On Day 12, after having switched random tribe members, the newly formed Maraamu tribe voted out Sarah Jones, the 24-year-old account manager from Newport Beach, California. Earlier in the day, Sarah had alienated herself from her new group by not helping out enough around camp. She then became the fourth person to be voted out of the Maraamu tribe. Upon leaving Tribal Council, Sarah reflected on her time on the island: "I am getting kind of emotional now, which I didn't think I would do, and I hope my original teammates do well, and have a great time."

The Maraamu tribe returned from Tribal Council after voting out Hunter Ellis, the 33-year-old Federal Express pilot from La Jolla, California. Gina Crews, the 29-year-old nature guide from Gainesville, Florida, approached her tribe and asked why they had voted Hunter out. The others were unable to explain the reasoning behind their vote, and Gina, Hunter's friend, expressed her own thoughts on the situation: "I think the reason is because Sean and Rob were tired of having someone else in the leadership role. That was their main motivation in voting Hunter off." She told the tribe, "I am glad I'm here, I'm just shocked that you voted him off."

As morning arrived on Day 10, the Rotu tribe awoke in good spirits and embraced each other to begin the day. Paschal English, the 57-year-old judge from Thomaston, Georgia, noted, "This tribe is a family. I don't know if the mood around here can be any better. There is just a really calm, peaceful feeling. I don't think the other team has that." At ease with his tribe and the surroundings, Gabriel Cade, the 23-year-old bartender from Celo, North Carolina, explained: "This tribe is unbelievable; it's an amazing experience to see eight people coming together every single day to provide for each other." Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien, the 47-year-old real estate agent from Burlington, Vermont, proved Gabriel's sentiment by cooking a new snack for her hungry tribe. She chopped up coconut and fried it in a pan, creating a new, surprise delicacy for the already happy group.

After receiving tree mail, the two tribes met host Jeff Probst at what they thought would be their next Reward Challenge. However, they soon discovered that their lives were about to be turned upside down. Jeff instructed them to each stand on one of 13 wooden discs placed randomly in front of them. He then began the Survivor Switch. As jaws dropped and tears swelled in the eyes of the Rotu tribe members, they realized what was taking place. Underneath each disk was a colored buff, blue representing Rotu, and yellow representing Maraamu. As each person stepped off their disc and turned it over, the color of their buff revealed to which tribe the castaway would now belong. When it was all over, Sean, Rob and Vecepia found themselves the new members of Rotu, while Neleh, Paschal and Kathy switched over to Maraamu. The once-content Rotu tribe and the divided Maraamu tribe would now have to start over, building new relationships and new destinies.

Returning to Maraamu's camp, Gina and Sarah gave their new tribe members a tour. Excited about having new people in the camp, Gina stated, "It was interesting, it was very exhilarating to actually see some people who didn't want to just sit around and be lazy." After seeing the plentiful fruit trees, Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien, the 47-year-old real estate agent from Burlington, Vermont, joyfully added, "I just came from a tribe that would get up at dawn and check the pig-pit, then go out to forage for shells. So to us, we feel that we are at a four-star hotel with fruit on the table." As they toasted with fruit to "their new little family," they went about their day getting to know one another.

Soon after exchanging introductions, the original Rotu members dived into their daily tasks. Vecepia Towery, the 36-year-old office manager from Portland, Oregon, claimed, "When we first arrived at Rotu, we felt it was a genuine welcome, but I also felt that their expectations were for us to just jump right in. We noticed immediately that these people were like ants!" Not accustomed to the Rotu work habits, she later added, "Right now we would normally be chilling. Work in the morning. Afternoon -- chill!" Rob Mariano, the 26-year-old construction worker from Canton, Massachusetts, worried about the numerical advantage the original Rotu members had within the tribe. He stated, "The biggest thing now is to see how I am going to bond with these other people."

"Pretty much life over here is about two degrees shy of hell," Rob concluded about his new living conditions. Sean Rector, the 30-year-old teacher from Harlem, New York, shared Rob's sentiment, as he found himself shoveling and collecting firewood. As the day grew hotter, Sean complained, "I feel like we are doing too much labor on this island. By the end of the day, I am so tired I just want to lay down and sleep." Tammy Leitner, the 29-year-old crime reporter from Mesa, Arizona, noticed the poor work ethic of Sean and Rob. "If they don't want to work, we will continue to feed them, but when it comes time to vote, their asses are out of here."

With bug-bitten legs, Sarah and the rest of the Maraamu tribe set out for a morning hike on Day 11. After an hour's trek, the tribe found themselves off their path and lost, deep in the jungle. Contemplating which way to go, Gina could sense the tribe becoming crabby, and stated, "Neleh and Paschal were becoming irritated with Kathy. I think she gets on their nerves just because she is so aggressive." Arriving at a deep rock pool, Neleh Dennis, the 21-year-old student from Layton, Utah, noticed that it was filled with shrimp. As the group tried to gather the slippery creatures, Sarah sat on the side, not lending a hand. Kathy observed, "Sarah likes to sit back and doesn't participate."

Back at Rotu, Sean felt the original members of the tribe were putting too much pressure on the new members to work harder. He told Gabriel, "We aren't going to overexert ourselves, knowing that we are going to get picked off one by one. We aren't going to run around here like slaves to prove anything to anybody. We are going to work when we want, and rest when we want to rest." Vecepia Towery, the 36-year-old office manager from Portland, Oregon, wanted to distance herself from the situation, cautiously adding, "Stay drama free, that's the way to be. When the drama starts, I walk away. If my name's not in it, I'm not in it."