Endurance (TV series)

***Endurance*** is an American reality children's television program created by J.D. Roth and Todd A. Nilson, with Roth also hosting. The show is a successor to Roth's previous series *Moolah Beach*, which was not renewed after its single season in 2001, when a change in ownership of Fox Family Channel opened up a new offer from Discovery Kids for a reality series.

It ran for its first four seasons as a part of Discovery Kids on NBC from 2002 to 2006, but still ran for an additional two seasons after the block ended. At a five-year run, it was the network's longest-running program until being surpassed by *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic* in 2017.

## Premise

The format of the show is very similar to *Survivor*, albeit with a teenaged cast. Team players who live in a remote location participate in various challenges, both mental and physical, with contestants competing in pairs (one boy and one girl), and the outcome of the competitions determines which pair of players is eliminated.

Each season began with a new slate of contestants, who were gradually eliminated as the season progressed until the two remaining teams competed to get all of the Endurance Pyramid pieces. The winning pair received an all-expense paid vacation package with their parents to an exotic location as the prize.

## The contests

### The Right to Stay Challenge

Shortly after arriving, the twenty contestants compete in the first Endurance game. As the name implies, this challenge eliminates a group of contestants from continuing any further in the game, which is normally a test of endurance, where each contestant has to hold on to something such as a bar or a pole for as long as possible. In Seasons 1 through 4, the first three boys and girls to let go were eliminated. In Season 5, the game was a test of balance and speed, and the last two boys and girls to finish the game were eliminated. In Season 6, the first two boys and girls were eliminated, winnowing the sixteenth hopefuls to twelve contestants who earned the right to stay, forming six teams of players.

In Season 3, the eliminated players were brought back the following day to compete in a second chance Right to Stay game. The winner of this game (Tom), chose his partner (Vanetta) from the group of girls, forming the Brown team.

In Seasons 3 and 5, the group was required to choose two players (one boy and girl) who were allowed to sit out the Right to Stay Challenge, automatically advancing as if they had survived the challenge. In Season 3, the boys were required to choose one girl to be safe and the girls were required to save a boy, the boys saved Lindi and the girls Reece because they were the most attractive in their opinions. In Season 5, Darci and Aric were selected to sit out. They were then allowed to save one other person (of the same gender). Darci chose Kelly, Aric chose Alex.

### Choosing teams

The day after the Right to Stay Challenge, the remaining players compete in another game to determine teams. The game and the rules vary each year. The team colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and gray (seasons with eight teams added brown, while seasons with seven teams removed this color). Season 6 had no gray team.

After being decided, each team receives one pyramid piece of the Endurance Pyramid. One team must possess all the pieces to win the game and the grand prize. (The first season had 10 pieces, Seasons 2 and 3 had 12, Seasons 4 and 5 had 13, and Season 6 had 14).

### Endurance Mission

The assigned teams next take on the Endurance Mission, which is a test of skill. The team that wins this challenge wins a Samadhi that contains something that will have a negative effect on one team during the Temple Mission that the winning team gets to give to any team to play with its effect. The winners also receive a Pyramid Piece. However, it is customary that, when three teams remain, the winners of the Samadhi have the right to not give its effects to a team, leaving a level playing field for the final Temple Mission.

### *Samadhi*

The teams compete for a Samadhi fairly often throughout the entire game. All but two of them had a negative impact on another team. In Season 3 there was a Samadhi that benefitted the team that it was given to. The Gray Team (Chris and Lindi) won that Samadhi and decided to keep it, which gave them the option to switch teams or to take all the pieces from one team, which did with the Yellow Team. In Season 5, the Blue Team won the power to switch two teams around. In Season 1, the team that won the Samadhi at the Final 3 stage chose to eliminate it from the game. In Season 2, the team that won the Samadhi at the Final 4 stage chose to eliminate it from the game as well. This pattern was broken in Season 3, however. In Season 5, the first Samadhi was the ability to switch teams or give another team the power to make the switch. Taylor and Isaac, the original Blue Team, won this Samadhi, which they gave to the Red Team, who used it to switch Connor onto the Blue Team and Isaac onto the Gray Team. The first time the Samadhi was introduced, Roth explained that the word *Samadhi* is Buddhist for "contemplation".

### Temple mission

This challenge is one of endurance (hence the title). The team that wins this challenge usually earns the right to choose two other teams to send to the "Temple of Fate", the elimination challenge.

### Temple of Fate

The two teams sent to the Temple of Fate bring with them all the pyramid pieces they have won up to that point. The teams select water, wood, or fire to defeat one another in a best 2 out of 3, e.g., in a variant of the Rock, Paper, Scissors game.

* Water puts out Fire (Water wins)
* Woods floats on Water (Wood wins)
* Fire burns Wood (Fire wins)

The first team to win two rounds wins the challenge and the right to stay in the game. The losers are immediately eliminated. In Season 1, the losing team's pieces went to the team winning the next episode's challenge; in all subsequent seasons, the losing team gave their pyramid pieces to any team of their choice, with a farewell note read to the remaining contestants.

### Pyramid pieces

The pyramid pieces play an important part of the game, since one team must possess all the pieces to win the game. Season 1 had 10, Seasons 2 and 3 had 12, Seasons 4 and 5 had 13, and Season 6 had 14.

 Ingenuity
 Friendship
 Karma

### Golden Triangle of Immunity

This challenge was added in Season 5. It is a border that is placed around the Friendship piece, and may be transferred to any other team with any temple mission. In Season 5, the Triangle of Immunity was given to the Purple Team of Dakota Fisher and Kelsey Schultz by Anna and Garrett. The team in possession of the Triangle can avoid being sent to the temple once, but is only able to use it until the final hour. Once they reach the final three, the Triangle is removed from the game. The Triangle of Immunity was removed in Season 6, as the Friendship piece is back to a regular pyramid piece.

### Magic Box

This challenge was introduced in Season 6, and is where teams can compete for the chance to gain an advantage over the other teams. The Green Team (Leslie Powell and Will Cuddy) were the first team to win Magic Box. Inside, the Magic Box contained one free round at the Temple of Fate, to be used before the Temple of Fate challenge begins. In addition to winning a Magic Box, teams are allowed to do what they want with the information given. They decided to lie about it. In the end, when the Green Team was sent up to the temple with their friends on the Orange Team, the used their advantage against them and sent the Orange Team home.

### The Final Challenge

Both teams go to the Temple of Fate with all the pieces they have won, which are then used as chips to play shell game-type challenge.

The team with fewer pieces starts by playing pieces by a group of pyramids, one of which has the gold pyramid under it. That team may claim as much as it wishes but must leave at least one pyramid unclaimed. The team with more pieces must claim the pyramids that its opponent did not claim. At this point, the gold pyramid is revealed, and the team that has claimed it wins all the pieces that were played on the board. If teams have the same number of pieces, the team that had fewer pieces the round before places first. If teams are tied in a first round, the team that won the final mission places their pieces first.

There are three pyramids to start the game, and one more is added every round thereafter. The team that gets all the pyramid pieces wins the challenge, the game and the grand prize trip.

## Episodes

Main article: *List of Endurance episodes*

### Season 1 - *Endurance* (2002-03)

The premiere season was taped in the summer of 2002 on Parsons Beach in Catalina Island, California. Each of the seven teams played for one of seven grand prize trips.

The winners were the Blue Team of **Arron Thornburg** and **Jonna Mannion**, with a trip to the Amazon.

The season consisted of seven teams (in order of elimination):

 Shane Peltzman
 Ron Neurauter
 Alejandro Rose-Garcia

#### Challenges

1. Tilt
2. Knotted Up
3. Plant the Flag
4. Squeeze Play
5. Water Logged
6. Eruption
7. House of Cards
8. Dial In
9. Build a Pyramid
10. Leap of Fate
11. Don't Drop the Ball
12. Final Temple

### Season 2 - *Endurance 2* (2003-04)

*Endurance 2* was taped in Baja California near the resort of La Paz, Mexico. An unusual twist in the season was the return of Jenna and Max, who were previously eliminated in season one, chosen to become the Brown Team from an alumni vote of Season 1 contestants who reunited at a reunion.

The winners were the Brown Team of **Max DeLeo** and **Jenna Jimenez**, with a grand prize trip to Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

The season consisted of eight teams (in order of elimination):

 David Cofresi
 Glen Powell
 Trey Griffin

#### Challenges

1. Tower of Power
2. Fireball
3. Rollerball
4. Tide Pull
5. On the Ropes
6. Face to Face
7. Cherry Picker
8. Aqueduct
9. Plank Maze
10. Pathfinder
11. Final Mission
12. Final Temple

### Season 3 - *Endurance 3: Hawaii* (2004-05)

Production for this season moved to Wainiha Valley, Kauia, Hawaii. This season was plagued with production problems and difficulties, such as obtaining location permits, torrential rains, muddy conditions, and mosquitoes. Twists for this season included the return of six eliminated players, after the right to stay, to compete in a challenge to become an official endurance player. The winner would choose someone from the opposite sex and they would become the Brown Team.

The winners were the Gray Team of **Chris Vanderwier** and **Lindi Oest**, and the prize was a trip to the Galápagos Islands.

The eight teams competing were (in order of elimination):

 Marshall Katheder
 Brandon Johnson

#### Challenges

1. Ring of Fire
2. Bagging on You
3. Squaring Off
4. Out on a Limb
5. Bamboo Jungle
6. Pipeline
7. I'm Pulling for You
8. Balance Ball
9. Tri Try Again
10. You're Fired
11. Create Your Own Game
12. Color Coded
13. Battle for the Pieces
14. Final Temple

### Season 4 - *Endurance: Tehachapi* (2005-06)

Production on *Tehachapi* and *High Sierras* returned to California. This one was taped at Tehachapi Mountains at Teton Ranch in the summer of 2005 for airing that fall. A thirteenth pyramid, Friendship, was added for this season.

The Red Team of **Franke Sisto** and **Erika Cook** won the grand prize, a trip to Costa Rica.

There was no Brown Team this season, which means only seven teams competed:

 Nick Verderosa
 Tucker Baer
 Keith Walker II

#### Challenges

1. Blocked
2. Raft Pull
3. Drop Out
4. Super Stumped
5. Waterworks
6. Fireball (a challenge from previous seasons which was voted by fans to appear again)
7. Hang 5
8. Cubed
9. Create Your Own Game
10. Circle of Trust
11. Spin Fly
12. Final Temple

### Season 5 - *Endurance: High Sierras* (2006-07)

The fifth season was taped at Shaver Lake in the High Sierra Mountains of central California. Contestants lived in multi-level tree houses without electricity.

The Green Team of **Alex Carignan** and **Cealey Goodwin** win the grand prize, a trip to Hawaii.

In a new twist to this season's contest selection, the Discovery Kids website held a casting poll in which fans could vote for one boy and one girl out of six hopefuls.

The eight competing teams were:

 Adrian Bardales
 Rafael Liriano

#### Challenges

1. Unwind
2. Hot Potato
3. Move It Along
4. Walk the Plank
5. Fill & Spill
6. Superboats
7. It's a Drag
8. C.Y.O.G.
9. Fill 'Er Up
10. All Tied Up
11. Slingshot Alley
12. Final Temple

### Season 6 - *Endurance: Fiji* (2007-08)

A casting poll was once again held for this season at the Discovery Kids website, allowing fans to select two contestants from a group of six households as with the previous season. This season introduced a new feature, the Magic Box, which gave a secret advantage to the team that wins it.

The Blue Team of **Ben Scheuer** and **Jordyn Barbato** won the grand prize, a trip to Australia. This being the last season leaves the Purple, Orange, and Yellow teams without winning an endurance.

There was no Gray or Brown Team this season, which means only six teams competed:

 Andres Ramirez
 Matthew Jones

#### Challenges

1. Sand Bar Relay
2. Blind Faith
3. Box Launch
4. Fish Food
5. Weight an Hour
6. Island Hopping
7. 3 To Go/Shark Bait
8. Stand Bags
9. Scavenger Hunt
10. Final Temple