Nuku

Tribe Profile
Version	United States
Season	Game Changers
Namesake	Fijian word meaning "sand"
Tribe Type	Starting Tribe
Day Formed	Day 1
Rival Tribe(s)	Mana Tavua
Tribe Status	Merged with Mana on Day 19
Challenge Wins	7/10
Lowest-Placing Member	J.T. Thomas (16/20)
Highest-Placing Member	Sarah Lacina (Winner)

Nuku is a tribe from Survivor: Game Changers.

Nuku's early dominance in challenges allowed their original members to secure a stronghold on the game. During the pre-merge phase, the original Nuku members always outnumbered the original Mana members, letting them further dwindle their rival's numbers. Their tribe color is blue.

Members

Original Day 7 Day 14 Andrea Boehlke 27, New York City, NY Redemption Island / Caramoan Brad Culpepper 47, Tampa, FL Blood vs. Water Cirie Fields 45, Norwalk, CT Panama / Micronesia / Heroes vs. Villains Debbie Wanner 50, Reading, PA Kaôh Rōng J.T. Thomas 31, Mobile, AL Tocantins / Heroes vs. Villains Ozzy Lusth 34, Venice, CA Cook Islands / Micronesia / South Pacific Sarah Lacina 31, Marion, IA Cagayan Sierra Dawn Thomas 29, Roy, UT Worlds Apart Tai Trang 52, San Francisco, CA Kaôh Rōng Zeke Smith 28, Brooklyn, NY Millennials vs. Gen X  Aubry Bracco       J.T. Thomas       Jeff Varner       Malcolm Freberg       Michaela Bradshaw       Sandra Diaz-Twine       Andrea Boehlke            Debbie Wanner          *  Jeff Varner            Ozzy Lusth            Sandra Diaz-Twine            Sarah Lacina            Tai Trang            Zeke Smith

Tribe History

• Challenge History
• Voting History

Episode	Challenge	Challenge Type	Sit-Out	Result	Eliminated (vote)	Finish
1	The Marooning	Reward	None	Won	Tribe Immune
	Blue Lagoon Bustle	Reward/Immunity	None	Won
	Serpent Turf	Reward/Immunity	Cirie	Won	Tribe Immune
Tribes Expanded, Day 7
2	Austin's Elemental Obstacle Course	Reward/Immunity	None	1st	Tribe Immune
3	Ram-Ball On	Reward	Aubry, Jeff, Michaela, Sandra	1st	Malcolm (5-0)1,2	4th Voted Out Day 11
	Ow-Pairs	Immunity	Sandra	Lost
4	Unchained Medley	Reward	None	2nd	J.T. (3-2)	5th Voted Out Day 13
	Box CarBlues	Immunity	None	Lost
Tribes Switched, Day 14
5	Cargo Salvage	Immunity	None	Lost	Sandra (5-2)3	6th Voted Out Day 16
6	Dulcimer Stomp	Reward	None	Won	Jeff (6-0)4	7th Voted Out Day 18
	Plunge, Pop, Pull	Immunity	None	Lost
Tribes Merged, Day 19
Notes: ^1 Because Mana and Nuku lost the Immunity Challenge, both tribes attended a joint Tribal Council where they would vote together to vote one person out. ^2 A Hidden Immunity Idol was played, negating all votes against its user. ^3 Due to the odd number of players at the time of the tribe switch, Debbie, the odd person out, was exiled and rejoined the game as a member of Nuku, replacing Sandra and evening the tribes at 7-7. ^4 Jeff was voted out verbally by the Nuku tribe. He did not cast an elimination vote.

		Original Tribes		Expanded Tribes			Switched Tribes
Episode		1		2	3	4	5	6	7
Voted Out		Tribe Immune	Tribe Immune	Tribe Immune	Malcolm	J.T.	Sandra	Jeff	Tribes Merged
Vote		—	—	—	5-02	3-2	5-2	6-04
►►►	Sarah	—	—	On Tavua			Sandra	Jeff
►►►	Brad	—	—	On Mana	Malcolm1	On Mana	On Mana
►►►	Tai	—	—	On Mana	Malcolm1	On Mana	Sandra	Jeff
►►►	Aubry	On Mana		—	Sierra	Michaela	On Mana
►►►	Cirie	—	—	On Tavua			On Mana
►►►	Michaela	On Mana		—	Sierra	J.T.	On Mana
►►►	Andrea	—	—	On Tavua			Sandra	Jeff
►►►	Sierra	—	—	On Mana	Malcolm1	On Mana	On Mana
►►►	Zeke	—	—	On Tavua			Sandra	Jeff
►►►	Debbie	—	—	On Mana	Malcolm1	On Mana	Exiled3	Jeff
►►►	Ozzy	—	—	On Tavua			Sandra	Jeff
►►►	Hali	On Mana		On Mana	Malcolm1	On Mana	On Mana
►►	Jeff	On Mana		—	Sierra	J.T.	Tai	None
►►	Sandra	On Mana		—	Sierra	J.T.	Tai
►	J.T.	—	—	—	Sierra	Michaela
►	Malcolm	On Mana		—	Sierra
Notes: ^1 Because Mana and Nuku lost the Day 11 Immunity Challenge, both tribes attended a joint Tribal Council where they would vote together to vote one person out. ^2 A Hidden Immunity Idol was played, negating all votes against its user. ^3 Due to the odd number of players at the time of the tribe switch, Debbie, the odd person out, was exiled and rejoined the game as a member of Nuku, replacing Sandra and evening the tribes at 7-7. ^4 Jeff was voted out verbally by the Nuku tribe. He did not cast an elimination vote.

Gallery

Nuku competes in the first Reward Challenge, The Marooning.

Nuku competes in the first Reward/Immunity Challenge, Blue Lagoon Bustle.

Nuku competes the second Immunity Challenge, Serpent Turf.

Nuku at the first tribe switch.

Nuku competes in the third Immunity Challenge, Austin's Elemental Obstacle Course.

J.T. competes for Nuku in the Reward Challenge, Ram-Ball On.

Michaela competes for Nuku in the fourth Immunity Challenge, Ow-Pairs.

Nuku at the Joint Tribal Council with Mana.

Malcolm blindsided by Mana.

Nuku in the Reward Challenge, Unchained Medley.

Nuku competes in the fifth Immunity Challenge, Box Car Blues.

Nuku at their second Tribal Council.

J.T. blindsided.

Nuku reveales their new buffs at the second tribe switch.

Nuku competes in the sixth Immunity Challenge, Cargo Salvage.

Nuku at their third Tribal Council.

Sandra voted out.

Nuku competes in the Reward Challenge, Dulcimer Stomp.

Nuku competes in the Plunge, Pop, Pull.

Nuku at their fourth Tribal Council.

Jeff voted out.

Nuku at the merge.

Trivia

• With Ozzy coming out as bisexual in 2022, Nuku is the first starting tribe to contain three LGBT castaways (Ozzy, Tai Trang, and Zeke Smith). It would be followed by Lairo, Vati, Coco and Soka.
  • The third iteration of Nuku contains four LGBT castaways (including Jeff), the most of any tribe until Kula Kula.
  • The third iteration of Nuku is also the first tribe in Survivior history where all of the male players are LGBT, it would be followed by the second iteration of Tika.
• Nuku is the second blue-colored starting tribe for Cirie, J.T., Sierra, and Debbie, following Heroes (Heroes vs. Villains), Escameca (Worlds Apart), and Chan Loh (Kaôh Rōng), respectively.
• After J.T.'s elimination, Nuku became the third tribe to contain none of its original members at some point during its existence. It was preceded by Maraamu in Marquesas and Mogo Mogo in All-Stars, and would be followed by Soko in Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers and Manu in Edge of Extinction.
  • Nuku is one of five tribes to have no members who remained on the tribe during its entire existence, along with Maraamu, Mogo Mogo, Ta Keo in Cambodia, Soko, and Manu.
• Nuku, along with Soliantu, Yin Yang, Kasama, and Solarrion are the only tribes whose highest and lowest placing members have won the game, excluding tribes in Winners at War.
  • Nuku is the only starting tribe out of all of them with this distinction.
• After Jeff's elimination, Nuku became the first post-switch tribe to contain only original members at some point during its existence. However, as mentioned above, all of them had switched tribes at the first switch, then returned to Nuku at the second switch.
• J.T. is the only original Nuku member to be voted out pre-merge.
• Nuku is the first tribe to not gain any new members after a tribe switch. After the second switch, all members of post-dissolve Nuku were already on the tribe at some point in the game.
• Nuku's camp was previously used as Ikabula's campsite in Millennials vs. Gen X.