How Many ‘Survivor’ Records Did Karishma Patel Break on ‘Island of the Idols?’
After Karishma Patel became the first woman to successfully play a hidden immunity idol since Kelley Wentworth (Survivor: Cambodia), she quickly became the favorite to win the season. How many Survivor records has she broken?
THIS ARTICLE REVEALS SPOILERS FROM SURVIVOR: ISLAND OF THE IDOLS EPISODE 12
Karishma Patel’s story on ‘Survivor: Island of the Idols’
From the first day, Karishma Patel never quite fit in with her other tribemates. In Episode 3, she explained to the viewers in a confessional that being on the show would force her to do things the Indian community would look down on. However, the personal injury lawyer did them anyway to prevent herself from getting voted off the island.
Because of Patel’s inability to perform well in challenges or help out around camp, her Lairo tribemates targeted her, but she escaped every time. A tribe swap a few episodes later saved her, and she immediately flipped to Vokai to further her game. Patel opened up about her marriage to her new tribemates and admitted she felt they were more like roommates than husband and wife.
In Episode 10, the personal injury lawyer found a hidden immunity idol and realized how much her husband loves her after feeling so unaccepted on the island. Host Jeff Probst called this scene “one of the most powerful” of the season because she clearly gained momentum after reaching that clarity.
In the same episode, she positioned herself as a swing vote and eliminated physical and strategic threat Missy Byrd, even though some argue she should have gotten rid of possible winner Tommy Sheehan.
For the next Tribal Council, Patel successfully played her idol, negating seven votes against her, and sent home another physical threat and Byrd’s last ally, Elizabeth Beisel.
Then, she reconnected with her husband at the loved one’s visit before her tribemates voted her out that night in one of the most lively Tribal Councils the show has had.
Karishma Patel was a favorite to win ‘Survivor: Island of the Idols’
When Patel’s journey first began on Survivor, fans didn’t know what to think of her. She didn’t do much or fit in, so they assumed she was a goat. However, their perception changed after she found the hidden immunity idol and eliminated Byrd. Fans began calling her “Queen Karishma” online.
Viewers rallied behind the personal injury lawyer as she stayed loyal to fan-favorite Janet Carbin and didn’t have anything to do with the Dan Spilo situation. Her fandom intensified the next episode when she correctly played her idol, negating seven votes against her and sent Byrd’s other ally to the Jury.
When her tribemates finally voted her out on Episode 12, fans claimed their “Applebee’s queen” had been robbed. They wanted someone to take Patel to the Final Tribal Council as a perceived “goat,” because her underdog story could have earned her the Sole Survivor title and million dollars.
Which ‘Survivor’ records did Karishma Patel break?
Over the course of Survivor: Island of the Idols, Patel has had 22 votes cast against her which is the most in any single season. She’s also tied for the most times the same person (Dean Kowalski) has voted against her in a single season with Jane Bright and Marty Piombo (Survivor: Nicaragua) at five times.
Finally, Patel is the first Indian-American contestant the show has ever cast. She broke two records during her time on Survivor. Watch Survivor: Island of the Idols Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.
