‘Survivor’: How Are the Challenges Built?

Survivor has long been one of the all-time great reality TV shows. On air since 2000, Survivor follows a group of strangers who are placed in an isolated location. These contestants must then learn to fend for themselves, navigate a series of tough challenges, and figure out how to work together as a group in order to stick around for the finale and have a shot at winning the cash grand prize.

Host Jeff Probst has been there since the beginning, and out of anyone, he understands what goes into every aspect of designing and filming Survivor. In a recent episode of the On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast, he opened up about the challenges and how they are built.

‘Survivor’ is known for its outrageous challenges

Some fans love getting to know the contestants on Survivor, while others appreciate the exotic locations. Still, others enjoy the interactions between the contestants and the drama of following who is voted off the island. However, nearly every fan of the reality show loves the challenges that are featured in every season of the iconic show.

From eating bugs to solving elaborate mental puzzles, the challenges on Survivor are designed to test contestants on their mental and physical abilities. These challenges aren’t just thought up on the fly – rather, it takes the production team a lot of time and effort to craft challenges that are not only difficult to complete but safe for the contestants.

What did Jeff Probst say about designing the challenges for ‘Survivor’?

In a recent episode of his On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast, the longtime host dove deep into the subject of challenges. “We’ve refined (the process) over the years a lot,” he said. “We try to learn from past seasons,” Probst revealed that after the creative team comes up with some basic concepts, they pitch them to him and other producers through a Zoom call.

“We basically have a blueprint for how to make these challenges so that anyone from any department can look at them and understand.” Probst also said that the challenges themselves look deceptively easy once they are onscreen but that they are very elaborate and time-consuming to build. “(It takes) a long time,” Probst said.

“Even the small ones can take a couple of weeks, but when you think about giant waterslides or a huge teeter-totter in the water … those are elaborate. It takes four or five weeks to make that.” Probst also addressed how tough it is to build challenges in the ocean, noting that they have had some disasters over the years, including losing a massive barge for several days because the waves pulled it away. 

What are the all-time great ‘Survivor’ challenges?

Survivor has been on the air for more than 20 years, but over the past several decades, several challenges have earned the designation of “all-time greats.” According to Screen Rant, some of these include the “Sumo at Sea” challenge, which requires contestants to try to push each other off a platform using padded bags, along with the brutal “Last Gasp” challenge, which has contestants hang from a steel grate as the tide slowly comes in to envelop their faces.

The “Buggin’ Out” challenge, which has contestants eat and drink a variety of nasty items, including bugs and raw meat, is a perennial fan-favorite, while the “Get a Grip” challenge asks contestants to hold on to a thin pole for as long as they possibly can. All of these challenges allow contestants to test the limits of their ability while entertaining viewers at home.