Often regarded as one of the best reality shows on TV, Survivor sees contestants competing (and surviving) in a remote location. For the last couple of years, that location has been desert islands in Fiji. But no matter where the season takes place, one thing is guaranteed - the contestants get very, very hungry.
To placate the contestants' hunger, Survivor will typically contain a food challenge of some type. Naturally, these challenges vary in terms of difficulty. Some foods are easy to get down, others take a bit more fortitude and convincing.
The Auction
If there's one thing that Survivor fans miss, it's the auction. A mainstay of the old seasons, the auction saw the contestants bidding on various items - some a surprise, others not. It's technically a challenge, with contestants trying to outbid each other to get their hands on some much-needed food.
Some of the foods include sought-after items like Doritos, beer, chocolate, and pasta dinners, while others landed on the less appetizing side. Either way, any food challenge involving chips, beer, and chocolate cake is bound to be the easiest.
Piranha Feast
The challenge Piranha Feast has appeared in three seasons of Survivor - Amazon, Fiji, and South Pacific. The challenge sees contestants tearing slabs of roasted meat off an animal with their hands tied behind their backs.
The team (or person) with the most collected meat at the end of the game wins. The difficulty comes into play because the contestants can't use their hands to eat, but the players didn't seem to struggle too much.
Cow Blood & Milk
Survivor: Africa was intense. The location proved incredibly difficult and demanding for the contestants, and most were left lethargic owing to dehydration and a general lack of energy. It also contained some exceptional challenges - including the immunity challenge in which the contestants were forced to drink fresh cow blood.
The contestants were forced to finish the entire shot and were not allowed to spit it up or refuse to drink it. If they did, the entire team was disqualified.
Spoonful Of Ants
The loved ones episode of Survivor: Thailand was particularly challenging. One of the contestants was a woman named Helen Glover, who quickly became a fan favorite owing to her funny confessionals. During the loved ones episode, Helen was visited by her husband Jim.
The loved ones were forced to compete in an immunity challenge on the contestants' behalf, and Jim had to swallow an entire spoonful of live ants. The ants luckily stayed down, and Jim was allowed to return to camp with his wife. This one is difficult because the creature was alive.
Mangrove Worms
Buggin' Out is a classic Survivor challenge, appearing in dozens of seasons. It sees the contestants spinning a wheel and eating various foods, and it was last seen in Ghost Island.
One of the foods found within Buggin' Out was a mangrove worm, eaten by Australian Outback contestant Kimmi Kappenberg. Being a vegetarian, Kappenberg initially refused to eat cow brain. She then dominated Tina Wesson, finishing her mangrove worm long before Tina and winning immunity for her tribe. This was tricky for this contestant in specific because of her feelings about animal consumption.
Balut
Many of these food challenges have involved a bit of cuisine known as balut. Balut is quite popular as street food in Asian countries like the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and it consists of a developing fetus/embryo being eaten straight from the eggshell.
The texture and crunch of the bones was difficult for contestants to consume in a hurry.
Giant Water Bugs
Survivor: Cambodia was the second-last season to feature the challenge Buggin' Out. Funnily enough, it also saw the return of Kimmi Kappenberg, who once again struggled with the various meats on display. For this particular challenge, the contestants were forced to eat various Cambodian delicacies.
These included the likes of pig brain, scorpions, and giant water bugs. The latter was particularly demanding as giant water bugs (also known as alligator fleas) are freshwater insects with quite a bit of girth behind them.
Tarantulas
Survivor: Thailand ended in spectacular fashion... with a tarantula-eating contest. The final four immunity challenge — the final four being Helen Glover, Jan Gentry, Clay Jordan, and eventual winner Brian Heidik — saw the contestants eating tarantulas.
Brian was especially quick in gobbling down the massive, hairy spider, chowing down and swallowing like it was a piece of prime rib. Luckily, it was well worth it, as he won both the challenge and the season.
The Smoothies
Smoothies are both yummy and healthy. But not the ones found on Survivor. Buggin' Out has also included various smoothies, which are made from various and uncommon ingredients. Pearl Islands contains the most famous smoothie, as it was downed in ten seconds by Michelle.
This went against the tribe's strategy, and Michelle was voted out that night. The Samoa challenge was also notable, with Ashley Trainer essentially losing the challenge for Foa Foa owing to her inability to drink the formidable ingredients. The texture of the smoothie made this one a difficult one to swallow.
Farfaru
By far the most challenging thing eaten on Survivor is farfaru. Farfaru is essentially fermented fish, and it was eaten during the Buggin' Out challenge in Marquesas. Both the taste and smell did not sit well with the contestants, and Boston Rob even regurgitated some of his helping during the tiebreaker.
Boston Rob is typically regarded as one of the toughest contestants in Survivor history, so watching him struggle with the dish was quite shocking to viewers.