Another intriguing characteristic of the initial episode detailing the isolated lives of the castaways is food-finding. Surviving the Outback is more than building a hut and finding some grub. It's all about Machiavelli, folks. After watching the first episode, I can already detect the Richard-aspirers. Competitions between tribes, or tribal challenges, are held every three days to determine which tribe must face tribal council and vote one person out of the group.
Tribal council is unremittingly hysterical.
It is saved for the end of the hourlong show, after the viewer has had the time to formulate a guess in his or her mind as to which castaway is unwanted by the rest of the group. Zookeeper Probst can never seem to keep his mouth shut. During the chit-chat portion of tribal council, he consistently alludes to tribal inadequacies and problems that have arisen within the groups, practically giving away the future. Although the ringmaster might mislead the rest of the circus, a weekly surprise is still revealed with every session of the tribal council.