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''Survivor: Nicaragua'' is the 21st season of the American
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
competitive
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
series ''
Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: * one who survives Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...
''. It premiered on September 15, 2010, at 8:00pm, moving to the Wednesday timeslot for the first time since '' Survivor: Borneo''. Applications were due in January 2010, filming started from June and ended in July 2010. ''Nicaragua'' and the following season, '' Survivor: Redemption Island'', were filmed near
San Juan del Sur San Juan del Sur is a municipality and coastal town on the Pacific Ocean, in the Rivas department in southwest Nicaragua. It is located south of Managua. San Juan del Sur is popular among surfers and is a vacation spot for many Nicaraguan fam ...
in Rivas Department on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. This season's opening titles uses the original version of "Ancient Voices" — ''Survivor''s opening theme song — first used for the debut ''Survivor'' season. Traditionally, each season features its own version of "Ancient Voices", using instruments and sounds meant to evoke that season's location or theme. One was created for ''Nicaragua'' but was not used, though the song was released onto
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on October 10. The reason for this omission has not been publicly disclosed. ''Survivor'' host
Jeff Probst Jeffrey Lee Probst (; born November 4, 1961) is an American television presenter and producer and young adult fiction writer. He is best known as the Emmy Awards, Emmy Award–winning host of the American version of the reality television show ' ...
also announced that the Hidden Immunity Idol will continue to be used in the game. However, as idols had been found too easily in the past two seasons, the idol was hidden differently. The clues to the idols' locations were
rebus A rebus ( ) is a puzzle device that combines the use of illustrated pictures with individual letters to depict words or phrases. For example: the word "been" might be depicted by a rebus showing an illustrated bumblebee next to a plus sign (+ ...
es rather than text as in past seasons. In addition, the tribes vied for control of a new item, the Medallion of Power, which offered an advantage to the tribe who held it at a challenge, but should they use the Medallion, it went to the other tribe for the next challenge. This season also marked the return of the tribal swap, which was absent in the previous three seasons. When the tribal swap occurred in episode 5, the Medallion of Power was retired. This was the second season in which tribes were divided by age, the first one being '' Survivor: Panama''. Jud "Fabio" Birza was named the winner in the final episode on December 19, 2010, defeating
Chase Rice Chase Rice (born September 19, 1985) is an American country music singer, songwriter and reality television personality. He first came to prominence in 2010 while he was a contestant on ''Survivor: Nicaragua'', where he was the runner-up to Jud ...
and Matthew "Sash" Lenahan in a 5–4–0 vote. Birza became the youngest person to ever win the game, at age 21 years and 6 months. This was the first ''Survivor'' season to have an all-male final three. Jane Bright won $100,000 as the "Sprint Player of the Season."


Contestants

The cast is composed of 20 players, initially splitting into two tribes based on their ages containing 10 members each. The tribes are Espada, contestants aged 40 and over; and La Flor, contestants aged 30 and younger. Their names come from the
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
words "sword" and "flower", respectively. The merged tribe Libertad means "
liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
" or "
freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...
" in Spanish, which was first suggested by contestant Marty Piombo. Notable contestants this season include
Kelly Bruno Dr. Kelly Bruno (born March 23, 1984) is a world-record holding amputee runner and athlete. She was a contestant on the 21st season of the television show ''Survivor''. Biography Kelly Bruno was six months old when she had her leg amputated b ...
, a
triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...
whose leg was amputated at six months old because of a birth defect;
Chase Rice Chase Rice (born September 19, 1985) is an American country music singer, songwriter and reality television personality. He first came to prominence in 2010 while he was a contestant on ''Survivor: Nicaragua'', where he was the runner-up to Jud ...
, a
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pit crew member who became a country music artist after the season aired; and former
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
coach Jimmy Johnson. Bruno is the second ''Survivor'' contestant to be an amputee, the first being Chad Crittenden of '' Survivor: Vanuatu'', who lost his right leg to cancer.


Future appearances

Brenda Lowe returned to compete on '' Survivor: Caramoan''.


Season summary

Twenty new castaways were divided into tribes by age: La Flor, which consisted of castaways 30 and younger, and Espada, which consisted of castaways 40 and older. Both tribes also vied for ownership of the newly-introduced Medallion of Power, which granted them advantages either at camp or when played in challenges. Every time a tribe used its power, ownership of the Medallion would shift to the other tribe. Several members of the older Espada tribe vied for leadership. While Jimmy J. initially took control, he was quickly overthrown by Marty and voted out. Marty furthered his control of the tribe by finding the Hidden Immunity Idol and voting out aspiring leader Jimmy T. Despite dominating the challenges in the first eleven days of the game, the younger La Flor tribe also had their own share of conflicts. Two warring alliances emerged, one led by Shannon and the other led by Brenda, with both alliances vying for Chase's vote. A confused Shannon lashed out at La Flor's first Tribal Council, causing Chase and some of Shannon's own alliance members to vote him out. A tribe swap on Day 12 caused allegiances to shift. Alina, Benry, Chase, and NaOnka moved to Espada, while Marty, Jill, and Jane moved to La Flor. At the new Espada, Holly and Dan aligned themselves with the younger members. At the new La Flor, the once-powerful Marty fell from grace, and Jane teamed up with the original La Flor tribe members. Brenda planned to split the vote between Marty and original La Flor outsider Kelly B. in order to flush Marty's idol and send Kelly B. home. Unfortunately for them, Marty decided not to use his idol and Kelly B. was sent home anyway, while Marty still had his immunity idol. Sash told Marty that in order to remain in the game, he must give him his idol. Marty complied, and Sash stayed true to his word by keeping him around, only to send Jill, Marty's closest ally, home instead. On Day 19, the two tribes were merged into the Libertad tribe. Brenda's original La Flor alliance regrouped, with the addition of Holly and Jane. Marty, however, convinced Dan, Benry, and Fabio to follow him. Without any alliances, Alina was targeted by both voting blocs and sent to the jury first. Marty then tried to form an all-male rebellion against the females, which did not work and sent him home instead. It seemed that Brenda and Sash were in total control of the tribe, but Holly made her own move by turning everybody else on Brenda. Brenda put her faith wholly in her alliance without attempting to plead with them, but they ultimately eliminated her. Meanwhile, while the tribe was at a challenge, their unattended fire ignited their cache of food and supplies, burning them and part of their tarp. The remaining tribe members struggled with the meager rations. With Brenda gone and the sudden voluntary exits of Kelly S. and NaOnka as a result of the camp fire, Sash was left alone without any allies, but eventually regained power by winning the next Immunity Challenge, becoming the swing vote between Holly, Chase and Jane's alliance and the alliance of Dan, Fabio and Benry. Sash joined Chase, Holly and Jane to eliminate an unsuspecting Benry, whom Sash saw as the bigger threat. The newly formed majority alliance planned to eliminate Fabio next, but he went on to win individual immunity. While Dan was the only non-immune of the minority alliance, Chase, Holly and Sash decided to turn on jury threat Jane, and voted her out instead. Fabio won immunity again and Dan was voted out, but after Fabio won his third successive immunity challenge, Chase and Sash decided to turn on Holly, who they thought had the best chance to win the game against them. At the Final Tribal Council, the jurors made it clear they would not vote for Sash for his numerous lies and deceptions. Chase was blasted for his inability to make strategic and social decisions, and Fabio was accused of being clueless about what was going on, not voting in the majority many times. Chase was praised however for his honesty, performing well in team challenges, and making relationships with people. Fabio said he was open with everyone, and intentionally was strategically clueless because he didn't want to hurt or play with anyone's emotions. Because of this, Fabio's unique strategy earned him the votes of five jurors, to Chase's four and Sash's zero. :''In the case of multiple tribes or castaways who win reward or immunity, they are listed in order of finish, or alphabetically where it was a team effort; where one castaway won and invited others, the invitees are in brackets.''


Episodes


Voting history


Reception

''Survivor: Nicaragua'' was heavily panned by critics and fans, and is often considered to be one of the worst seasons in the series. ''Survivor'' columnist Dalton Ross of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' ranked ''Nicaragua'' as the second-worst season of the entire series, only better than '' Island of the Idols'', for four reasons: "1) Splitting the tribes up by age and the Medallion of Power were both enormous flops. 2) Like '' One World'', ''
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'' and ''
Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
'', just too many unlikable players. 3) Two people quitting with only 11 days left. 4) No big memorable moments. Even ''Thailand'' had the fake merge and ''Fiji'' had the big Yau-Man/Dreamz free car deal gone bad, but what was ''Nicaragua''s signature moment? Unfortunately, it was people quitting, and that was memorable for all the wrong reasons." This season was similarly ranked as the second-worst by ''Inside Survivor'' in 2020 due to underwhelming gameplay, pointless twists, and an unlikeable cast. ''Nicaragua'' was ranked as the worst season by fan site "The Purple Rock Podcast" in 2020, describing it as having "terrible casting, a terrible gimmick, and a terrible winner," combined to make "a truly horrendous Survivor viewing experience." In 2015, a poll by ''
Rob Has a Podcast ''Rob Has a Podcast (RHAP)'' is an entertainment podcast hosted by former ''Survivor'' contestant Rob Cesternino. The podcast primarily provides commentary on reality television game shows. Overview Cesternino started ''RHAP'' in 2010, in orde ...
'' ranked rank 27th out of 30 with
Rob Cesternino Robert Kristopher Cesternino (born October 20, 1978) is an American reality television contestant and podcast host, known for his appearances on '' Survivor: The Amazon'' (2003), '' Survivor: All-Stars'' (2004), and '' The Traitors 4'' (2026). ...
ranking it at number 23. This was updated in 2021 during Cesternino's podcast, ''Survivor All-Time Top 40 Rankings'', ranking 34th. In 2024, Nick Caruso of ''
TVLine ''TVLine'' is a website devoted to information, news, and spoilers of television programs. It covers various topics including the latest news on television, reviews, latest releases, and more. History In late 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly''s ...
'' ranked this season 45th out of 47. The gameplay of winner Jud "Fabio" Birza also received very negative reception. Birza placed last out of the first 34 winners in a fan poll conducted by ''Entertainment Weekly'' in 2017 and also received the most last-place and second-to-last-place votes out of every winner in the poll - by a wide margin. When
Jimmy Fallon James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an Americans, American comedian, television host, actor, singer, writer, and producer. Best known for his work in television, Fallon's breakthrough came during his tenure as a cast member on the ...
, a longtime fan of the show interviewed
Jeff Probst Jeffrey Lee Probst (; born November 4, 1961) is an American television presenter and producer and young adult fiction writer. He is best known as the Emmy Awards, Emmy Award–winning host of the American version of the reality television show ' ...
on ''
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of the '' Late Night'' franchise. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon,
'', he said that he was disappointed with this season and called it a popularity contest. Probst felt that ''Nicaragua'' was boring, and was the motivating factor that led the producers and himself to add the "
Redemption Island ''Survivor: Redemption Island'' is the twenty-second season of the United States, American CBS competitive reality television series ''Survivor (American TV series), Survivor''. It premiered on February 16, 2011. Applications were due in January ...
" twist for the following season (which would fare even worse than ''Nicaragua'' due in no small part to the twist). ''Nicaragua'' is ranked as the third-worst season of the series by Examiner.com (only ahead of ''
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'' and ''Fiji''), and the fourth-worst season by ''
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'' (only ahead of ''
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'', ''Gabon'', and ''Redemption Island''). In 2012, when ''Survivor'' fan site "''Survivor'' Oz" held its first annual poll ranking every season of the series (up to that point), ''Nicaragua'' was ranked as the second-worst season of the series, only ahead of ''Redemption Island''. In the official issue of '' CBS Watch'' magazine commemorating the 15th anniversary of ''Survivor'', Probst stated that ''Nicaragua''s tribe division by age "is a division I hope we never do again," (however, 6 years later, '' Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X'' saw a similar division) and also called the Medallion of Power "one of the worst named and most poorly executed twists we’ve ever come up with ndembarrassing on all accounts."


References


External links


Official CBS Survivor Nicaragua Website
{{Survivor (American TV series) 21 2010 American television seasons Rivas Department 2010 in Nicaragua Television shows filmed in Nicaragua Television shows filmed in Los Angeles