| Survivor: Tocantins | |
|---|---|
| Season 18 | |
 Region 1 DVD cover | |
| Presented by | Jeff Probst |
| No. of days | 39 |
| No. of castaways | 16 |
| Winner | James "J.T." Thomas Jr. |
| Runner-up | Stephen Fishbach |
| Location | Jalapão, Tocantins, Brazil[1] |
| No. of episodes | 14 |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | February 12 – May 17, 2009 |
| Additional information | |
| Filming dates | November 2 – December 10, 2008 |
| Season chronology | |
Survivor: Tocantins – The Brazilian Highlands is the eighteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed in the microregion of Jalapão in Tocantins, Brazil, and first aired Thursday, February 12, 2009. CBS began casting for Survivor: Tocantins once production for Survivor: Gabon was underway. Applications were due by July 15, 2008, with in-person interviews being conducted in various cities sometime in August 2008, and semi-finalists traveling to Los Angeles, California sometime in September 2008. Sixteen applicants were chosen to compete on the show and were initially divided into two tribes. The season was filmed from November 1, 2008, to December 9, 2008. Exile Island returned this season, but with new twists. Instead of one castaway sent to Exile Island, two were sent. While on Exile Island, each exiled castaway picked from one of two urns. One urn contained a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol and an option to join the opposing tribe, while the other urn contained nothing.
James "J.T." Thomas Jr. was named the winner in the final episode on May 17, 2009, defeating Stephen Fishbach in a unanimous vote. In addition, J.T. was named "Sprint Player of the Season", earning the fans' vote over Tamara "Taj" Johnson-George and Sierra Reed. Thomas was the second player to win the game by a unanimous vote, following Earl Cole of Survivor: Fiji, but the first to receive no votes throughout the season in addition to a unanimous jury vote. This would be the last season to feature a final two until the twenty-eighth season, Survivor: Cagayan.
- ^ "More than 120 countries will get to know Jalapao's attractions" (Press release). Tocantins Government. December 18, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2009.