The Jury

The Jury consists of a group of eliminated castaways (typically past the merge portion of the competition) that return to witness the remaining castaways' actions at Tribal Council. The information they take in from these visits is supposed to help them decide who to vote for to win the title of Sole Survivor. They are usually forbidden to speak, with the exception of the Final Tribal Council, where they are allowed to address the finalists and ask them questions. The Jury is typically comprised of seven to nine members, but this can vary.

Jury Process
The Jury usually begins near the Merge, seven to nine eliminations from the Final Tribal Council. This depends on when the Jury has been set up to begin, and whether or not there is a post-elimination twist  All Jurors will arrive upon elimination in Ponderosa, where they may chat with the other members of the Jury about the game in progress. At the Final Tribal Council, the Final Two or Final Three will plead the case the Jury, and the jurors will in return ask questions and grill the finalists. They will then submit their votes for a winner and the victor is revealed live during the season reunion.

Depending on the number of active jurors and the number of finalists, a "back-up" juror is brought in. This special juror, who is always the last person eliminated pre-jury, will vote in case of a tie. However, as they aren't a fully fledged member, they cannot ask questions. They will only be able to view the discussion and make their decision. Their vote will count in case of a tie.