game moves, so they sit behind the idol.
Named by the edit
The villain core of Heroes vs. Villains — Russell, Parvati, Danielle, and Jerri — that flipped the post-merge game when Parvati pulled off the legendary double-idol play, saving Sandra and Jerri and negating the Heroes' votes. It cracked once Russell realized Parvati and Danielle were tighter with each other than with him.
How it resolved
Reached the final three — best finish Runner-up — but the crown went to someone else.
How it ended · 4 strong
Idol moments
The Heroes split their votes to flush a possible idol, never dreaming Parvati had two. She slid one to Sandra and one to Jerri, voided every Hero vote, and let the Villains' five land clean on J.T.
Boston Rob's alliance had the votes split to flush Russell's idol. Russell goaded Tyson into changing his own vote onto Parvati — then played the idol on her after the votes were cast, voiding the rest and sinking Tyson with his own switched vote.
In the record book
2
idols played at one Tribal Council
Parvati pulled two idols out at a single Heroes vs. Villains Tribal, draping them over Jerri and Sandra and sending the blindside crashing back on the Heroes.
Around the fire
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 TribalSeason 20 of 50
