Still Unsure of What "Going to Rocks" Means on 'Survivor'? Here’s an Explainer

There’s a lot that goes on in a single season of Survivor. At the start, players are divided into tribes, competing as a team until their numbers dwindle and the game shifts to an individual competition. Throughout the season, contestants gather for Tribal Council.

Before the merge, the losing tribe must attend Tribal Council and secretly vote someone out.

Once the game shifts to an individual competition, all remaining players attend every Tribal Council until the jury ultimately votes for a winner in the Final Tribal Council.

During Tribal, anything can happen — alliances fall apart and sometimes, players are forced to "go to rocks." But what does that even mean? If you’re new to Survivor or just need a refresher, here’s an explainer.

"Going to rocks" happens when a Tribal Council vote results in a tie. First, everyone except the tied contestants revotes in the hopes that a majority decision is reached. If it's not, then the vote is considered a deadlock. The non-tied contestants must then come to a unanimous decision about which of the tied contestants to send home.

If a unanimous decision can’t be made, the tied contestants are then granted Immunity, and all remaining non-tied contestants must draw rocks from a bag. The person who draws the odd-colored rock is the one sent home.

It might seem unfair at this point to make the non-tied contestants draw for their fate, but hey, that’s how it goes when the tie can’t be broken.

It’s rare for Survivor contestants to go to rocks, but it’s definitely happened in the past!

Only a handful of Survivor seasons featured a "going to rocks" moment, including Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, which premiered in September 2016 and ended in December 2016. Jessica Lewis was the unlucky one to draw a rock after a deadlock vote between Zeke Smith and Hannah Shapiro.

In Survivor: Marquesas Season 2, Paschal English was eliminated as a result of a rock draw, despite being widely liked by the tribe.

Another instance of "going to rocks" occurred during Survivor: Blood vs. Water Season 27, when Katie Voigt drew the odd-colored rock and was sent home.

It's definitely not the ideal way to leave Survivor, so it’s crucial that tribes work together to eliminate one person or reach an agreement when a tie occurs.