Survivor Challenges: How are They Made?

Every Survivor fan knows about the “blindside” strategy, the right time to look for an immunity idol, and the fate of person who just can’t stop barking orders on Day 1. But, what’s the story on the super complex challenge courses used to give out rewards and determine which tribe will go to council? We’ve got the scoop on the challenges that make us feel like we could pull a hamstring just by looking at them.

The Construction:

Several months before each Survivor season, a crew of about 300-400 people is sent to the filming location. They are tasked with designing and building each set, with a huge emphasis on ensuring the safety of each contestant. The engineers and construction crew are on-site for three months while the show is filmed, some of them being Fiji residents, brought on to provide local tips and help boost the country’s economy.

survivor challenges basket toss
Source: CBS

“The Dream Team” of Survivor Challenges

The Dream Team is basically a group of people with the best job, ever. Tasked with testing all of the challenges ahead of the Survivor contestants, they are a team of about 20 people, typically in their early 20’s. Once hired, they must sign a non-disclosure agreement, prohibiting them from speaking out about any of the behind-the-scenes details.

However, these contracts do expire, and one former Dream Teamer has blessed us with an AMA (Ask Me Anything) in a Reddit thread. Some of the highlights include:

Testing Each Challenge: Challenges are tested in phases: the first being a walkthrough by the Dream Team, trying out various elements of the game. Next, a rehearsal with a full camera crew is completed, with the footage used to make any last-minute game adjustments. In this phase, the winning Dream Team gets a case of beer (where do I sign up?). After that, the contestants are brought in to compete. Finally, the Dream Team runs the course again for the cameras. This is where the film crew gets the close-up shots of people competing, used in each episode to explain the rules of each challenge to the audience.

How “Real” is it?: Given that Survivor falls under the “reality show” genre, it is expected that some will question whether or not challenges are rigged. In response, the anonymous Dream Team member said, “It’s actually one of the most real reality shows I’ve ever worked on. (The contestants) are actually out there, they actually do the challenges, and they have total autonomy over their game. That is something that Jeff has insisted stay sacred. And it’s why we aren’t allowed to talk to them.”

Challenge Guidelines:

  • Has to look good on camera
  • Must be easy enough for the audience to understand
  • Should be quick to shoot. Most challenges are to be filmed in under an hour, except for those super painful-looking endurance challenges, where we watch contestants balance three toes on a wooden block while being tempted to quit with an offer of cheese and crackers.
survivor challenges pole stand
Source: CBS

Making Survivor Challenges Fair:

Ahead of Season 37, Survivor producer John Kiroffer revealed that the evolution of the challenges has focused on making the challenges more fair, to allow each tribe’s strengths to shine. “In the early days, the objectives were simpler: You cross the finish line, you win. Part of our trajectory in the last 10 to 12 years — for immunity challenges, at least — is to start out the challenge with something physical, so the physically dominant team will take the lead, then bring in a skill-based game or puzzle,” he told TV Insider in an exclusive interview.

This is a great example of the countless times that we’ve watched the athletically-superior tribe whiz through an obstacle course, only to be faced with the final boss: a puzzle with the ability to stump even the meatiest of jocks. This does not mean that the “smarter” tribe will always pull ahead in the end, however. Season 28, Survivor: Cagayan, had a theme of “Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty”, and we watched the brains tribe struggle initially, losing three of the first four immunity challenges.

Whether you’re using each challenge as inspiration for your own Survivor birthday party (it’s a thing), or watching from your couch while thinking, “I could do that!”, you now have one more piece to the puzzle that is CBS’s Survivor.