Survivor has 40 whole seasons of innovative, and exciting challenges. Of course, there are recurring challenges that all die-hard fans get super excited to see—and subsequently can't wait to see which of their favorite castaways will come out on top. Plus, some challenges are much harder than others.
From brain to brawn to endurance, these castaways fight for immunity with blood, sweat, and tears, and some challenges cost a lot more of these things. It's time to throw it back to those challenges that push contestants to their max and have fans cringing in their seats while they cheer the survivors on.
Blind Leading The Blind
Anything that involves these castaways having total blind faith in each other is bound to cause some immense difficulty; there's always a sore loser at the end of this challenge. With one caller, every other castaway is in their hands, and they either listen well or fail miserably.
From walking hard into obstacles to screaming castaways, this challenge might push them all to their limit, and it definitely puts people on the chopping block if they don't do well.
Roller Ball
Balance, dexterity, and concentration are three things that many of these challenges require and that castaways better excel at if they want to win immunity. With a disc, a log to balance on, and balls to keep steady, this one only needs one second of lost focus to lose it all.
It seems like it may be easy, but, time and time again, contestants fall quickly out of this challenge. It's over in a second, and it's definitely one of those that are beyond frustrating.
Slither Me Timbers
There might not be a challenge from this series that is as hard for fans, and other players, to watch as this one is. Having their hands and ankles bound, castaways literally have to slither like a snake through the sand, over mounds, and through obstacles.
It's painful to watch, and it looks super tiring and frustrating. Some contestants just can't slither, and it's one of those stressful challenges that looks super difficult—and is definitely said to be true by contestants.
Get A Grip
This is definitely one challenge that contestants either succeed pretty well at or totally fail at. With one tall pole between them and immunity, this seemingly simple hanging challenge is physical torture.
It's mind over matter, and the winner just has to hang onto the pole the longest. Most castaways drop out of this challenge with some pretty sore feet and hands, and that definitely proves this one is tough.
Gimme Three Steps
One of the most exciting types of challenges in the series is definitely those that challenge the endurance of the castaways. This challenge, similar to "Final Fortitude," is pretty popular when it comes down to a handful of contestants because their minds and bodies couldn't be more exhausted already.
Having to race up and down ladders and stairs is tiring just to watch, but then castaways must use whatever fuel is left in their tank to solve a puzzle. It's riveting and pushes survivors to their absolute limit. Fans will also never forget Michele Fitzgerald crushing this one twice, including in "Winners at War."
Uncomfortably Numb
Some players—fans are looking at Christian Hubicki, in particular—have completely slayed this challenge, but it's still one of the hardest ones to ever hit the beach. It wasn't named "Uncomfortably Numb" for no reason!
Standing on a perch and holding their hands above their head, this one is truly the definition of "mind over matter," and, when they drop out, their bodies are definitely not happy about it. This one is difficult to watch, let alone do.
Teeter Tower
This challenge is up there with "Domino Effect" or "A Bit Tipsy" and any other task that involves balancing objects while holding a rope to steady the platform. This one is definitely about patience and focus, but going too slow will definitely leave you out of the challenge.
"Teeter Tower" isn't over until it's over, because fans and castaways alike truly don't know who is going to topple and who is going to keep steady until they win. Fans definitely remember the iconic Andrea Boehlke winning this in "Game Changers."
Simmotion
Fans are always ready to see which of the final remaining castaways will be able to focus the longest on this mentally difficult challenge. There's balls and there's a track, and that's it, but it's much more complicated and strenuous than it first seems.
This is all about timing, concentration, and calming your nerves. It's far from simple and proves to be one task that not every castaway can get the hang of. Plus, it's always stressful to watch.
Serpent Turf
It doesn't seem like carrying a giant snake through the water, sand, and difficult obstacles would come out near the top of the most challenging tasks, but it certainly does, and even fans get exhausted watching these castaways haul that serpent.
This 400-pound snake is one of the biggest enemies of these contestants, let alone throwing rings onto paddles after being physically drained. This one is always a nail-biter, especially on "Edge of Extinction."
Sea Crates/Crate Idea
There are a few iterations of this challenge, but, typically, it involves extremely heavy crates that must be stacked to create a pattern or organized in a way to complete a puzzle. This is another challenge that always gets messy and truly tests the communication of a tribe, revealing the best and the worst out there.
Moving these crates is one of the most difficult parts of a challenge out there, but, saddled with necessary teamwork, it proves to be one that always gives tribes a run for their money.