Sea Crates

Sea Crates (also known as Block It Out and Block in a Hard Place) is a recurring mental challenge in . The challenge is based on the game popularly known as "".
==Rules==
Castaways must retrieve four large crates (when used as a team challenge) or small blocks (when used as an individual challenge), each bearing one of four colors on each side. Once all four crates are retrieved, the crates must be stacked so that one color does not show more than once on each column. The first team or individual to complete the puzzle wins.
The method of retrieving the crates/blocks has varied between each appearance of the challenge.
==History==
===United States===
In , the challenge was used as a combined Reward/Immunity Challenge. A pair of castaways from each tribe would swim out into the ocean to retrieve crates, one at a time. Between the beach and crates would be a "battle zone" marked off by four flags. Within this zone, an opposing tribe member would try to prevent the two castaways from crossing the zone and reaching the crate. Once the two castaways crossed the zone, they would bring the crate back to the beach, and a second pair of castaways would go out to retrieve another crate. Galu was able to get their members across the battle zone faster than Foa Foa and never lost their lead, winning reward and immunity and sending Foa Foa back to Tribal Council.
In , the challenge was used as a duel. Castaways must solve a slide puzzle to release a hatchet and cut a rope which would drop a bag with their colored blocks. Ozzy Lusth took an early lead, though Edna Ma was able to catch up to him after receiving verbal assistance from the other castaways. Despite this, Ozzy was able to solve the puzzle first, eliminating Edna from the game.
The challenge was again used in as a Redemption Island duel again, wherein castaways had to bounce the blocks along a rope tunnel to retrieve them. After Laura Morett finished first, Vytas Baskauskas attempted to copy her finished puzzle. However, Laura prevented him from doing so and verbally assisted Tina Wesson in completing her puzzle seconds before Vytas, eliminating Vytas from the game.
In , the challenge was used as the first Immunity Challenge after the Tribe Switch. Each tribe had to go over and under a series of obstacles, then throw sandbags to knock over blocks and their four large crates off a ledge. Yara led heading into the puzzle portion, but were unable to solve their puzzle, allowing Sele, then Dakal, to finish and win immunity, sending Yara to Tribal Council.
===France===
===South Africa===
In , the puzzle was used as part of the Rusty Gates challenge at the final eight. The Salan tribe struggled with the brain teaser, and in the end Marian de Vos narrowly beat Tejan Pillay to win her first individual Immunity Challenge.
==Winners==
<tabber>United States=
Episode	Challenge Type 	Winner 	Winner
 	Tribal Reward/Immunity	colspan="2"	
 	Duel 	colspan="2"	
 	Duel 	 	
 	Tribal Immunity 	colspan="2"	
 	Tribal Immunity 	colspan="2"	
|-|France=
Episode 	Challenge Type	Winner	Winner
Episode 7 	Re-entry Duel 	 	
Episode 11	Duel 	 	
|-|South Africa=
Episode	Challenge Type 	Winners
 	Individual Immunity	
</tabber>
==Gallery==
<tabber> United States=
block is out laura and monica.jpg|Galu competes in .
S19E3challenge.jpg|Foa Foa competes in Samoa.
OzzyEdnaDuel.jpg|Edna and Ozzy compete in .
ozzy_block_it_out.jpg|Ozzy stacks his blocks (South Pacific).
block it out Blood vs. Water.jpg|The duel in .
Survivor.s27e11.hdtv.x264-2hd 036.jpg|Tina stacks her blocks (Blood vs. Water).
|-|France=
KLS22 Ep7 Sea Crates.png|Clémentine and Jérémy competing in .
KLS27 Ep11 Duel.jpg|Alexandra and Christelle competing in .
|-|South Africa=
 </tabber>
==Trivia==
* Laura Morett is the only castaway to compete in this challenge twice, winning both times.
* The block puzzle has been incorporated as the final section of several other challenges:
** In , as part of the Boats, Brains and Brawn challenge.
** In and , as part of the Ferryman challenge.
** In , as part of the Box Car Blues challenge.
==References==
Category:Survivor (U.S.)
Category:Koh-Lanta
Category:Challenges
Category:Recurring Challenges
Category:Survivor: Samoa
Category:Samoa Challenges
Category:Survivor: South Pacific
Category:South Pacific Challenges
Category:Survivor: Blood vs. Water
Category:Blood vs. Water Challenges
Category:Survivor: Winners at War
Category:Winners at War Challenges
Category:Koh-Lanta: Le Combat des Héros
Category:Koh-Lanta: La Légende
Category:Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcasts
Category:Return of the Outcasts Challenges