Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Darden Survivor: Who Will Outwit, Outlas...

Younge, Ayana, McB...

Case

Darden Survivor: Who Will Outwit, Outlast, and Outplay? (A)

Younge, Ayana; McBride, Keegan; Thorne, Montgomery; Kemp, Bianca

OB-1486 | Published April 3, 2025 | 14 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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In this field-based case, two Darden School of Business students and superfans of the show Survivor create their own extracurricular version of the game, retaining key elements such as alliances, blindsides, hidden immunity idols, and tribe switches. At the start of the quarter, 16 students are broken into two tribes that compete in weekly immunity challenges over 12 weeks. Winning tribes are safe for a week; losing tribes attend tribal council, where one player is voted out. Ultimately, only one player can win the grand prize and title of sole survivor at the end—who will it be? At the time of this case (week 11 of 12), five players remain: Cabell, Elizabeth, Shannon, Tara, and Vish. Tribal council is beginning in minutes, and Shannon—after receiving some surprising news from Tara that morning and discussing it with her allies, Cabell and Elizabeth—is now uncertain of her position. Should she vote to eliminate Tara or Vish? "Darden Survivor: Who Will Outwit, Outlast, and Outplay? (A)" explores authenticity, relationships, power, strategy, and trust. It works well in organizational behavior courses on communication, emotional intelligence, relationship management, and other related topics.