A confessional is a directing tool used to tell the story of Survivor. In a confessional, one player narrates a situation, explains their perspective, or gives secret insight to their own gameplay that only the audience can see. Initially defined only as the contestants' speeches when they cast their votes at Tribal Council, it has expanded over to their day-to-day journal of events in the game and final words following their elimination.
Confessionals feature a lower third (also known as a chyron) displayed on the screen, listing: the contestant's name; a characteristic (such as hometown, occupation, a previous season, or relative); their tribe's name (or nickname); and any advantages (beyond Edge of Extinction's sixth episode, either real or fake) that the contestant possesses. The font color generally matches that of the tribe (i.e. blue for Matsing, red for Kalabaw).
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Trivia[]
- The font used for confessionals is "Cutamond Basic".[1]
- The series' first confessional was made by Rudy Boesch.
- Kelly Shinn had her first confessional in the latest episode of any contestant. Her first confessional came in the seventh episode of Nicaragua.
- Ika is the first tribe to have no members give a confessional during an episode, in "Go for the Gusto".
- The idea to include advantages in the confessionals' chyrons was suggested by a fan on Twitter.[2]
- Producers speaking directly to contestants is rarely shown, with five exceptions in the U.S. version:
- Kellee Kim in "We Made It to the Merge!" as a result of her concerns about the inappropriate behavior of Dan Spilo.
- Carolyn Wiger in "I Can't Wait to See Jeff" as a result of her confusion of giving a confessional.
- Frannie Marin in "The Third Turd" as a result of her blushing over her relationship with Matt Blankinship.
- Carolyn Wiger, again, in "Absolute Banger Season", referencing her first confessional with the same producer.
- Dee Valladares in "The Ex-Girlfriend at the Wedding" when asked about her relationship with Austin Li Coon.
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