Creating the Perfect Final Tribal – An Analysis of Survivor’s 5 Unanimous Winners

Abstract

A show that has maintained popularity over two decades, Survivor essentially represents a microchasm of society through its social dynamics. This paper analyzes the five unanimous winners of the show to determine what characteristics make a unanimous Sole Survivor. The unanimous winners were chosen for analysis due to it being such a rare occurrence in a show that has lasted over forty seasons. The study was a content analysis of the five Survivor seasons with unanimous winners, with qualitative and quantitative components that analyzed the winners as well as season-specific factors, as well as a winner comparison through the use of a quantitative frequency scale created to analyze traits of various unanimous and not unanimous Survivor winners. Results illustrate the necessity for further research into gender roles and bias on Survivor. However, this study developed a new understanding about shared characteristics among all unanimous winners of the show and gave a deeper understanding on common characteristics among unanimous winners and some not unanimous winners of the show.