“Survivor 45” merge tribe name origin revealed in exclusive deleted scene
But one player simply can't be bothered.
There truly is nothing more inconsequential in the game of Survivor than the naming of the merge tribe. How inconsequential is it? So inconsequential that they don't even bother showing it on the actual show any more, instead just putting the new tribe name up on the screen and letting viewers guess as to how and why that name was chosen.
Ahhh, but no guesswork is required! Because we here at EW know the importance of getting answers to questions that bear little-to-no relevance in the game yet are still mysteries that need to be solved. Which is why we often get to post the deleted merge tribe naming scene you can't see on TV.
Only on EW could you learn the meaning behind Survivor 42's Kula Kula, and we also revealed not only who named the merge tribe for Survivor 44, but whose suggestion was shot down. Which brings us to Survivor 45.
We see on the episode that the merge tribe is named Dakuwaqa, but what the heck is a Dakuwaqa and who is responsible for that moniker? As the deleted scene — which can be watched above — shows, Kellie Nalbandian is the one who gets the credit for coming up with the name. Or perhaps it is the blame, for rather than hilariously christening the tribe after a cousin's name spelled backwards or her favorite stuffed animal as a kid, Kellie bestowed upon her tribemates a title that actually, dare we say, makes sense.
"Alright, so I looked this up before I came here," she tells the others. "It's Fijian mythology. And they have this god, a shark god that protects the ocean. And it's called Dakuwaqa. It's apparently one of their most important gods from ancient times, because of the fishermen."
The tribe for the most part takes an immediate liking to the name, with Austin Li Coon pointing out that he digs it because "my favorite hockey team back home is the San Jose Sharks." Of course, there is one player who is somewhat predictably not infected with Dakuwaqa fever, and we'll give you one guess as to whom that is.
"I don't know who named it Dakuwaqa," says Fiji's resident Negative Nancy, Emily Flippen. "I don't even know what Dakuwaqa means. And a lot of people spend a lot of time coloring a flag for, in my opinion, no reason. If I'm going to spend my energy, I'm going to be spending it on challenges, on social games, strategic conversations — not painting a flag or deciding on Dakuwaqa as a name. So, a waste of time and energy in my opinion."
God bless that woman… or Dakuwaqa bless that woman, as it were. To watch the entire merge tribe naming — and Emily's reaction — for yourself, check out the exclusive secret scene above, and make sure to also check out our full episode recap.
Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
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