The two tribes, Lairo and Vokai, were dropped off at their camps with no introduction by Jeff, and several members wondered about the "Island of the Idols" theme. At Lairo, Tom bonded with Elaine and Vince, and the other seven members agreed to align against them. Missy felt more secure in aligning with the women, so she told Elaine her name had been mentioned for elimination. Elaine's sense of humor caught the attention of her tribemates, especially Ronnie; he proceeded to propose an alliance with her (masking his true intention of voting her out first), but she distrusted him.

At Vokai, Janet led the tribe in making fire without flint. Jason quickly began searching for an idol, but Molly and Dan noted his absence from camp and targeted him. Jack bonded with Tommy, who subsequently bonded with several of his other tribemates. Kellee and Molly were put off by Dan's "touchy" behavior, voicing their concerns to Janet. Dan and Kellee later smoothed things over, though Kellee was still wary of Dan.

• Reward/Immunity Challenge: Tribe members climbed over a net and slid down a slide. One tribe member then used a grappling hook to lower a bridge. On the other side, the tribemates formed a human ladder for one person to drop two ropes, so that the rest of the tribe could meet them on top of the tower. There, three tribe members had to solve a village puzzle. The first tribe to assemble their puzzle correctly won immunity and flint.

Vokai ran away with the victory during the puzzle portion of the challenge. Jeff had a Lairo member randomly draw the name of a tribemate to be sent to the Island of the Idols; Elaine drew Elizabeth's name. Jeff also said Elizabeth would return in time for Tribal Council that night. At the Island of the Idols, an excited Elizabeth was greeted by Boston Rob and Sandra, who taught her how to make fire. Elizabeth made fire after struggling, then accepted an offer to take on Rob in a fire-making challenge for an idol good at the next two Tribal Councils. Elizabeth lost the duel and therefore, her vote as well. Before she left, Rob and Sandra told her to randomly draw a Vokai member's name (which remained unrevealed) to be the next visitor to the Island of the Idols.

Back at camp, Chelsea conferred with Elaine, Tom, and Vince, who targeted Ronnie. Elaine was targeted by some of the other tribe members, but after pledging her loyalty to them, Aaron targeted Vince instead. Elizabeth returned to camp and withheld the information about Rob and Sandra, as well as the fact that she lost her vote. At Tribal Council, Rob and Sandra watched the proceedings from a concealed alcove; Elaine continued to plead her case, while Ronnie made a case for tribe strength. Ultimately, Ronnie was blindsided by the rest of his tribe, sans Aaron and Elizabeth (the latter of whom cast no vote), becoming the first person eliminated from the game.

The aftermath of Lairo's first Tribal Council was tense, with Vince questioning why he received votes and Aaron expressing frustration about being left out of the loop. Missy reassured him that he would be safe, but Aaron was skeptical. The following day, Chelsea stumbled upon an idol while gathering firewood. At Vokai, Noura's quirky behavior was a concern to her tribemates, while Jack, Jamal, and Molly were tightly aligned. A boat came in to pick up Kellee for Island of the Idols, as her name had been drawn by Elizabeth previously. Upon arriving, Kellee was greeted by Rob and Sandra, who told her more about themselves and said that her test would determine how well she paid attention socially. Rob offered Kellee an idol good for two Tribal Councils if she could correctly answer 4 of 5 questions; her hesitance made Rob offer the idol for 3 councils if she could get 3 of 5 right. Kellee ultimately won the challenge, but at camp, she also kept Rob and Sandra a secret in favor of a lie about a choice between urns.

• Reward/Immunity Challenge: The teams swam to the ocean floor to release a ladder. They had to use it for a respective teammate to climb up and unhook a bag containing three balls. Once ashore, the tribe used the ladder as a bridge to a table, where one member had to land all 3 balls into targets. The first tribe to do so won immunity and spices.

Lairo won the challenge. The vote initially was a toss-up between Jason and Noura; Molly wanted Noura gone first, but Jamal saw Jason as a more dangerous player. Lauren saw an opportunity to target Molly for her perceived social prowess, roping in several tribe members, though Tommy was reluctant to make waves at the tribe's first vote. At Tribal Council, Jason and Noura both pled for their tribemates to spare them. Ultimately, Lauren’s plan came to fruition and Molly was voted out, leaving Jamal and Jack shocked.

Now in the minority of Vokai, Jack tried to reintegrate with his tribemates, while Jamal attempted to shift the target off himself by targeting Dan, though Janet grew wary of Jamal's scrambling. At Lairo, the men were wary of a women's alliance and attempted to align with Vince, who secretly wasn't on board. Karishma, who wasn't as keen on the women's alliance, accidentally cut her hand with the machete and felt alienated from the tribe afterwards. A boat came to pick up Vince for Island of the Idols, and after Vince left, Dean openly suggested splitting the vote in case Vince were to find an idol, which made Karishma paranoid. At the Island of the Idols, Rob and Sandra tested Vince's ability to remain calm under pressure by challenging him to sneak into Vokai's camp after dark to light a torch from their fire without being caught. Vince accepted the challenge, but due to rain which had put out Vokai's fire, resorted to taking ash from the fire pit instead, which satisfied Rob and Sandra. Vince was given an immunity idol good for his next two Tribal Councils.

• Reward/Immunity Challenge: One member from each tribe swam to a net to retrieve a key. This allowed their tribemates to meet them at a teeter-totter. Once up there, the tribes maintained their balance on the teeter while two members grabbed a bag of puzzle pieces on each side. They then used the key to unlock the remaining puzzle pieces inside a crate. The first tribe to solve the resulting fish puzzle won immunity plus comfort items and a tarp.

Vokai overtook Lairo in the puzzle to win the challenge. The women debated voting out Vince or Tom (due to wanting to keep Aaron and Dean around for challenges), while Vince told a paranoid Karishma to vote against Tom. At Tribal Council, Karishma whispered to some of her tribemates but was called out by Tom. Vince brought his idol but didn't play it, and the women stuck together to send him out of the game.

After narrowly surviving the vote, Karishma was still uneasy about her position in the tribe, while Aaron and Missy were concerned about a potential power couple in Dean and Chelsea. At Vokai, Jamal searched for an idol while his tribemates were occupied, which he eventually found. Unlike the previous visits to Island of the Idols, Vokai had to come to a unanimous agreement on whom to send, or else the tribe would randomly draw a name. Noura eventually volunteered; upon arriving, Rob and Sandra gave her a chance to prove her powers of persuasion by explaining the next immunity challenge would have one tribe member call out directions to others who would all be blindfolded; their challenge to Noura was to persuade her tribe to make her the caller. If successful, she would gain an advantage to block a tribemate from voting, or otherwise would lose her vote. She agreed instantly, but upon returning to camp, her disjointed explanations of why she should be the caller created distrust among the tribe.

• Reward/Immunity Challenge: One castaway from each tribe was their caller, directing their blindfolded tribemates to collect keys by pulling down a bucket of water. Once all three keys have been collected, the caller brought their tribe to a puzzle; they directed one blindfolded tribemate to solve the puzzle. The first to do so for their tribe won immunity plus an assortment of baked goods and caffeinated accessories (the reward component was not shown in the episode).

Vokai had Noura sit out. Lairo nearly came from way behind, but a mistake in the puzzle proved costly, and Vokai won the challenge. Aaron tried to convince his tribemates to vote out Dean to break up the "power couple", but several others wanted to vote out Karishma. Missy sensed that some of them were scared to turn on Dean so quickly, so she proposed voting out Chelsea instead. At Tribal Council, Missy's plan worked; Chelsea didn't play her idol and was blindsided with it in her pocket.

Dean questioned his tribemates over Chelsea's blindside, eventually deducing it was Missy who orchestrated the vote. Upon arriving at a challenge site, the tribes were randomly reshuffled; the new Lairo tribe consisted of Dean, Jack, Jamal, Janet, Karishma, Kellee, Noura, and Tom, while the new Vokai tribe consisted of Aaron, Dan, Elaine, Elizabeth, Jason, Lauren, Missy, and Tommy.

• Reward Challenge: Tribemates' arms and legs were bound together as they made their way over a sand hump. Over the hump were two more tribemates to repeat the process on two occasions. Once all three pairs finished the course, the last two tribemates completed a vertical fire puzzle. The first tribe to finish their puzzle won an Applebee's feast.

Vokai continued their challenge dominance even with new members. At Lairo, Dean and Tom respectively bonded with Kellee and Janet, while Karishma eagerly pled her loyalty to the five Vokai members. At Vokai, Elaine and Missy fake-fought to entertain their new tribemates, while Aaron bonded with Tommy in hopes that it would break the 4-4 stalemate in the tribe.

• Immunity Challenge: Castaways swam out to a giant ladder jutting out over the water, climbed it, leapt into the water, and dove down to retrieve buoys. They used the buoys to score three baskets. The first team to score three baskets won immunity.

Vokai won immunity again. Dean and Tom were willing to cut Karishma due to her weakness in challenges, while Vokai debated voting out a threat in Dean or Tom, or preserving tribe strength with them. Noura had lost her vote from her unsuccessful test at Island of the Idols, but Vokai still had a 4-3 majority in the tribe. At Tribal Council, Dean was left out of another vote as Tom was sent out of the game.

Despite being in a 5-2 majority, Noura approached Dean about turning against Jack and Jamal, but Dean was wary of her eagerness to flip. At Vokai, Aaron told Jason he was ready to jump ship to avoid going to rocks.

• Reward Challenge: Six members of each tribe pulled a sled with sandbags and one person on top. Once they are through the course, have collected a key, and unlocked a slingshot, the rider used it to knock down three targets. The first tribe to knock down all three targets won chickens.

Elaine was picked to sit out for Vokai, meaning she would also be sent to the Island of the Idols. Vokai won the challenge. At the Island, Elaine accepted Rob and Sandra's challenge before even hearing what it was. The two instructed her that she had to retrieve a vote-blocking advantage that was hidden at one of the stations at the upcoming immunity challenge without being caught; being caught or not retrieving the advantage would cause her to forfeit her vote at the next Tribal Council. At Lairo, Jack offhandedly mentioned the word "du-rag" in Jamal's presence, but immediately realized the ramifications of what he said. Jack offered an apology, which Jamal accepted.

• Immunity Challenge: Tribes dug under a cage, then transported it while attempting to gather five balls. Upon finishing the course, they threw the balls into five targets. The first tribe to score all five won immunity.

Elaine was able to snatch the advantage, and Lairo came from behind to win immunity. Elaine told Elizabeth, Aaron, and Missy about her advantage, but Aaron internally debated whether to flip. At Tribal Council, Elaine revealed her advantage, leading to whispering amongst the Lairo and Vokai alliances. Ultimately, Elaine blocked Jason's vote, and Aaron stayed loyal to his original tribe, sending Jason home.

Lauren felt betrayed by Missy, to whom she felt close, after her alliance's successful blindside of Jason. At Lairo, Noura tried to organize a girls' alliance against Jamal. Janet was selected for Island of the Idols; Rob and Sandra's challenge to her was to play a game to test her ability of calculated risk. If she won, she would receive an advantage where she could forgo any single Tribal Council up until the final seven (in which case she would be immune); if she lost the game, she would lose her vote. Janet decided not to play due to concern over being a future target because of the advantage. Back at Vokai, Tommy and Lauren tried to turn the Lairo members against Dan, but Missy saw through their scheme.

• Immunity Challenge: Tribe members tossed coconuts into a basket to ultimately make a tower of puzzle pieces to collapse. They used those heavy pieces to solve a puzzle that reveals the season's logo. The first tribe to correctly assemble the puzzle won immunity.

Vokai edged out Lairo as both tribes were placing the final piece of the puzzle. The Vokai majority plus Karishma agreed to vote out Dean, but Kellee got an idea to turn against Jamal or Jack using her idol. As that night was the last opportunity to play it, she discreetly gave the idol to Dean. At Tribal Council, Jamal voiced concerns of a potential girls' alliance, but Kellee took the comment as being sexist, leading to a healthy discussion about respect for women. When the time came to vote, Kellee voted against Dean to cover herself; Dean played the idol to negate 5 votes, but this prompted Jamal to play his idol on Noura. Jamal's idol went to waste, while Noura joined Dean in voting out Jack, who became the first member of the jury.

The episode concluded with a tribute to two-time contestant Rudy Boesch, who died the weekend prior to the episode's release.

Kellee located a hidden immunity idol on the Lairo beach, prior to both tribes receiving notice about the merge into Lumuwaku. At the celebratory merge banquet, Kellee met with Missy for the first time, discovering both had issues with how Dan behaved around them. This led to a long discourse between the merged tribe over Kellee's accusations against Dan, requiring production to speak with the contestants as a whole and individually, warning Dan about his behavior. In the meantime, Tommy talked to Janet and Kellee about aligning with Aaron, Missy, Elizabeth, and Elaine, but Kellee was skeptical because she felt those were the four most dangerous players in the game. Despite this, Kellee had bonded with Missy on the beach, to Tommy and Lauren's concern. Kellee decided not to vote out Dan for his behavior and put her feelings aside to target Missy. However, Lauren told Missy about the plan, causing Missy to believe Kellee was lying about Dan. Missy instructed Elizabeth to lie to Janet about Dan.

• Immunity Challenge: Each contestant had to hold up a board with three balls placed in holes along it. The board was held over spokes that would poke the balls out of the holes if lowered too far, and also had a latching mechanism to prevent the board from being raised. The last player with any balls remaining on their board won.

Aaron won the challenge, with Kellee targeting Missy as the biggest remaining threat, but decided to target Dan instead after Jamal and Janet agreed to. Kellee felt uneasy about Dan's calm demeanor before Tribal and searched for a merged tribe idol, which she found. At Tribal, the situation around Dan was discussed. Kellee opted not to play either idol, and while Dan received five votes, Missy's turn led to Kellee's elimination.

After Kellee's blindside, Dan quickly tried to learn why he was targeted by Missy, Elizabeth and Janet. Both Missy and Elizabeth admitted that they did not actually have any issues with him. Janet also apologized to her ally Dan, explaining that he had been targeted based on his reputation. Missy and Elizabeth gaslit Janet after everyone assumed the incident was made up by Kellee and Janet. The following morning, Janet found a new immunity idol. Near camp, Jamal saw a note and took it, finding that it would send him to the Island of the Idols. There, Rob and Sandra explained that by grabbing the note, he already lost his vote for the next Tribal Council, but gave him the opportunity to sabotage another player, giving him blank paper and pencil to write anything he wanted. He used the blank paper to create a fake Legacy Advantage, claiming that it could be played when there are 9 or 6 castaways remaining. Back at camp, Jamal claimed that he had found a special advantage that he had to write down and give another player, giving this to Dean. However, this painted more of a target on Jamal, as Dean and the rest of the tribe weren't convinced of Jamal's story.

• Immunity Challenge: Each contestant held a rope tether behind their backs while hanging over water, and had to stay in that position as long as possible. Periodically, the amount of rope was lengthened, making it more difficult to hold their position. Immunity was given to the last man and woman standing.

Aaron and Missy won immunity. Jamal, at the bottom of his alliance and without a vote, scrambled for some support before Tribal, while Janet became concerned she would be targeted. At Tribal, the situation from Dan and Kellee came up again, leading to a long discussion on appropriate behaviors. Janet even considered quitting due to Elizabeth and Missy's playing on Kellee's accusations against Dan, but was talked out of it. After the vote, Janet played the idol, but it was unnecessary as the tribe had sent Jamal to the jury with six votes to Janet's two and Karishma's three.

Karishma continued to struggle with the elements and at camp, but she discovered an idol. She lied about feeling ill to her tribemates, since they had her gather coconuts and she only had collected two in an hour.

• Reward/Immunity Challenge: The tribe was randomly divided into two groups: Aaron, Dan, Dean, Janet, Lauren, and Noura made up the purple group, while Elaine, Elizabeth, Karishma, Missy, and Tommy made up the orange group. Each castaway balanced on a beam while spinning a ball around a frame using centrifugal force. The last castaway left standing from each group won immunity, but the last one left standing overall won peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for their group, as well as the right for their group to visit Tribal Council last to view the results from the first one.

Noura won immunity on purple but immediately dropped out afterward in her elation, leading to orange winning reward; Elaine also won immunity. Several of the purple team members agreed to vote out Janet, but Aaron's name was also brought up due to his status as a physical threat. Dean was reluctant to expose himself as a physical threat by voting out Aaron, but at Tribal Council, he joined the rest of the group in sending Aaron to the jury.

Meanwhile on orange, Karishma and Missy clashed when the former felt bullied as they tried to talk strategy. Missy targeted Tommy due to his strategic and personal bond with Lauren, but Elaine came up with a plan to target Missy. At orange's Tribal Council, Karishma and Missy's conflict was brought up. Ultimately, Karishma joined Elaine and Tommy in blindsiding Missy from the game.

Dean grew concerned of a "goat" alliance banding together to take out threats, and he attempted to align with Tommy and Elizabeth. He also wrote his own fake legacy advantage to give his tribemates the perception that he'd get rid of the potentially real one Jamal gave him earlier. The tribe had to unanimously select a person for Island of the Idols or go to random draw; Lauren immediately volunteered, which upset Karishma, as she wanted to go. On the Island, Lauren's test was to predict the winner of the upcoming immunity challenge; Rob and Sandra told her about the challenge, which gave castaways the option to sit out and eat. Rob eventually offered to have Lauren pick two potential winners, and she chose Noura and Elizabeth. Lauren then told her tribemates about the challenge, attempting to get only Noura and Elizabeth to compete.

• Immunity Challenge: Castaways held a metal bar to keep an overhead ball in place. If the ball dropped, that castaway was eliminated. The last one standing won immunity, but castaways could give up their shot at immunity for a breakfast feast.

Elizabeth, Karishma, and Noura competed, with Noura outlasting Elizabeth for her second consecutive immunity win. Lauren received an idol good for the next two Tribal Councils for her correct prediction. The tribe considered voting out a threat in Elizabeth or an easy target in Karishma. Karishma attempted to rally Elizabeth to take out Dan, but Lauren overheard their conversation and foiled Karishma’s plan. This made Dan want to switch the target from Elizabeth to Karishma, which he expressed to his alliance. At Tribal Council, Dean played the fake legacy advantage he wrote, and Karishma played her idol. This prompted Lauren to play her idol, but no votes were cast against her. Seven votes against Karishma were negated, and a 1-1 tie between Elizabeth and Janet led to Elizabeth being unanimously sent to the jury on the revote.

On day 31, the castaways were met by their loved ones: Lauren's husband Matt, Tommy's girlfriend Nicole, Karishma's husband Drew, Noura's sister Lana, Janet's husband John, Dean's mother Lori, Dan's 13-year old son Ryan, and Elaine's girlfriend Tonya.

• Reward Challenge: Randomly divided into pairs, castaways completed an obstacle course from the water to the sand to ultimately toss a bag onto a small stand. The first pair to do this won time with their loved ones.

Janet and Tommy won reward; they selected Dan and Lauren, as well as their loved ones, to join them on reward. Those four players aligned and agreed to target Elaine first, while the four left at camp (Dean, Elaine, Karishma, and Noura) aligned as well, with Noura going on a tirade about not being chosen for the reward. The latter group targeted Lauren as the biggest social threat and searched for a new idol, which Elaine found in front of them.

• Immunity Challenge: Castaways stood on a small block while stabilizing a ball against an overhanging piece of wood. If at any point they lost their concentration or balance, their ball dropped, eliminating them. The last person left standing won immunity.

Lauren outlasted Elaine for immunity. Though Karishma was again targeted as an easy vote, a split-vote proposal opened the door for the four left out of the reward to orchestrate a blindside against Tommy, upon Elaine's suggestion. Noura's paranoia that Tommy may also have an idol made Dean uneasy about working with her, and at Tribal Council, he ultimately whispered to Tommy that Elaine, Noura, and Karishma had targeted him. This led to open whispering that culminated in Noura loudly revealing the alliance's plans, not to trust Dean, and that Elaine found an idol. Lauren grew frustrated that Noura had not told her alliance of this information before tribal, which prompted her, Dan, Janet, and Tommy to consider voting Noura out. With her idol exposed, Elaine was forced to play it, but the tribe had agreed to their initial plan of sending Karishma to the jury, with Noura receiving three votes after her outburst.

As retaliation against Dean for leaking the previous tribal's plan to Tommy, Noura hid Dean's shoes. The next morning, Janet, Tommy, Dean, and Elaine searched for a new idol, which Janet found and showed to Tommy. Dean saw them looking down at something and correctly surmised they had it. Elaine told Lauren that Tommy, Dan, and Dean could potentially be plotting a guys' alliance, and Tommy was indeed wary of Lauren's status as a social threat and sought to align with Dan and Dean.

The next person for Island of the Idols was to be selected by random draw; Janet drew Dean's name. When he arrived, he was offered a coin flip for one of three advantages of his choice: an idol nullifier, an extra vote, or an idol good for the next Tribal Council that couldn't be played for himself. Dean won and chose the idol nullifier. At camp, Dean told everyone he lost his vote, but privately told Tommy the truth, which concerned Tommy about Dean's surging gameplay.

• Immunity Challenge: Castaways spun themselves to unspool rope from around their waist, then had to cross a balance beam while dizzy. On the beam is a puzzle piece; once through the course, castaways had to solve a word puzzle. The first to do so won immunity.

Dean barely beat out Elaine for immunity. Elaine was nervous about being voted out and pitched her case to Lauren, while the majority targeted Elaine with Dan voting Noura as a backup in case any idols or advantages were played. At Tribal Council, an emotional Elaine opened up about her experience and was consoled by her tribemates. Though she again pled her case to stay, saying she would be a bigger target than other threats like Lauren and Janet, Elaine was sent to the jury.

The following morning, Jeff arrived at camp and informed the remaining castaways that Dan had been removed from the game after an undisclosed incident and would not serve on the jury.

The final five were instructed to pack their belongings and get on a boat for Island of the Idols. Rob and Sandra told them that would be their home for the rest of the game, but they had one last test for the players not disclosed to them. Tommy caught on and asked Dean for assistance due to being color-blind, but Dean followed the clues for himself and located an idol. During this, Dean and Tommy made a Final Two deal.

• Reward/Immunity Challenge: Castaways used a long stick to dislodge ropes that would be used as steps on a ladder. Once up the ladder, castaways had to navigate two balls through a table maze. The first to land both balls won immunity and a feast of steak, baked potatoes, and vegetables.

Dean won immunity and chose to share his reward with Noura, as a gesture of putting their differences aside. They made a final 2 deal, but unbeknownst to Noura, Dean had one with Tommy as well. Janet was targeted, but she tried to convince Tommy to turn on Lauren due to her strong social gameplay. Dean contemplated whether to play his idol nullifier, debating whether Lauren or Janet was a bigger threat for his game. At Tribal Council, Janet played her idol and Dean played his nullifier, and Janet was unanimously sent to the jury.

Tommy took Noura aside and tried to convince her that his firemaking skills were limited, in case Noura were to win final immunity; in reality, Tommy felt confident in his firemaking ability.

• Immunity Challenge: Castaways had to balance a stand while placing letters to spell out “Island of the Idols” without any typos or backwards letters. The first castaway to lock their stand in place with all letters correctly placed won immunity and the right to take one other castaway to the end with them.

Dean maintained a slight lead over Noura throughout the challenge, but dropped nearly every block late in the challenge. Noura held on to win her third immunity necklace. She began a long explanation of who she would take to the end with her, ultimately choosing Tommy; Lauren was offended that Noura said she was her “number 1” but was forcing her to make fire, leading to an argument during which Noura threatened to hide the machete. At Tribal Council, Noura indeed took Tommy to the end, citing that she needed someone to beat Lauren at fire. Dean won the firemaking challenge, making Lauren the final jury member.

At the Final Tribal Council, Tommy’s social game was praised, but he was questioned over the big moves he had made as opposed to Dean, who was praised for his immunity wins and finding advantages late in the game. However, Dean was called out by Tommy and Noura for riding coattails for much of the game and questioned over saying the line he wouldn’t cross was making final 2 deals (though he had done so numerous times). Noura wasn’t taken as seriously by the jury due to her perceived erratic and emotion-based gameplay.