Imagine yourself in an island in the South Pacific , a jungle in Gabon in Western Africa or in a hot desert in Australia with no access to technology and the need for food and water. Thats how sixteen different Americans deal with in the reality television show called Survivor. In the year 2000, Mark Burnett took the idea of taking sixteen different Americans from many walks of life and putting them in the most remote locations in the world and isolating them from their everyday lives. From a corporate trainer to a truck driver, they all had the strength to go out to an island and struggle through the treacherous weather in the island of Borneo in Indonesia for the sake of the million dollar grand prize. The three main components when it comes to conquering the game is your social abilities, your capability of facing the dangerous outcomes of your environment and being physically good in challenges and mentally controlling of the situations around camp life.

The first thing each castaway does in the start of the game is helping around camp. Each and everyone of them help gather some food and help construct a proper shelter that is appropriate for the location and climate. In the next thirty-nine days, these individuals have to work together with their fellow tribe mates in reward and immunity challenges. A tribe in Survivor is a team that consists of four to ten people that compete against another tribe or compete individually within the tribe. The number of tribes vary from season to season but most with two starting tribes. Interacting with these unique sets of people can either hurt you or help you in this game. By using your social assets and your impressive ability when it comes to living with these people you are able to make yourself less of a target in the course of the game and make yourself friendly in the game of Survivor and in your personal life. By interacting with these individuals in an island to play the game you are able to handle certain situations involving with these type of people in the real world. Whether they have a different religion, race or certain beliefs you are able to respect them in your personal life no matter if you agree with it or not.

Living in the desert, in an island or in a forest can leave you broken, fatigued or impaired. To be confronted by heavy rain and massive thunderstorms can affect a person's inner stamina and they're desire to win the game. Every few seasons, many people's dream of winning the million dollars get crushed due to an unwanted consequence. In Survivor Micronesia. known as one of the best seasons of Survivor filmed back due to its notorious all female alliance, Jonathan Penner, a two time player of the show, experienced a bitter obstacle. While participating in a reward challenge, Penner's knee was fractured. Days later, he began to experience pain. Penner ignored his symptoms. Concerning about his health, his tribe mates called in the medical team to see if he could still participate in the game. Unfortunately, Penner found out that his knee was infected and could potentially harm his whole body. Therefore, he was evacuated out of the game. In the same season, two contestants left the game without getting voted out. One castaway quit due to homesickness and another medically evacuated.

Besides facing the tough natural elements when playing the game, it all comes down on how each contestant does well on reward challenges and most importantly immunity challenges. Each of these challenges, require physical and mental abilities. For instance, an immunity challenge in the thirteenth season of Survivor, where each member of their tribe had to assemble a boat using seven planks that have holes that corresponds with the boat due to its large proximity. The four tribes used their mental aspect in that challenge while assembling the boats and the tribes used their physical strength in pushing the boat off to the ocean and paddling across the ocean to retrieve more puzzle pieces. Immunity was at stake and it proves that you require the muscle and the brains to help you in these competitions.


The structure of the game involves many possible outcomes. Either it may include tribe switches and new locations in the game, Exile Island and Redemption Island to name a few, playing the game does not vary from season to season. As viewers, we might see many different strategies and moves with each castaway. Whether we call their acts heroic or villainous, we still see the three key main components when it comes to the game. No matter if it is social, physical or mental, each one these components is crucial to winning the game.