The 18 new castaways arrived in Fiji to begin Survivor 44.

• Reward Challenge: Pairs of tribe members raced under obstacles in the sand to collect puzzle pieces, and then repeated until each player had gone once. Afterwards, two tribe members used those pieces to complete a block puzzle before trying to remove three large rings from a tall pole. The first tribe to finish won flint, while the second tribe to finish had their choice of either a "Savvy" or "Sweat" challenge to complete for their supplies, leaving the last tribe with whatever option was not chosen.

Soka won the challenge and Ratu finished second. The challenge was briefly stopped to tend to Bruce after he injured his head, but he was cleared to continue. However, he was pulled from the game later that night. At Ratu, the tribe elected to complete the "Sweat" challenge, with Brandon and Matthew dragging a net between two stations transporting coconuts. At Tika, Helen and Carson successfully completed the "Savvy" challenge. All three tribes also found a locked cage at their camp with a mystery advantage inside.

The next day, boats arrived at each tribe's beach to take one member to a summit; Lauren, Matt, and Sarah were chosen. They were individually given a 1-in-3 chance at an advantage; guessing wrong meant losing their vote at the next Tribal Council, but they could elect to pick twice. Sarah lost one vote but received an "Inheritance" advantage to secretly inherit all advantages and idols played at one Tribal Council; Matt lost two consecutive votes; and Lauren received a "Bank Your Vote" advantage, giving her the option to give up her vote at one Tribal Council in exchange for an extra vote to be used in the future. During the summit, Ratu decided to search for the key to their cage; Brandon found it and elected to publicly open the cage and retrieve the advantage, which was a hidden immunity idol along with a fake one. Matthew also injured his shoulder while attempting to climb a jagged rock.

• Immunity Challenge: Tribes paddled boats around distant buoys in the ocean before jumping into the water to retrieve a large chest on the sea floor. After hauling it ashore, tribe members pulled it across a ramp and then opened it for a key, which they used to unlock puzzle pieces and solve a giant sliding block puzzle. The first two tribes to finish won immunity, while the losing tribe had to forfeit their flint.

Soka and Tika won immunity. During the challenge, Brandon was temporarily pulled by the medical team due to heat exhaustion and Matthew learned from Claire that Lauren may have lied about what she got from the summit. Back at Ratu, Matthew shared this information with the tribe and many agreed to target Lauren; however, the women secretly wanted to blindside Brandon to flush his idol, bringing in Kane to help. At Tribal Council, Lauren elected to use her Bank Your Vote advantage, while Matthew and Jaime played their Shot in the Dark; Jaime's succeeded. Brandon played his idol, negating two votes against him, and his lone vote sent Maddy home.

Brandon's trust in Kane diminished after finding out he was the other player that voted against him. At Soka, Matt felt drawn to Frannie, opening up the truth of how he lost his next two votes. Meanwhile, when everyone was not looking, Danny found the key to the tribe's caged idol. After grabbing the real idol, he placed the fake idol back in the bag, just before Claire and Matt went to investigate. At Tika, Carolyn likewise found the key to the cage but left the package open, resulting in everyone suspecting each other of opening it, not suspecting Carolyn whatsoever.

• Immunity/Reward Challenge: Tribe members raced over a wooden obstacle before untying sandbags searching for a ball. Once found, one tribe member scaled up a tower to release rope, which remaining members pulled to raise a bridge so the member could cross and open it for the rest of the tribe. Afterwards, tribes raced to the finish, where one member used the ball to complete a vertical snake maze. The first two tribes won immunity along with large and small fishing gear rewards respectively, while the losing tribe had to forfeit their flint.

Ratu and Soka won the challenge. The alliance of Carson, Helen, and Sarah agreed to vote out Carolyn (though Sarah was without a vote), while Carolyn and Yam Yam tried to convince Carson to blindside Helen. At Tribal Council, Carolyn declined to play her idol and Carson flipped, sending Helen home.

Carson admitted to Sarah that he flipped, but still wanted to work with her, though Sarah was skeptical. At Ratu, Jaime discovered an idol with Matthew, but Matthew revealed via a confessional that it was a fake and that he had found the real idol prior. At Soka, Matt and Frannie's connection continued, leading the other four to align against them. Matt found the key Danny hid and fell for the ruse after Danny had placed the parchment saying it was an idol back in the bag; Danny proceeded to tell the tribe that Matt found the idol.

• Immunity/Reward Challenge: Tribe members swam out to a large wooden cube in the ocean, which they navigated through the water to two poles and collected keys off metal spirals. Ashore, tribes dug under a log and used one of the keys of unlock a rotating platform, where they solved a colored box puzzle so the boxes stacked without any repeating colors on any side. The first two tribes to finish won immunity, as well as large and small tool kits and fruit platters respectively, while the losing tribe had to forfeit their flint.

Claire volunteered to sit out a third consecutive challenge, and Ratu and Tika won. The tribe agreed to vote out Claire for her lack of contribution at camp and in challenges, but Frannie secretly considered a girls' alliance alongside Matt to blindside Josh, who had not approached many people strategically. At Tribal Council, Claire played her Shot in the Dark, which failed, and she was voted out unanimously (with Matt unable to vote).

Josh believed himself to be in the middle of two alliances (Danny & Heidi and Matt & Frannie), but the four of them planned to target him next. At Tika, the idol cage had a makeshift "X" mark in it, while another one was hidden, revealed to be Carolyn's work. Sarah ultimately found the fake idol after locating the other mark.

• Reward Challenge: One tribe member at a time climbed a structure and hit a faraway target with sandbags using a slingshot. The first two tribes to hit all five targets won large and small tarps respectively, with the first placing tribe also getting to choosing which members from each tribes got to attend the summit.

Soka and Ratu won reward. Carson, Jaime, and Josh were sent to the summit. Each of them was given an idol that was good until all surviving castaways were living together on one beach, but all three also learned that they were forced to switch to a different tribe. Carson went to Ratu, Jaime to Soka, and Josh to Tika. At Ratu, Matthew told Carson that Jaime found an idol in front of him, leaving out that it was a fake. At Soka, Danny searched Jaime's bag to see if she had any advantages but came up empty. At Tika, Sarah figured Josh was a surgeon due to an earlier comment about needing to have steady hands, but Josh told his new tribemates that he was a personal trainer, which led to their distrust of him.

• Immunity Challenge: One tribe member at a time traversed an obstacle course in the ocean, jumping to retrieve keys in the process. After retrieving all their keys, tribes unlocked pieces to a manta ray jigsaw puzzle. The first two tribes to solve their puzzle won immunity, while the losing tribe had to forfeit their flint.

Soka and Ratu won immunity. Yam Yam directed a plan to vote out Josh with Carolyn as the decoy vote, but that did not sit well with Carolyn, so she and Josh contemplated making a move against Sarah using Josh's idol that he told Carolyn about. At Tribal Council, Josh played the idol on himself to negate two votes, and Carolyn joined him in blindsiding Sarah, leaving Yam Yam shocked.

Yam Yam and Josh were in conflict over the vote, but bonded later due to their respective coming out stories. Josh also told Yam Yam he had another idol (really a fake) and showed him the note from his journey. At Ratu, Matthew's shoulder injury was not improving, while Carson and Kane bonded. At Soka, Jaime tried to align with Frannie.

• Immunity Challenge: Three tribe members were tethered together with ropes and navigated across several wooden obstacles, before filling a pot with water, crossing a seesaw and emptying it into a bucket, then running back and crossing again until they had emptied enough to drop a barrier. Once through, two tribe members navigated three balls through a table maze, attempting to lad them all in different holes. The first two tribes to finish won immunity, with the first placing tribe getting to choose which member from each tribe went on a journey, and the last place tribe having to forfeit their flint.

Ratu and Soka won the challenge, with Jeff asking Matthew to stay behind so medical could examine his shoulder. Brandon, Danny, and Carolyn were chosen for the journey, and they got to enjoy a small food reward. Brandon and Danny bonded, making Carolyn feel excluded. She immediately mouthed to Yam Yam that she was on board with him against Josh (due to Brandon and Danny wanting to include Josh in their newly formed "strong guys" alliance) and told him the note Josh had was the same one he showed her before the previous Tribal Council. Yam Yam was torn on who to side with, but Jeff arrived at Tika shortly before Tribal Council saying Matthew had decided to leave the game due to his injury. Thus, Tribal Council was cancelled for that night.

All three tribes received treemail to convene at Ratu's beach, ending the tribal stage of the game and rendering Carson and Jaime's summit idols useless. Josh's claim that he had an idol circulated around the tribe, with some questioning the validity of his claim.

• Immunity Challenge: Divided into two teams of six by random draw, team members raced to unearth a large boulder before navigating it through a series of obstacles, standing on it when necessary to grab a key, which they used after they scaled to a top of a tower to unlock puzzle pieces and assemble a tree puzzle. The first team to complete the puzzle won immunity at the next Tribal Council, the new merged tribe buffs and a merge feast reward.

Brandon, Carolyn, Carson, Frannie, Jaime, and Matt won the challenge. Carolyn's attempt to convince her teammates that Josh's idol was fake fell on deaf ears, and a plan to vote out Josh with Kane as a backup was formed. Carson told Kane that his name came up, raising red flags with his allies, while Josh tried to recruit allies to vote out Yam Yam. At Tribal Council, most of the tribe voted out Josh, and the remaining 11 were officially merged.

At the merged tribe, Va Va (a name coined by Yam Yam for the Fijian meaning of '44'), Brandon revealed to Matt that the birdcage had a real and a fake idol, leading Matt to deduce the one he had was fake and that Danny had set him up at Soka.

• Immunity Challenge: Divided into two teams of five by random draw (with one odd castaway getting to pick their team), castaways stood on a narrow platforms while balancing a ball at the end of a long pole. At regular intervals, they would move onto narrower parts of the beam, making it harder to balance. If castaway dropped their ball or stepped off the platform, they would be eliminated from the challenge. The longest-lasting castaway from each team won immunity, with the longest-surviving castaway overall winning a peanut butter and jelly sandwich reward for their team, as well as group immunity, letting that group spectate the upcoming Tribal Council while not voting.

Frannie outlasted Brandon to win immunity for herself, Carolyn, Danny, Heidi, and Kane; Carson also won due to correctly predicting the winning team after drawing the odd rock. Brandon also won immunity as the last one standing from his team. The losing team was exiled to Soka's beach, where Matt felt vulnerable due to leaving his bag at the merged camp. The Ratu majority of Brandon, Jaime, and Lauren were in control, leaving Yam Yam and Matt to plead their cases. The winning team received a note saying a new advantage was hidden in a birdcage with several keys scattered around the jungle; Heidi found the correct key leading her to a "Control a Vote" advantage; she would pick someone at the upcoming Tribal Council and direct them to cast a vote for whoever she wanted.

At Tribal Council, Heidi used her advantage to have Lauren vote against Yam Yam; upon Lauren asking, Jeff confirmed that Lauren's extra vote would be her own to cast if she chose to play it. However, she chose to hold onto her advantage, and Brandon and Jaime sided with Yam Yam to send Matt to the jury.

Frannie was left devastated after Matt's elimination. Carson woke up feeling ill the next morning while Danny sought to break up the Ratu alliance by targeting Lauren and flushing her extra vote. Treemail on Day 15 instructed the castaways to divide into pairs for the next immunity challenge.

• Immunity Challenge: The five pairs would maneuver themselves through a tangled net one-at-a-time, then dig up three planks from a sand pit. The first four pairs to do this used those planks to cross a rope bridge. The first two pairs to make it across made it to the final round, where they would compete as individuals. The final four stood on narrow footholds, and at regular intervals, the footholds would get narrower. The last person left standing won immunity.

Lauren won immunity, outlasting Danny and thwarting his plan. The vote came down to Ratu vs. Soka, with Tika in the middle; Ratu targeted Frannie while Soka targeted Brandon. Danny told his allies about his idol and planned to play it for Frannie, but Heidi leaked this to Carson and Yam Yam, causing chaos for the Soka alliance. At Tribal Council, Carson and Yam Yam voted for Frannie, but Carolyn deviated to join Soka; Danny played his idol on Frannie to negate six votes, and a blindsided Brandon was sent to the jury.

Kane and Danny began searching for a new idol; the rest of the tribe soon joined them, and it was found by Heidi. Treemail alluded to a negotiation for rice, and though Danny tried to convince everyone to compete, Carson had other ideas.

• Immunity Challenge: Castaways stood with one leg on a narrow perch, bracing a ball with a handle against a narrow piece of wood. If a castaway stepped down or dropped their ball, they'd be eliminated from the challenge. The last standing player won immunity. At the challenge, Jeff offered a large bag of rice to the tribe if four players would sit out, sacrificing their own chance at immunity.

Carson, Lauren, Kane, and Heidi sat out, giving the tribe the rice. Frannie outlasted Danny for immunity. The Ratu alliance planned on bringing in Tika to split the vote between Danny and Heidi, then passed their advantages along in case of a potential Knowledge is Power being played. Lauren gave her extra vote to Jaime so that she could cast twice against Heidi, while Jaime gave her fake idol to Kane, still believing it to be real. Frannie tried to convince Danny to align with Ratu to blindside one of the Tika trio, which Danny was not receptive to. At Tribal Council, last minute strategic confirmations initiated a live tribal. Jaime used the extra vote, but it was for naught as Soka and Tika joined forces to send Kane to the jury with Jaime's fake idol in his pocket.

Frannie and Jaime were frustrated about being left out of the Kane vote. Carson lied to Jaime that Kane told others about her idol.

• Reward Challenge: Castaways spun on a metal frame to drag a buoy past a marker, before crossing a balance beam while dizzy, attempting to untie and collected two balls. Once through, players raced to the finish, where they attempted to land both balls on top of a raised trough. The first castaway to finish won a trip to the sanctuary, which included a Mexican themed meal, a night's stay with amenities as well as letters from home.

Frannie won reward and selected Carolyn, Lauren, and Heidi to join her. They enjoyed their food and letters from home while discussing a possible Danny blindside. Back at camp, Jaime told the others that her "idol" went home with Kane, but they did not believe her.

• Immunity Challenge: Castaways, with their arms bound and feet tethered together wriggled over mounds of sand while using their mouth to bite a ring and drag a buoy along the way. Once they had reached their mats, they unbound their hands and maneuvered the buoy through a rope course to the finish, where they untied puzzle pieces and completed a star puzzle. The first castaway to finish their puzzle won immunity.

Carson won immunity. Danny proposed that they target Frannie due to her strength in challenges, and a plan was formed to split the vote with Jaime to flush her idol. Yam Yam and Carson schemed to target Frannie without telling Carolyn the plan, fearing that they had grown too close. Carolyn suggested flipping the vote onto Heidi, but at Tribal Council, Frannie was sent to the jury, leaving Carolyn and Heidi in the dark.

Carolyn was upset with Carson and Yam Yam over leaving her out of the Frannie vote but made up with them the next morning. Danny started making moves to eliminate one of the Tika trio with Yam Yam as his first target.

• Immunity Challenge: Castaways hung underneath a grated steel barricade in the ocean as the tide rose. As the challenge wore on, it would give them less room to breathe, making it more difficult. If a player surfaced from the grate, they would be eliminated from the challenge. The last castaway remaining won immunity.

Yam Yam won immunity, forcing Danny to target Carson instead. Carolyn felt uneasy that her ally might go home, so she told Carson about her idol and mulled playing it for him to eliminate Danny. At Tribal Council, Carolyn got into a minor argument with Danny and Lauren over gameplay. She then played her idol for Carson to negate two votes against him, and though the remaining Ratus voted against Heidi in case of an idol, the Tika trio sent Danny to the jury (with Carolyn's vote crossing out Lauren's name).

Carolyn confessed to finding the Tika idol on the second day and covering her tracks, causing the other players to realize that she was a stronger player than they thought. The next morning, Jaime woke up early to look for an idol; Carson saw her and recruited Carolyn to look for it as well. Heidi also joined in the search, despite already having an idol of her own.

• Reward Challenge: In teams of three, two blindfolded players maneuvered a third teammate suspended within a giant ball through an obstacle course. That player then directed their blindfolded teammates to solve a table maze. First trio to finish the maze won a trip to the Survivor Sanctuary for food and other luxuries.

Carson, Lauren, and Yam Yam won reward. At the Sanctuary, Carson and Yam Yam promised Lauren that they were willing to vote out Carolyn, and Yam Yam privately considered it. Back at camp, Jaime attempted to convince Carolyn to flip on her Tika allies, but Carolyn told Carson about this immediately when he returned, swearing her loyalty.

• Immunity Challenge: Players balanced a ball on a small platform by holding ropes to steady it. At intervals, players had to step further back, making it more difficult to balance the platform. Last player with their ball standing won immunity.

Lauren won immunity. Carolyn attempted to convince Heidi to vote for Jaime, which Heidi considered in order to save her idol and secure her safety. However, Carson and Yam Yam considered flipping on Carolyn, believing she was a bigger jury threat despite being a valuable ally. At Tribal Council, Heidi played her idol, despite receiving zero votes. Carolyn received two votes, surprising her, but the Tika alliance held strong and Jaime was sent home.

Jeff then informed the final five that they would be traveling to a new beach to start over from scratch, but anticipating this, the players had brought all their supplies from camp.

The final five players arrived at their new island and celebrated making the finale. All five searched for an idol or an advantage through the night and morning, but found nothing. Lauren and Heidi believed Carson was the biggest threat remaining and attempted to convince Yam Yam and Carolyn to vote him out.

• Immunity Challenge: Players raced through an obstacle course collecting keys, which they used to unlock a chest to lower a ladder, then climbed the ladder to solve a block puzzle. First person to solve the puzzle won immunity and a trip to the Survivor Sanctuary for a food reward.

Carson won immunity, and elected to take Yam Yam with him to the Sanctuary. They discussed whether to target Lauren or Carolyn, while back at camp, the girls contemplated whether to target Yam Yam. Upon returning to camp, Yam Yam sensed tension from the others and realized he was in danger. However, at Tribal Council, Carolyn remained Tika loyal, and Lauren was voted out.

• Immunity Challenge: With one hand tied behind their backs, players dropped a ball into a spinning track with a turnstile at the middle, depositing the ball at alternate exits. Players must then catch the ball and return it into the track, adding additional balls at intervals. Last player not to drop any of their balls won immunity.

Heidi outlasted Carson to win immunity. She was unsure of what she was going to do that night, and all players practiced firemaking that afternoon, with Carson struggling the most. At Tribal Council, Heidi chose to send herself to firemaking against Carson.

• Fire Making Challenge: Heidi and Carson faced off and Heidi was very quick to start and build her fire while Carson struggled to get his to ignite. Carson finally was able to get a good fire going but was too late. Heidi set a record for building the fastest fire in Survivor fire challenges thus sending Carson to the jury.

The final three enjoyed a breakfast feast the final morning ahead of their Final Tribal Council. The jury grilled players on their social, strategic, and physical games. Heidi highlighted her risk-taking late in the game and how she used other players as shields to stay safe. Carolyn discussed her physical and mental struggles on the island, using her emotions as a strength rather than a weakness. Yam Yam took strategic credit for voting out people who voted for him and highlighted his social game, making bonds with each member of the jury. The jury voted 7-1-0 in favor of Yam Yam over Heidi and Carolyn, respectively, awarding him the million dollars and the title of Sole Survivor.

After the votes were read, Jeff and the players discussed the game while enjoying pizza and champagne in a special after-show segment.