A “Live Tribal” Happens in ‘Survivor’ When Players Stand Up and Whisper to Each Other to Change the Vote
Before “Live Tribals” took place, Tribal Council was relatively straightforward. Players would talk to Jeff while trying not to give away their true cards and still show loyalty to their alliances. But they’d typically know who they wanted to vote out in advance. However, New School Survivor introduced the “Live Tribal,” which is when players change the vote during Tribal Council.
Someone will typically start a Live Tribal by getting up and whispering to someone in a different area. In doing so, others start to freak out and whisper to one another to see if the plan is still in place. Sometimes, vital information comes out during a Live Tribal that can change the outcome of the vote, and therefore the game.
The First Live Tribal: Malcolm’s Move in ‘Survivor: Philippines’
The first Live Tribal is often dated back to Malcolm’s move in Survivor: Philippines when his idol bluff actually caused players to talk to one another about how to change the vote. But others say it began with Malcolm’s move in Game Changers, which he admitted to coming up with.
“True story: I came up with the concept of that move before landing on the island,” Malcolm said in his Entertainment Weekly interview. “I have the notebook to prove it, slowly molding in a stinky garbage bag with all my old island clothes and memorabilia.”
Q Throws the Tribe into Chaos in Season 46
Now in Season 46, a Live Tribal began after Q asked the tribe to vote him out out of the blue. No one could understand why, which caused chaos. Q used the chaos to tell Tiffany that the tribe wanted to vote for her, which was his idea initially. As it was happening, Tevin remarked that he was part of a “Live Tribal.”
While it seemed like the votes could have gone anywhere, the tribe seemed to stick to Plan B and take out Tevin, which Liz mostly orchestrated. While a Live Tribal is always fun and chaotic to watch (as long as the mics pick up what they’re actually saying), too many Live Tribals in a season can get repetitive, so it’s definitely a special occasion.