Beginning the game on the Vokai tribe, 28 year old Lauren Ashley Beck formed a quick friendship with Tommy Sheehan after they initially bonded over their loved ones. This connection among others allowed Lauren to seemingly form a tight alliance consisting of herself, Tommy, Dan Spilo, Janet Carbin, and Kellee Kim. Under Lauren's direction, the group blindsided Molly Byman at Vokai's first Tribal Council to weaken her influence on the tribe.
Lauren remained on Vokai after the Tribe Switch on Day 12, alongside allies Dan, Tommy, and Jason Linden, though they found themselves in a precarious 4-4 split against members of the original Lairo tribe. When Vokai lost immunity on Day 16, the four conspired with Aaron Meredith to target Elaine Stott. At Tribal Council, however, Elaine revealed that she had a Vote Blocker advantage, which she used against Jason, ultimately allowing the original Lairo members to vote him out. Now relegated to the minority, Lauren and Tommy attempted to throw Dan under the bus to protect themselves, but the original Lairo contingent became suspicious of them and considered voting out Tommy if they lost again.