Around The Bend (also known as Rope-a-Dope, Connecting With Loved Ones, Brains and Brawn, The Bottom Line, and Tangled Up in Blue) is a recurring challenge of Survivor.
Rules
The castaways will be attached to a rope that is tangled around several obstacles that they will have to jump over and climb through in order to untangle it and make their way to the finish.
History
The challenge debuted in Guatemala as an individual Immunity Challenge. The challenge was split into two rounds. In the first round, the castaways had to traverse through three obstacles. The first four to finish would move on to the final round. In the final round, they had to traverse through a three level high obstacle course to win immunity. Rafe Judkins won immunity.
In Tocantins, the challenge was for immunity and followed the same format as Guatemala. J.T. Thomas and Tyson Apostol were neck and neck, taking the first two spots in the final. Brendan Synnott edged out Sierra Reed for the final spot. The final round was close, but Tyson won immunity.
In Heroes vs. Villains, this challenge was used as a Reward and Immunity Challenge before the Double Tribal Council where the castaway who finished first in each tribe would win immunity and compete against the winner of the opposing tribe for reward. Candice Woodcock won for the Heroes and Rob Mariano for the Villains. In the final stage, Rob won the reward for the Villains.
In One World, this challenge was the Loved Ones Challenge. The castaways and their loved ones would be tethered together and attached to one end of a thick rope. The thick rope has other ropes woven around it and several poles. They would have to untangle the ropes to allow them to progress along the thick rope. The first castaway and loved one to reach the end of the thick rope would win. Kat Edorsson and her cousin, Robby, just barely beat out Kim Spradlin and her sister, Beth. Kat chose Kim and Alicia Rosa, along with their loved ones, to go on a picnic.
In Philippines, the challenge was divided in three rounds. As Abi-Maria Gomes had bought an advantage in the Survivor Auction, she went straight to the last round. Before each round, host Jeff Probst asked a question. If the castaway answered incorrectly, they would have to carry a purse weighing 5% of their body weight. In the first round, Denise Stapley and Lisa Whelchel got the question wrong and added the extra weight to begin the challenge. With five moving on to the second stage, only Lisa was left behind. At the second stage, Denise got her question wrong again, making her extra weight 10%, while Carter Williams and Michael Skupin added 5%. In this stage, they were attached to another rope, while navigating through bamboo poles. Jonathan Penner and Carter moved on to face Abi-Maria in the third stage, where they had to untie a series of rope gates, while navigating through a multi-level obstacle course. Carter got the question wrong again, adding to his burden. Well-rested and without any weight, Abi-Maria breezed through the stage to take immunity.
In Millennials vs. Gen X, the challenge was once again used as the Loved Ones Challenge. First, each castaway would have to run through shallow water, and then climb over and go under several hitching posts. Next, they would untangle their ropes from an individual hitching post. After getting through, they would race to a log, which they would have to dig a path under. In the final stage, they would race around a pole that has their rope tangled around it, and after they got through, they would tap out on another pole to win. In a close race between Jay Starrett, Ken McNickle, and Zeke Smith, the former edged the latter two out and won the reward, which was bringing their loved one back to camp and having a barbecue. Jay also chose Will Wahl, Sunday Burquest, and Adam Klein to join him, along with their respective loved ones.
The challenge returned in Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers as a Reward Challenge. Randomly divided into three pairs, the castaways were clipped to a rope and had to maneuver together through three obstacles. Once they reached the end of the course, they unclipped themselves and attempted to throw five rings onto a target. Chrissy Hofbeck and Devon Pinto managed to get all their rings onto their target first, winning an overnight stay at a private island with a feast and selected Ryan Ulrich to join them.
The challenge appeared in David vs. Goliath as a tribal Immunity Challenge. In the first stage, one member of each tribe had to untangle a rope. In the second stage, three members had to untangle three ropes. In the third stage, two members would attempt to use the ropes to lasso and pull in a platform on which two members in the final stage will build a pyramid puzzle. David and Goliath were neck-and-neck in the challenge, but ultimately Christian Hubicki and Gabby Pascuzzi edged out Alison Raybould and Natalie Cole to win David their first Immunity Challenge.
Winners
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guatemala "Eating and Sleeping with the Enemy" |
Individual Immunity |  Rafe Judkins | |
| Tocantins "The Biggest Fraud in the Game" |
Individual Immunity |  Tyson Apostol | |
| Heroes vs. Villains "Banana Etiquette" |
Individual Immunity |  Candice Woodcock |
 Rob Mariano |
| Tribal Reward |         Villains | ||
| One World "It's Gonna Be Chaos" |
Individual Reward (Loved Ones Challenge) |
 Kat Edorsson | |
| Philippines "Hell Hath Frozen Over" |
Individual Immunity |  Abi-Maria Gomes | |
| Millennials vs. Gen X "About to Have a Rumble" |
Individual Reward (Loved Ones Challenge) |
 Jay Starrett | |
| Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers "The Survivor Devil" |
Team Reward |   Chrissy & Devon | |
| David vs. Goliath "I Am Goliath Strong" |
Tribal Reward/Immunity |         David | |
Gallery
Trivia
- Coach Wade, J.T. Thomas, and Tyson Apostol are the only contestants to compete in this challenge twice.
- Tyson Apostol is the only contestant who has won this challenge twice, for individual immunity in Tocantins and for tribal reward in Heroes vs. Villains.