Survivor: Camarines Sur — Blood vs. Water

''' Disclaimer: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. '''

Over the years, it is said that the strongest alliances made in the game of Survivor are pairs (Colby/Tina, Jenna/Heidi, Rob/Amber, J.T./Stephen, Russell/Natalie, Russell/Parvati, Rob/Natalie, Kim/Chelsea), and now it will be put to the test...

For this season of my Survivor Fan Fiction, a new group of castaways will embark on a journey like no other. This season, ten pairs with a preexisting relationship will compete against each other for the million dollar prize. While they are competing with somebody they know, they are still separate players, and may work together, or turn on each other, because in the end, there will still be one Sole Survivor. Which couple will prevail? Which couple will crack?

Relationships will be tested. Friendships will be broken! 39 days, 20 people, one survivor!

This fan fiction season is based on the fourth season of our local version, Survivor Philippines: Celebrity Doubles Showdown.

Twists/Changes

 * Couples Format: In a drastic format change, the twenty castaways are made up of ten teams of two, each with a preexisting relationship. Despite this, it is still an individual game, and it is not compulsory for players to stick with their partner, as they can always turn on them if they see fit.
 * Hidden Immunity Idols will return, and no clues will be provided.
 * Temptation Reward: The winning tribe in a Reward Challenge would choose one or two of their own (not necessarily a castaway and his/her partner he/she started the game with) to be the only one/s partaking in the Temptation Reward. After being shown the reward, the chosen one/s were then also presented with the consequence that comes upon accepting the Temptation Reward. Declining from the Temptation Reward is also an option, if those chosen would deem accepting it be too harmful for their strategy. Each episode features a different temptation offer. If players do not chose to take the temptation, it will never be encountered again.
 * The Cursed Idol returns this season, but only appears at post-merge.

Castaways
There are twenty castaways, with each pair given by ten Survivor Wiki contributors, including myself. Each symbol denotes a pair -- the castaways with the same symbol are partners.

Bulan Tribe
 Bulan is the goddess of the moon in Tagalog mythology and is Tala's sister. Also, "Bulan" (read similarly as Nákum) is a word from Visayan dialects meaning "moon."

Andy and Devon
 Best friends Andy Aseltine and Devon French are both 18 year old students from West Springfield, Massachusetts. Andrew is intelligent, and a long time fan of the game. Very strategic and level-headed, yet comical. His biggest problem is being away from his family, but he stated he would not quit. He said if Devon gets in trouble, he would try his best to save him, unless if his own gameplay is compromised. Devon on the other hand is the stubborn and hot-headed one of the duo. This car-loving teen said he would lie to make it to the end with his partner. Pair by Donosaurus Rex.

Salina and Jacki
 Started out as friends since high school, Salina Ewers (34) and Jacki Lewis (35) entered a romantic relationship after discovering a mutual affection for each other, and are currently life partners. Their purpose of joining Survivor is to get married and adopt a child. They live in Seattle, Washington. Pair by 219.89.26.26.

Martin and Leo
 Both 28 and living in San Francisco, California. Since childhood, Martin Hymann and Leo Harrelson have been rivals on almost everything. From childhood petty fights, high school basketball, college scholarships and even girls, these two grew a friendly competition with each other. When they learned Survivor will be a doubles format, they decided to apply, but not to compete as allies, but to finally settle their rivalry. Pair by Whoisrob.

Burgundy and Declan
 Burgundy Miller (20) and Declan Morrow (22) a dating couple from Portland, Oregon. Though both are deeply in love with each other, marriage is still not an option. Both loved the arts, with Burgundy being passionate in painting, while Declan is an audiophile and plays in a band who have extensively traveled across the state. Burgundy, a psychology major, knows how to read people's minds and be analytical of people's ulterior motives. Declan is agile, both on land and on water. Both Burgundy and Declan have participated in several marathons and charity works. While they dislike reality television, they decided to join Survivor to win the money and hopefully have a grand wedding and for Declan to use his new found fame to boost his music career, with Burgundy as his manager. Pair by Ckarimalis.

Melissa and Paula
 Melissa Earhart (31) and Paula Sina (30) are best friends/workmates from Valparaiso, Indiana. Melissa has Asperger's syndrome and Paula has always stuck up for her and been there for her when people have bullied her. They joined Survivor to not only combat Melissa's social awkwardness, but also to raise awareness about Asperger's Syndrome. Both are fans of America's Next Top Model contestant, Heather Kuzmich. Pair by 219.89.98.176.

Tala Tribe
 Tala is the goddess of the stars in Tagalog mythology and is Bulan's sister. Furthermore, "Tala" is an archaic Tagalog word meaning "star." The word is still in use, albeit very rarely.

Kasia and Toby
 Kasia Inns (22) and Toby Speck (23) are a young couple both hailing from Long Beach, California. They've been dating for two years. What makes them such a good team is that Kasia has the smarts but inept as an outdoorsman, for she never camped in her life. Toby's the tenacious and physical, but dimwitted one, having no control over his mouth and tends to blab things out, maybe revealing things he shouldn't have. But from the two, Toby had camping experience, a fact he would most likely to brag. Pair by InSpeck.

Simone and Ebony
 Hailing from the hood, Queens, New York natives Simone (30) and Ebony (24) Howard applied to join Survivor to rid themselves of poverty. Despite their lack of wealth, the sisters are frequent comedians, bringing joy to their neighborhood, despite its high crime rate. On serious times, Ebony is the silent type, being keen and observant, whereas Simone is fiery and pugnacious. These differences usually put them in trouble. Both Ebony and Simone are fans of NaOnka Mixon, whose personality they adore, though they were still appalled by her incident with Kelly Bruno. Pair par moi.

Josh and Tyler
 20 year olds Josh and Tyler Deckers (a.k.a. "Double Deckers") are twin brothers that originally grew up in New Zealand, they moved to Houston, Texas at the age of 14. They came from a well-to-do family, but their dream ever since the age of 10 had been to play the game of Survivor. Both are skinny, tall and are fit. They are cross country runners, and good at puzzles. Josh is non-assertive and quiet while Tyler is blunt and sometimes arrogant. Pair by Joshjosh123.

Talia and Ricky
 Talia Kent (22) and Ricky Mitchell (36) are friends from Dover, Delaware. Talia currently works as a coffee shop barista while Ricky is a motorcycle mechanic. When Talia was 17, she accidentally fell asleep while driving, terribly crashing her car to a tree. Ricky saw the accident and immediately went to help her. Ricky saved her life and five years later they are the best of friends. Both never considered going into a romantic relationship with each other. Pair by Henzzy.

Kevin and Camille
 Kevin Rosenthal (46) and Camille Ferguson (44) are a separated couple from Coolidge, Arizona. During their marriage, Kevin was a womanizer and a drunkard, causing Camille to leave their house with their three children. Camille still loved Kevin, and had not filed a divorce, depsite her parents' efforts. After going to rehab, Kevin swore to change his ways and try to win his wife back. Not only they want to win Survivor to save their marriage, they will use the money to send their first child to Harvard Law School. Pair by SummerinGanymede.

Apolaki Tribe
Apolaki is the Tagalog sun and war god, and is the brother of Bulan and Tala.

The tribe name came about when Kevin mentioned that Bulan and Tala are also tribes in the Philippine version of Survivor and decided to follow suit. Kevin knew about this because he was once a tourist in the Philippines and happened to watch few episodes of Survivor Philippines.

Voting History
The players with the same symbol are partners.

Author's Notes

 * This season is inspired by our recently concluded fourth season, Survivor Philippines: Celebrity Doubles Showdown. The tribe names, Bulan, Tala and Apolaki are lifted from that season.
 * Valparaiso, Indiana was the birthplace of Heather Kuzmich, a contestant from America's Next Top Model, who also has Asperger's Syndrome.
 * The words Pautakan, Pagalingan, Patatagan in my logo literally means "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast" in Filipino. This is the slogan of our local version of Survivor.