Survivor Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Survivor Wiki

Schmergen Brawl is a recurring challenge, first appearing in Survivor: Samoa and later in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and also showing up in La Isla: El Reality. It was infamously known for being a brutally physically-punishing Survivor version of basketball, and leaving several injuries among players. It is also the first recurring challenge to be officially banned from reuse.

Rules[]

In a walled-surrounded arena, three members of each tribe would battle for control of three balls. Once a castaway gets control of a ball, they would pass the ball to three other tribe members standing on an elevated platform who would then attempt to throw the ball through the opposing tribe's basket, situated at the opposite end of the arena. One point would be scored when a ball is made in the basket. After every point, the tribes would change who was in the arena and on the platform. The first tribe to score the required number of points, would win the challenge. In Samoa, three points were needed, in Heroes vs. Villains, two points were required, and in La Isla 2012, it was first to fifteen points.

History[]

United States[]

In Survivor: Samoa, the challenge was infamously known (Jeff Probst himself declared the challenge as a "classic") for its dramatic conclusion: one contestant, Ben Browning was disqualified due to kicking Russell Swan in the leg, and another, Mike Borassi was evacuated from the game shortly after due to a severely weakened condition. Both Ben and Mike were members of the Foa Foa tribe, who eventually lost the challenge over the Galu tribe.

The challenge was reused in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, where it continued its long line of injuries. James Clement, one of the series' most physically strong competitors incurred a knee injury which continued to endure until the Heroes vs. Villains Reunion Show, where he was still seen limping. The Villains ended up winning the challenge.

Mexico (Unofficial)[]

Much like its US counterpart, when it debuted in La Isla 2012, it was also notable for hurting the contestants, more specifically, Daniel Elbittar. He already had a bad knee coming into the season, but this challenge exacerbated the injury. The knee got swollen, to the point where he had to be taken out of the competition and had to be replaced by Ricardo Casares, who was originally sitting out. Daniel ended up needing surgery on his knee due to all the damage. To add more misfortune to the Celebridades tribe, their tribe lost 15 to 3 to the Desconocidos tribe.

Winners[]

Episode Challenge Type Winner
Samoa
"Taking Candy from a Baby"
Tribal Reward/Immunity S19 brett tS19 dave tS19 erik t
S19 john tS19 kelly tS19 laura tS19 monica t
S19 russells tS19 shambo tS19 yasmin t
Galu
Heroes vs. Villains
"Knights of the Round Table"
Tribal Reward S20 coach tS20 courtney tS20 danielle t
S20 jerri tS20 parvati tS20 rob t
S20 russell tS20 sandra tS20 tyson t
Villains

Episode Challenge Type Winner
La Isla 2012
Cycle 6, Episodes 22 and 23
Tribal Immunity 2012LI gabrielle t2012LI hilario t2012LI julio césar t
2012LI lourdes t2012LI maría renee t2012LI yanilen t
Desconocidos (2012)

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Due to the very physical nature, and the long history of injuries it caused to contestants, CBS deemed the challenge too dangerous to reuse again.[1]
  • Schmergen Brawl is the second challenge in which a contestant was disqualified for violating the rules (following Pilfering Pirates in Thailand).
  • Russell Hantz is the only castaway to compete in this challenge twice. He lost the first time, and won the second time.
  • Both times this challenge was used, a player was removed giving a tribe one less player in the challenge.
    • The tribe that lost a player went on to lose the challenge.
    • One player was removed for breaking the rules of the challenge while the other was removed due to an injury received during the challenge.
      • Both players were men and would be voted out in the next episode after this challenge was used.
  • Both times the challenge was used, the tribe that scored the first point lost the challenge.

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
Advertisement