The Obstacle Course

The Obstacle Course (also known as Double Play, Wicker Ball Relay, Rats in the Rigging, Big Bad O-Course, Pitfalls and Pitstops, Balance Beam Maze, Dragon Slayer, Tower of Power, Battle of Evermore, and High Deck Matsui) is a recurring physical challenge that debuted in .
==Rules==
Castaways must race through a series of physical and mental obstacles. The first tribe, team, or individual to complete the course wins.
==History==
=== United States ===
The challenge was first used as a tribal Immunity Challenge in , with each tribe having two pairs racing through obstacles. The first pair must run the first half of the course before meeting up with the second pair at an obstacle called the "blown bridge". Once they reach the other side, all four members must run the second half of the course to the finish line. In a close race, Tagi held a narrow lead throughout the challenge, crossing the finish line seconds before Pagong, sending Pagong to Tribal Council.
The challenge reappeared in where the final eight were required to split up into pairs consisting of one man and one woman in a Reward Challenge. Two pairs would face off in each heat, with the winners of each heat then facing each other in a final heat. In the final heat, the team more physical team of Colby Donaldson and Jerri Manthey maintained a lead from the pair of Amber Brkich and Keith Famie, holding onto it to win reward.
In , the castaways are again teamed up in four pairs of two. Like in The Australian Outback, the winners of the first two heats would face off in the final round. In the final round, the unlikely pair of Brandon Quinton and Frank Garrison defeated the pair of Ethan Zohn and Kim Johnson to win reward.
In , the final eight were divided into pairs and run the course in two separate heats, with the winning team in each heat again facing off in the final round. However, the winning pair would then face each other in a puzzle. In the end, the team of Brian Heidik and Helen Glover came out on top, with Brian besting Helen in the puzzle to win reward.
In , the challenge took place at the wreck of an old Spanish galleon. The castaways again ran in pairs, with the winning pair in each heat moving on to the final round. In the final round, each pair would have to run the same course, but now collect bags of puzzle pieces along the way, then use the pieces to solve a puzzle. The team of Burton Roberts and Lillian Morris defeated the team of Jon Dalton and Rupert Boneham in the final round to win reward.
In , the challenge was used as both a Reward and an Immunity Challenge. In the first part, the castaways would compete in an obstacle course in two teams of four, with the winning team earning the right to compete for immunity. In the obstacle course, the team of Jenna Lewis, Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien, Rupert Boneham, and Tom Buchanan fell behind early when Rupert and Tom had difficulty crossing the balance beam, allowing the team of Alicia Calaway, Amber Brkich, Rob Mariano, and Shii Ann Huang to pull ahead and win reward. In the second part, Rob M. defeated the other three in a slide puzzle to win immunity.
In , it was used as the final five Immunity Challenge, where the castaways had to open a gate stuck by knots, cross a maze, and pick up bags of puzzle pieces strung on a net. After assembling the puzzle, they must decipher clues that would give them three numbers. They must then climb up a platform, use the three numbers to unlock a key and raise the flag. In a tight race, Kim Spradlin raised her flag before Alicia Rosa and Chelsea Meissner to win immunity.
In , the final four competed for a Challenge Advantage in the Final Immunity Challenge. The Dangrayne tribe had to run through a series of obstacles and collect three bags of puzzle pieces, which they will use to solve a hanging layered dragon puzzle. Malcolm Freberg won the challenge and the advantage.
In , the challenge was used as the final six Reward/Immunity Challenge in which the castaways had to race through an obstacle course while collecting bags of number tiles which they would use to solve a combination lock and release a key. The key would unlock a set of puzzle pieces which they must use to solve a hanging bat puzzle. Jay Starrett took the early lead, but made a critical error in not covering his combination lock, allowing everyone to copy him. The copying continued at the bat puzzle, in which David Wright surged ahead to win immunity. 
The Tower of Power format used in was reused as the final six Immunity Challenge in . Cassidy Clark won the challenge.
=== Australia ===
The challenge appeared at the final four of . That night, the final four would vote to eliminate a jury member; the winner of the challenge would have an extra vote in this decision at Tribal Council. The final four would first race through the water to collect a bag of two balls. Once on shore, they would throw both balls and attempt to land them on an overhead chute before proceeding to crawl underneath a net obstacle. They would then piece together a vertical block puzzle, after which they would race up a tower and toss sandbags, attempting to land a sandbag on each of five perches. Matt Sharp gained a lead at the ball toss that he never relinquished, thus winning the extra vote.
=== France ===
=== Mexico (Unofficial) ===
It was used as a Final Challenge in . Everyone was tied to one singular rope, and had to cross the obstacles and balance beams that way. In two of the checkpoints, there were chests containing knives, and they'd use the first one to cut the rope, splitting themselves into two groups, and the second one to split both trios up. and competed in the challenge, and Famosos etched out the win by mere seconds.
=== South Africa ===
At the final four of , the contestants had to cross an extensive obstacle course to reach a puzzle station, where the first person to solve their block puzzle would win immunity. Ashley Hayden and Sade Giliberti held the lead for most of the challenge, and Ashley completed her puzzle first to win her fourth straight Immunity Challenge.
The challenge appeared as the first Reward Challenge following the unification of the tribes in . Raituhn held a consistent lead over Goma and won the challenge.
==Winners==
<tabber>United States=
Episode	Challenge Type 	Winners
 	Tribal Immunity 	
 	Team Reward 	
 	Team Reward 	
 	Individual Reward(Family Visit) 	
 	Team Reward 	
 	Team Reward 	
 	Individual Immunity(Family Visit)	
 	Individual Immunity 	
 	Individual Reward 	
 	Individual Reward/Immunity 	
 	Individual Immunity 	
 	Individual Reward/Immunity 	
|-|Australia=
Episode 	Challenge Type 	Winners
Episode 22	Individual Immunity	
Episode 23	Individual Reward 	
|-|France=
Episode 	Challenge Type 	Winners 	Winners
Episode 6 	Tribal Immunity 	colspan= "2"	
Episode 10	Individual Reward 	 	
Episode 10	Individual Reward 	colspan="2" 	
Episode 9 	Individual Reward 	colspan="2" 	
Episode 8 	Individual Immunity	colspan="2" 	
Episode 8 	Individual Immunity	colspan="2" 	
Episode 8 	Individual Immunity	colspan="2" 	
Episode 8 	Individual Reward 	colspan="2" 	
Episode 4 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 6 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 7 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 10	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 9 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 4 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 8 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 6 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 10	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 8 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 9 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 9 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 10	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 6 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 8 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 7 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 8 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 6 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 1 	Individual Immunity	 	
Episode 11	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
Episode 1 	Individual Reward 	colspan= "2"	
Episode 9 	Individual Immunity	colspan= "2"	
|-|Mexico (Unofficial)=
Episode 	Challenge Type 	Winners
Cycle 1, Episode 3	Tribal Immunity	
|-|South Africa=
Episode 	Challenge Type 	Winners
Episode 13	Individual Immunity	
Episode 2 	Tribal Reward 	
</tabber>
==Gallery==
<tabber> United States=
Udder revenge.jpg|Pagong competes in .
S3E10 - Dinner, Movie and a Betrayal 164.jpg|The challenge in .
Obstacle-course-thailand.jpg|Clay and Ken at the challenge in .
S7ep10.jpg|Jon and Sandra compete in .
Allstars 11.jpg|The light blue team competes in .
SOCOW.jpg|The course in .
7AA.jpg|Dangrayne competing for a Challenge Advantage. ()
S33 Ep14 SG 026.jpg|Adam and David compete in .
battle of evermore tower s43e12.jpg|Gaia competing in .
|-|Australia=
Aus10e23 reward challenge.jpg|The final four start the challenge in .
aus10e23 matt puzzle.jpg|Matt solving his puzzle in Heroes v Villains.
|-| France=
Kls1.ep6.jpg|The challenge in .
Kls3.ep10.jpg|The challenge in .
KLS4 Ep9 The Obstacle Course.jpg|The challenge in .
KLS5 Ep8 The Obstacle Course.jpg|The challenge in .
KLS6 Ep8 The Obstacle Course.jpg|The challenge in .
KLS7 Ep8 The Obstacle Course.jpg|The challenge in .
KLS8 Ep8 The Obstacle Course.jpg|The challenge in .
Kls9.ep4.jpg|The challenge in .
Kls10.e6.jpg|The challenge in .
KLS11 Ep7 The Obstacle Course.jpg|The challenge in .
KLS12 Ep10 The Obstacle Course.jpg|The challenge in .
Kls13.ep9.jpg|The challenge in .
KLS14 Ep4 The Obstacle Course.jpg|The challenge in .
KLS15 Ep8 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
Kls15.ep8.jpg|Catherine wins the women's race in Malaisie.
KLS16 Ep6 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
KLS17 Ep10 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
KLS18 Ep8 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
KLS19 Ep9 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
KLS20 Ep9 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
KLS21 Ep10 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
KLS22 Ep6 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
KLS23 Ep8 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
KLS24 Ep7 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
KLS25 Ep8 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
KLS26 Ep6 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
KLS27 Ep1 The Obstacle Course.jpg|Men's Tribe competing in .
KLS28 Ep11 The Obstacle Course.png|The challenge in .
KLS29 Ep1 The Obstacle Course.jpg|The challenge in .
KLS30 Ep9 Immunity Challenge.jpg|The women's race in .
KLS30 Ep9 Immunity Challenge2.jpg|The man's race in Les Chasseurs d'Immunité.
|-| South Africa=
SAZ3 Sade IC.jpg|Sade and Ashley crossing a balance beam in .
Zas04e02 raituhn the obstacle course.jpg|Raituhn competing in .
Zas04e02 goma the obstacle course.jpg|Goma climbing the ramp in Maldives.
 </tabber>
==Trivia==
*David Wright and Malcolm Freberg are the only people who have won this challenge individually but not make the Final Tribal Council.
* Jenna Lewis, Amber Brkich, Tom Buchanan, and Rupert Boneham have competed in this challenge in multiple seasons.
** Amber has won once, while Jenna, Rupert, and Tom have never won this challenge.
==References==
Category:Survivor (U.S.)
Category:Australian Survivor
Category:Koh-Lanta
Category:Survivor South Africa
Category:La Isla: El Reality (Mexico)
Category:Challenges
Category:Recurring Challenges
Category:Survivor: Borneo
Category:Borneo Challenges
Category:Survivor: The Australian Outback
Category:The Australian Outback Challenges
Category:Survivor: Africa
Category:Africa Challenges
Category:Survivor: Thailand
Category:Thailand Challenges
Category:Survivor: Pearl Islands
Category:Pearl Islands Challenges
Category:Survivor: All-Stars
Category:All-Stars Challenges
Category:Survivor: One World
Category:One World Challenges
Category:Survivor: San Juan del Sur
Category:San Juan del Sur Challenges
Category:Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X
Category:Millennials vs. Gen X Challenges
Category:Survivor 43
Category:Survivor 43 Challenges
Category:Australian Survivor: Blood v Water
Category:Blood v Water Challenges (Australia)
Category:Australian Survivor: Heroes v Villains
Category:Heroes v Villains Challenges (Australia)
Category:La Isla 2012: El Reality
Category:La Isla (2012) Challenges
Category:Survivor South Africa: Santa Carolina
Category:Santa Carolina Challenges
Category:Survivor South Africa: Maldives
Category:Maldives Challenges