History & Trivia
Purple Tribes in Survivor History: Does Savu's Color Mean Anything?
By Survivor Tribes · · Updated · 4 min read
In this story
Lillian
Cirie
John
Rob
Photos: CBS
Cast photos: Robert Voets/CBS
Savu, one of Survivor 51's two tribes, wears purple. It is the 21st purple tribe in the history of CBS's Survivor. Of the 14 purple starting tribes before it, six produced the season's winner, including Parvati in Micronesia, Cochran in Caramoan and Kenzie in Survivor 46. That is about what chance would predict: no purple curse, and no purple blessing.
Why tribe colors matter at all
Survivor's tribe colors are more than decoration. Every castaway wears a buff in their tribe's color, the tribes compete under those colors, and fans remember seasons by them. When the tribes merge, the new tribe gets a new color, and sometimes it is purple too.
In Survivor 51, Savu is purple and Toka is yellow. Savu, a Fijian word for waterfall, won the season's first immunity challenge, then lost the second and voted out Ana Sani on Day 5.
Every purple tribe in US Survivor
| Season | Tribe | Type | Best finish from the tribe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand (5) | Sook Jai | Starting | Jake Billingsley, 6th |
| Pearl Islands (7) | The Outcasts | Temporary | Lillian Morris, runner-up |
| Panama (12) | Casaya | Starting | Cirie Fields, 4th |
| Fiji (14) | Bula Bula | Merged | Earl Cole, winner |
| Micronesia (16) | Malakal | Starting | Parvati Shallow, winner |
| Samoa (19) | Galu | Starting | Brett Clouser, 4th |
| Redemption Island (22) | Zapatera | Starting | Mike Chiesl, 6th |
| Caramoan (26) | Bikal | Starting | John Cochran, winner |
| Blood vs. Water (27) | Kasama | Merged | Tyson Apostol, winner |
| Cagayan (28) | Solana | Starting | Jefra Bland, 7th |
| Millennials vs. Gen X (33) | Takali | Starting | Ken McNickle, runner-up |
| Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers (35) | Solewa | Merged | Ben Driebergen, winner |
| Ghost Island (36) | Naviti | Starting | Wendell Holland, winner |
| David vs. Goliath (37) | Jabeni | Starting | Mike White, runner-up |
| Island of the Idols (39) | Vokai | Starting | Tommy Sheehan, winner |
| Survivor 42 (42) | Kula Kula | Merged | Maryanne Oketch, winner |
| Survivor 44 (44) | Tika | Starting | Yam Yam Arocho, winner |
| Survivor 46 (46) | Yanu | Starting | Kenzie Petty, winner |
| Survivor 47 (47) | Beka | Merged | Rachel LaMont, winner |
| Survivor 48 (48) | Lagi | Starting | Eva Erickson, runner-up |
| Survivor 51 | Savu | Starting | To be decided |
Tika, Survivor 44's purple starting tribe. The season's winner, Yam Yam Arocho, came from it.
CBS
A merged tribe always contains the winner, because by the end of a season everyone left is on it. So the five purple merged tribes say nothing about luck. The starting tribes are the real test.
Is purple lucky?
Of the 14 purple starting tribes before Savu, six included the eventual Sole Survivor, and three more produced the runner-up.
Purple's record sits between the odds of a two-tribe and a three-tribe start.
Survivor Tribes
That sounds impressive until you set it against the odds. In a season that starts with two tribes, any tribe has about a 50% chance of holding the winner. In a three-tribe season, about 33%. Purple's six out of fourteen, about 43%, sits right between the two. The honest answer is that purple is neither a curse nor a charm.
Purple's best stories
- Bikal, Caramoan: the Favorites tribe of returning players, and the tribe of John Cochran, who went on to play one of only two perfect games in the show's history.
- Tika and Yanu, Survivors 44 and 46: two purple tribes, two winners, in three seasons.
- Casaya, Panama: Cirie Fields' first season. She finished fourth after losing a final-four fire-making tiebreaker, one of the moments that made her a fan favorite.
- The Outcasts, Pearl Islands: the strangest purple tribe of all, made up of already-eliminated castaways who were brought back into the game, and the tribe that sent Lillian Morris all the way to the final two.
- John CochranBikal; one of two perfect games
- Cirie FieldsCasaya; finished fourth in Panama
- Lillian MorrisThe Outcasts; reached the final two
Photos: CBS
What it means for Savu
Purple history says nothing about Savu's chances. What matters is what happened on day one: Savu won the first immunity challenge, is down to nine players after Ana Sani's boot, and has Rob holding a hidden immunity idol with no conditions attached. That is a better omen than any color.
Ori Jean-Charles, one of Savu's ten, on Day 1.
Robert Voets/CBS
If you know your buffs, test yourself with daily Survivor trivia.
Cast photos: Robert Voets/CBS
Quick answers
- What color is Savu on Survivor 51?
- Savu wears purple. Its rival tribe, Toka, wears yellow. Savu is a Fijian word meaning waterfall.
- Has a purple tribe ever won Survivor?
- Yes. Six purple starting tribes produced the season's winner: Malakal (Parvati Shallow), Bikal (John Cochran), Naviti (Wendell Holland), Vokai (Tommy Sheehan), Tika (Yam Yam Arocho) and Yanu (Kenzie Petty).
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Sources (2)
- “Category:Purple Tribes,” Survivor Wiki, accessed October 5, 2026, https://survivor.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Purple_Tribes.
- “Savu,” Survivor Wiki, accessed October 5, 2026, https://survivor.fandom.com/wiki/Savu.
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