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O-Black Water (also known as Polar Express) is a recurring team challenge in Survivor. It first appeared in Survivor: Worlds Apart and reappeared in Game Changers.

Rules[]

The castaways are divided into two teams of five. One at a time, each castaway will cross three obstacles: a ramp, a net obstacle, and a balance beam. Once all five members have completed the course, they will dive into the water for a grappling hook, which they will use to secure five rings. The first team to grab all their rings wins.

The international version of this challenge uses the same water obstacle course, but replaces the grappling hook element with a puzzle element.

History[]

United States[]

In Worlds Apart, the teams were neck and neck at the grappling portion, but the blue team of Dan, Mike, Shirin, Sierra, and Tyler pulled ahead, winning a feast of chocolate as their reward.

In Game Changers, the blue team of Andrea, Aubrey, Brad, Debbie, and Sierra had a huge lead and won a picnic reward after Cirie on the orange team was unable to cross the balance beam. After the challenge was over, Jeff Probst and Cirie's castmates all encouraged her to cross the balance beam, which she did, earning a round of applause from everybody. It was also at this challenge that Sarah Lacina found a secret advantage at the sit-out bench after the challenge concluded.

Australia[]

In Australian Survivor (2017), the challenge was used as a tribal Immunity Challenge. The castaways had to dive off a tower, go up and down a slide, and cross a net obstacle. Once on shore, one member will use a machete to hack through a pole, releasing a bag of puzzle pieces that two tribe members will use to piece together a seashell. Asaga member Henry Nicholson succeeded in his plot to throw the challenge, granting Samatau victory and sending Asaga to Tribal Council.

South Africa[]

In Island of Secrets, the challenge appeared as the first tribal Immunity Challenge. The three tribes had to start by taking apart a Burr puzzle and carrying the pieces across the water obstacle course. They would then reassemble the block puzzle, with the first two tribes to do so winning immunity. The puzzle proved to be a challenge for all three tribes as they spent nearly 90 minutes in the rain struggling to reassemble their blocks. In the end, Ta'alo finished their puzzle first, while Laumei scored a second-place finish to send Sa'ula to Tribal Council.

Winners[]

Episode Challenge Type Winners
Worlds Apart
"Livin' on the Edge"
Team Reward S30 dan tS30 mike t
S30 shirin tS30 sierra tS30 tyler t
Dan, Mike, Shirin, Sierra, Tyler
Game Changers
"A Line Drawn in Concrete"
Team Reward S34 andrea tS34 aubry t
S34 brad tS34 debbie tS34 sierra t
Andrea, Aubry, Brad, Debbie, Sierra

Episode Challenge Type Winners
Australian Survivor (2017)
Episode 6
Tribal Immunity AUS4 ak tAUS4 anneliese tAUS4 jarrad tAUS4 locky t
AUS4 peter tAUS4 tara tAUS4 tessa tAUS4 ziggy t
Samatau

Episode Challenge Type Winners
Island of Secrets
"I Just Want to Fix Your Crown"
Tribal Immunity ZAS7 cobus tZAS7 dante tZAS7 felix t
ZAS7 jacques tZAS7 meryl tZAS7 tania tZAS7 tingting t
Ta'alo
ZAS7 durao tZAS7 geoffrey tZAS7 laetitia t
ZAS7 mike tZAS7 mmaba tZAS7 rocco tZAS7 roselee t
Laumei

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Sierra Dawn Thomas is the only person to compete in this challenge twice. She won both times she competed.
  • Both times the challenge was used in the United States, the Blue Team won. Both times the challenge appeared internationally, the teal tribe lost.

References[]

Recurring Challenges
A Bit Dinghy · A Bit Tipsy · A Crate Idea · A Leg Up · A Numbers Game · Air Raid · Angry Chair · Around the Bend · Back in Slack · Balancing Point · Ballin' A Jack · Barrel Bridge · Barrel of Monkeys · Basket Brawl · Better Homes and Island Living · Beyond the Wheel · Blind Leading the Blind · Blue Lagoon Bustle · Blue Plate Special · Boats, Brains & Brawn · Bone to Pick · Boulder Smash · Bow Diddley · Box Your Mind · Braille Maze · Broken China · Buggin' Out · Build It Up, Break It Down · Butch Cassidy · By Any Means Necessary · By the Numbers · Cage Against the Machine · Can't Buoy Me Love · Cannonball Run · Caught in the Web · Cell Block Sea · Challenge Pitch · Chief's Choice · Chimney Sweep · Chinese Zodiac Symbols · Cling Ons · Choose Your Weapon · Coconut Juice · Crate Escape · Crocodile Rock · Crosswalk · Cube Crisis · Dear Liza · Dive Masters · Dizzy Gillespie · Dizzy Miss Lizzy · Domino Effect · Draggin' the Dragon · Dragging the River · Drop A Log · Drum Roll · Dulcimer Stomp · End of the Line · EOC · Eve 6 · Fallen Comrades · Fast Fire · Faulty Towers · Fauxconut Bowling · Fire and Water · Fire Fighter · Fire Starter · Flips, Flops, & Flags · Float Your Boat · Floating Puzzle · Game of Bridge · Gatecrasher · Get a Grip · Get Barreled · Get Hooked · Get Your Goat · Gimme Three Steps · Great Escape Run · Hands on a Hard Idol · Hear About It Ladder · Hot Pursuit · House of Cards · House of the Holey · Idol Hands · Jail Break · Jump Shot · Jungle Relay · Kamikaze · Keel Hauling · Keep It Up · Keep on Your Toes · Kenny Log-Ins · Kicking and Screaming · Kitty Litter · Know Your Loved One · Ladder Tree Golf · Last Gasp · Letter Hunt · Lock, Load and Light · Lock Step · Log Jam · Losing Face · Mask Match · Matchmaker · Matt Finish · Mayan Pizza · Memory · Mud Pack · Mud Slide · Muddy Waters · New School · New Tribe Member · Nut Bucket · O-Black Water · Odd Shaped Bottoms · Operation Balance Build · Out on a Limb · Over-Extended · Paddle Battle · Paddle Out · Perch · Pilfering Pirates · Piranha Feast · Pole Dancing · Pot Head · Push Me, Pull You · Puzzle Dig · Q and A · Quest for Fire · Race to Shore · Ram-Ball On · Rescue Mission · Rice Race · Rise and Shrine · Rock Bottom · Rock n' Roll · Rock the Boat · Rod Screw-It · Roll With It · Roller Ball · Rung O Star · Running Down a Dream · Sacrificial Lamb · Schmergen Brawl · Sea Crates · Sea Legs · Sea Salvage · Shipwrecked · Shoot 'n' Shuffle · Shooting Gallery · Shoulder the Load · Simmotion · Slip, Slide & Score · Slither Me Timbers · Smash and Grab · Snag, Drag and Bag · Snake in the Grass · Snake Island Relay · SOS Signal · Spear-it Hunt · Spit It Out · Splash Back · Sprung a Leak · Squared Off · Squatty Probst · Stacked Up · Stairway to Heaven · Stairway to the Stars · Star Man · Station By Station · Step on Up · Stomp-ede · Strung Out · Sumo at Sea · Survivor Auction · Survivor History · Survivor Pentathlon · Survivor Quiz Show · Swahili Scramble · Swing Break · Tangled Up · Temple Transfer · The Ball Drop · The Cruel Sea · The Game is Afoot · The Gauntlet · The Home Stretch · The Maze · The Obstacle Course · This Much · Thrash, Splash & Bash · TLP O-Course · Tomb Raider · Total Recall · Troubled Water · Uncomfortably Numb · United We Stand · Vampire Bats · Vertically Challenged · Vertigo · Wall to Wall · Well Stacked · What-er Drag · When It Rains, It Pours · Wicker Flicker · Will It Go Round · Witch Hunt · Wrist Assured · Yank Your Hank · You Shook Me
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