Complete documentation on the rules within the game of Survivor. If you see something missing, feel free to add it.

Survivor Rules: During the Competition

Survivor Tribal Council Rules

Tribal councils are where the contestants (castaways) must vote off one tribe member.

• Survivor Contestants may not write their own name down.
• Survivor Contestants may not miss a Tribal Council. Tribal Councils are mandatory for all contestants, and everyone must vote.
  
• Should an Idol be played, the castaway receiving the second-most votes is voted out instead.
• The rules regarding ties at tribal council have changed from season to season. When there is a tie there is always a second round of voting in which only the contestants who have an equal amount of votes agaisnt them are elligible to be voted for. If the tie remains then:
  
  • Seasons 1-3: Ties were broken by the person invovled in the tie with the most previous votes cast against them going home. In the situation where a tie occured with no previous votes against either contestant, a questionare challenge occured, with the loosing contestant going home.
  • Season 4: Everyone not immune draws rocks and the contestant who draws the purple rock will go home.
  • Seasons 5-18: If more than four contestants remain, the tied vote getters become immune, and the remaining contestants draw rocks. If there are only four or less contestants at the tribal council in question, the tied contestants compete in a fire building challenge.
    

Survivor Game Rules

While playing the game, there's some game conduct rules Survivor contestants must abide by.

• Sitting out of a challenge that requires the participation of all survivors is not allowed
• When the game requires a Survivor to sit out a challenge (uneven teams), they same player is not allowed to sit out back-to-back challenges. If this is not possible, no person may compete in back to back challenges.
• Misconduct is against the rules, including but not limited to stealing or misappropriating food, harming other castaways or crew members, and acts of violence.

Survivor Legal Rules

Survivor Contestants may not conspire to share the prize. The million dollars may be won by one and only one individual. Survivors are prohibited from sharing or making any agreement to share all or any portion of the prize.

Survivor Contestants may not enter the production area. The area designated for the production crew is strictly off-limits to the survivors.

Survivor Contestants may not break the law. Even though they are stranded in remote locations, the contestants will still be held to U.S. law, as well as local law. Any breach of those laws is against the contest rules.

Survivor Rules: After the Competition

Survivors may not disclose how long they or other contestants lasted or any other evidence that would give away the season winner. Doing so will forfeit their own prize money and may open them up to a lawsuit.