WARNING: Spoilers ahead are unmarked. You have been warned.
The author has a heavy focus on Character Development in this season, so it has no shortage of Tear Jerkers.
- Lily reveals that she lost her parents at a very young age, which caused her to become really closed off to the world and stress-eat, becoming overweight as a result and becoming much more socially awkward.
- C.A.S.'s creator Bill is a brilliant scientist who is a superfan of Survivor, but is physically handicapped and is completely unable to use his legs, so he cannot come to the island and live out his dream, instead hoping that he can live it through his robot C.A.S.
- Slapshot getting eliminated by a purple rock after wanting desperately to prove himself and wanting people to take him seriously, and Yash and Eliza apologetically crying and comforting each other after accidentally getting him eliminated through their fighting and making up.
- Gaz reveals he got into a huge fight with his parents due to his parents not approving of his dreams of becoming a rock star, moved to America to try and become one, and so far has had no success with chasing his dream, as well as no contact with his parents anymore as a result.
- Bryce's backstory of losing his best friend to a ghost accident, living in fear and isolation most of his life as a result.
- Todd laments how he can never sit down and find true relationships or friendships due to the constant state of motion his world is in and how crazy his life has been, and wishes to be able to find some true friendships out on the island.
- Eliza reveals how she lost her parents at a young age and was forced to grow up under the protection of only her older brothers.
- Sasha was arrested for a crime she didn't even commit and has been in and out of prison and on the run for the last four years, has had her entire life taken away from her as a result of all of it, and it's grown her into a very bitter person as a result.
- Noonan is the few survivors of a series of nuclear explosions, losing all of her family and friends in the process of the explosions. Her face is completely deformed as a result of the explosions as well, she lives in a world with now very few living people in it that looks completely devastated and lifeless, and her only real friend is a robotic dog that she built. Ouch.
- Tilly-May getting brutally betrayed by her own allies Nathan and Sam at tribal council out of paranoia by them, breaking down into tears at tribal council as two of the only people she trusted backstabbed her hard.
- Biff opening up about his backstory of constantly trying to pursue his dream as a pro-wrestler but always coming just short of being taken seriously, and wanting desperately to be taken seriously by everyone.
- Kadie breaking down into tears over watching her good friend Bryce get voted out, helpless to save him after how close the two had become throughout the season.
- Eliza breaking down after Sam constantly personally attacks her and doubts her character, feeling helpless and wanting desperately to try and make things up with Sam but not knowing how.
- Sam revealing that she gave up her son (who was later revealed to be Nathan) to an adoption center not because she wanted to, but because she couldn't handle taking care of a son and paying off bills by working multiple jobs at the same time, wanting nothing more but her son to have a good life.
- Therese promising to her son on the family reward that she would win the game in the end and make up for all the times she wasn't there for him growing up...only to get voted out the very same episode, getting backstabbed by the one person she was completely loyal to the entire game (Todd).
- Kadie finally losing her sunny disposition and breaking down in front of Yash, crying and lamenting about how she is constantly left out of the loop on votes, watches her friends go home vote after vote helpless to save them, and saying how she knows that she can't beat Yash in the end, but wants to save her at the final five anyway because of how close they had become and not wanting to fail her friends again.
- Nathan being absolutely broken by his blindside, so speechless and shocked by what happened that even in his final words he has almost nothing to say.
- Yash coming within one vote of winning the entire game only to narrowly lose the final immunity challenge to Noonan, breaking down into tears and desperately pleading with Noonan towards the end of the challenge to let her win, wanting to finally live her dream, as with her age (being 73) it might be the last time she gets an adventure like this and she wants to complete it, but being unable to convince Noonan to take her to the end and falling just short.
