As several Survivor superfans would agree, tribal council is arguably the best part of every episode, determining which of the remaining castaways will have their torch snuffed by longtime host and showrunner Jeff Probst, marking the end of their journey on the beloved competition series (with the exception of a situation like Survivor: Edge of Extinction or Survivor: Redemption Island).

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As we see on our television screens, a great deal of deliberation occurs during tribal council, often determining who is on the chopping block that fateful night. With the contestants chatting with one another, as well as answering questions asked by Probst himself, viewers are left with just one burning question — given that we only get to see about ten minutes of tribal council each episode, how long does tribal council actually last on Survivor?

Karishma Patel of Survivor: Island of the Idols gave viewers the answer that they have been yearning for in an exclusive interview with Business Insider. Keep scrolling to see for yourself…

As one can assume, Patel revealed that tribal council is “a lot longer” than viewers might expect, however, she did not pinpoint an exact amount of time.  

She dished, “Jeff asks the same question to multiple people, and then they pick which answer they like or which answer works” — how interesting is that?

The castaway continued, admitting that tribal council lasts a long time duo to “a lot of repetition” that occurs, with Probst asking the same question over and over again, as well as the camera crew capturing different angles and reactions to ensure that they have a sufficient amount of content.

Concluding by sharing that “there’s so much good stuff” that doesn’t get aired, it is safe to say that we are extremely curious as to what gets cut out each and every episode of the hit competition sjow.

Nonetheless, Survivor superfans can stream all 45 seasons on Paramount Plus now.