Survivor 42 merged tribe name meaning revealed in deleted scene

Back in the days of old school Survivor, whenever two or more tribes merged into one, we'd always get a scene of everyone discussing what the new tribe name should be. Occasionally someone would suggest the name of their wife's stuffed animal or grandma's nickname, lying about it meaning something completely different in the native tongue. And sometimes people would actually get into arguments about what the name should be, which was always hilarious, because could there literally be anything that mattered less in the quest for a million dollars than the dumb name of your new tribe?

Sadly, these scenes have become a thing of the past as the show has adopted an all-killer, no-filler philosophy in the edit, removing things like the opening credits, the "previously on…" recap, and other hallmarks of yesteryear that ate up too many minutes of episode time. The story behind the merged tribe name has become one such victim.

So on this week's episode of Survivor 42, we learned the new merged tribe name was Kula Kula. But what does it mean? And where did come from? Viewers were left with no insight and no answers… until now.

In EW's exclusive deleted scene (see top of post) from this week's episode, we learn the origin and meaning behind the tribe name. After the players return back from voting out Lydia pre-merge on night 14, talk turns to whether anyone has an idea on what to call the tribe. "I had one," Omar pipes up. "The national bird of Fiji is the collared lory, which in Fijian is kula, which is k-u-l-a."

Not only does the tribe immediately take to Omar's suggestion, but they double down on it — apparently deeming the tribe name so nice they need to say it twice! And Kula Kula is born.

"I want to name the tribe Kula Kula," Omar (a veterinarian back in Whitby, Ontario) then explains in a confessional interview. "The bird is called the kula, but the tribe wanted to double it and make it cooler, Kula Kula, and I'm coola coola with that, so…"

Let's just pause for the cause for a second to all take in Omar's awesome pun, shall we? Okay, please continue, Omar. Tell us more about your desire to install this tribe name that is, frankly, for the birds. "Kula is the national bird of Fiji, which is the collared lory. It's a type of parrot that feeds on flowers and nectars and fruits. And it's something I work with and love every day. So it's a little bit of home out here, and it was important for me to get that out there because I love birds so much and can paint the flag with a bird pattern and just be reminded of home and reminded of why I'm here."

Well, it worked! Because the next thing you know, there's the whole tribe marveling over Omar's impressive artistic skills as he paints a Kula on the flag. "This might be the best tribe flag in Survivor history," marvels Chanelle. "They're going to auction this off," notes Hai… even though they pretty much auction off everything from the season, but whatevs.

I will say, the Kula is a pretty amazing looking bird. It has a purple crown, yellow beak, green on the top, red on the bottom. Basically, it's like a rainbow flag on wings. Also, did you know that the Kula is not only endemic to Fiji but is also the only Fijian rainforest bird to adapt to urban environments? Not unless your name is Omar, you didn't!

Anyway, check out the exclusive deleted scene at the top of the post so you can see how the tribe reacts to the new name suggestion, critique Omar's painting skills, and understand why Maryanne is claiming that "My handprint is going to be on this season for the rest of time!"

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