The contestants arrived and finds themselves split by gender into the male Tambaqui tribe and the female Jaburu tribe. The teams square off in the first immunity challenge, which the women win. The first contestant eliminated from the competition is Ryan Aiken.
The men find the women dispirited by a downpouring of rain and the divisions caused when one of the women is found to have been hiding granola bars. When the men win immunity, Janet Koth finds herself being sent home.
The women win the rewards challenge and get some well-needed soap and shampoo. Some of the women go topless so the men will see them and possibly not vote against them later. When the men lose the immunity challenge, they send Daniel Lue home.
Alex gets injured just before Dave and Jenna are forced to blend the genders of the tribe. With some men now in the Jaburu tribe, a sick Shawna suddenly perks up. Jeanne Hebert is eliminated from the competition.
A possible love triangle forms when Matthew takes a liking to Shawna despite her affections for Alex. Christy manages to save herself from elimination during the rewards challenge. The Tambaqui tribe wins the immunity challenge of eating the most piranha meat with their hands behind their backs. During the tribal council, Shawna Mitchell is eliminated.
After winning the reward of a feast and a trip, the men leave Matthew behind on his own. Shawna falls ill, leaving many of her fellow tribe members to speculate who to vote for. The men win immunity, so the women send home JoAnna Ward.
The tribes are merged into the new Jacare tribe. Alex finds himself a bit lost with Shawna having been sent home. During the rewards challenge Heidi and Jenna resort to stripping naked to win food. Deena wins individual immunity, so the tribe opts to vote out Roger Sexton.
Dave wins the rewards challenge and brings Deena with him for a bath and ice cream, but their enjoyment pits others against them. Jenna wins the immunity challenge. Dave Johnson finds himself the first member of the jury when he is eliminated.
Alex manages to win the rewards challenge and gets to visit a cafe. He brings Jenna with him to enjoy it. Deena finds her days numbered when she starts to plot against Alex. Matt wins the immunity challenge, so the tribe votes Deena Bennett out of the competition.
A recap of the season so far, including unseen footage.
The tribe members compete for letters from home. Rob wins the immunity challenge. During the tribal council, Alex Bell is eliminated from the competition.
Rob's strategies during the game are revealed by Jenna to the others. Jenna wins the immunity challenge, but instead gives the reward to Heidi, saving her another tribal council. Christy Smith is eliminated from the game.
A fire rages through the Jacare camp, destroying everything in its path. Reeling from the disaster, Matthew manages to win the immunity challenge. Without immunity, Heidi Strobel finds herself sent home.
Things intensify with the final four being Jenna, Matthew, Rob, and Butch. The men plot to eliminate Jenna, but then she wins both immunity challenges. First Butch Lockley and then Rob Cesterino are eliminated from the competition. Then Jenna Morasca beats out Matthew von Ertfelda for the title of "Survivor."