Deep down, I’m sure you’ve wondered. When castaways are playing Survivor, what do they do when they need to go to the bathroom? The show has occasionally addressed it in the edit over the years, but now, we know the full story in graphic detail thanks to a recent contestant who answered the question on social media.
Loveable castaway Sophi Balerdi has been all over social media since the season ended, partially because fans love interacting with her and partially because of a scandal we’ll get to later. During one of these fan interactions, she was asked about how players use the bathroom. More specifically, she was asked what players do when they take a dump. Thankfully, she had a graphic answer for a graphic question.
In short, there are two different options. The first one is called Coconut Grove. At the beginning of the season, the players on the tribe pick a specific area that they designate the bathroom or Coconut Grove. When someone needs to go, they dig a hole in that designated area, do their business in the hole and then bury it. There’s no available toilet paper; so, they have to use leaves or they walk to the ocean afterwards to rinse off. Unfortunately, there’s always one concern in the back of everyone’s minds when using Coconut Grove.
I’ve heard before that people have dug up other people’s poop, which is kind of disgusting.
The second option is to use the ocean and take what is lovingly referred to as an aquadump. That’s exactly what it sounds like. You go into the ocean, pull your pants down and just do your business directly into the water. The upshot is the ocean cleans you so you don’t need toilet paper, but the downside is the ocean is extremely scary and dangerous at night and not an option for most of the players.
When Survivor first launched fifty seasons ago, stuff like this was what the show was actually about. Yes, the players voted out a contestant at the end of every episode, but that was treated mostly like the natural byproduct of all the things happening at camp. Each week, we got extended sequences about fishing and the interpersonal dynamics of who tended to which specific chores around camp. Nowadays, almost all of that is obscured by challenges and gamebot strategy of making big moves.
The hour and a half episodes have definitely helped give us a bit more about camp life, but the sequences are typically the cast members hanging out and being goofy or borderline maudlin confessionals about how doing something on the island like making fire or catching a fish has helped them overcome a mental block they’ve had deep down since they were kids. It’s not arguments about how long they should keep the rice on or what the best way to repair the hole in their tarp is.
As for Sophi B, she’s in a bit of an unusual situation. She finished second on Survivor 49 and was quite obviously the third most popular player on the season behind Savannah and Rizo who are returning as part of that sick cast for 50. She’s spent a lot of time answering questions and interacting with fans and seemed like an almost shoe-in to return eventually, but over the last week, she’s been accused of pre-gaming by Sage, another losing finalist.
We know two people were kicked off the season before it started for breaking the rules and talking prior to getting to the island. After days of teasing that she was going to name name, Sage finally said Sophi and Jake were two of the four other people she heard talked to each other during the pregame. Fans have been very split on how much to care about the info.
I’ve gone back and forth, but ultimately, I’ve decided I don’t really care. Whether Sage is telling the truth or not, everyone seems to agree there was massive pregaming going on, to the point where the biggest offenders were removed. I don’t blame anyone for trying to gain an edge if they see others doing the same, and ultimately, I just don’t think it matters that much, especially when pregaming is rampant on every single returning season.
As such, I really want to see Sophi B return for an upcoming season, and if and when that happens, I want to know all the graphic details, even if they’re about aquadumping.