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Battle Dig (also known as Water Slaughter) is physical race challenge that originated in Survivor: Palau, and has subsequently appeared in Micronesia and Caramoan. A land-based version of the challenge was also used in Panama and Heroes vs. Villains.

Rules

In Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Caramoan, two members of each tribe would race out in the water to retrieve a ring. The tribe members would then battle against each other to gain possession of the ring and bring it to their tribe flag/pontoon. The first tribe to score a given number of points would win.

In Survivor: Panama and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, for each tribe, a designated number of contestants will race out to a marked location and dig up a bag. The castaways then compete to return the bag to their tribe's mat. The first person to touch the tribe mat, with a hand on the bag, scores a point for their team. The first tribe to win a given number of rounds will win the challenge.

In Survivor: Micronesia, the tribes start at opposite ends of the playing field with three canvas bags. The tribes have to battle their way to their end zone. The tribe that has their three bags and two of the other tribe's bags in their end zone at the same time wins.

History

The challenge debuted in Survivor: Palau as the episode three Reward Challenge. Two contestants from each tribe would swim out to retrieve an inner tube and try to bring it back to their tribe's platform while contestants from the other tribe would try to stop them. The first tribe to three points won. Ulong won this challenge in a 3-0 sweep over Koror.

The challenge re-appeared in Survivor: Panama as a tribal Immunity Challenge. The first tribe to score three bags won the challenge. Casaya narrowly defeated La Mina 3-2 to win immunity.

In Survivor: Micronesia, playing in an area similar to a football field, the tribes start at opposite ends of the playing field with three canvas bags. The tribes have to battle their way to their end zone. The challenge ends when one tribe has their three bags and two of the other tribe's bags in their end zone at the same time. The tribes, dressed in war paint, had a very physical battle in the rain with the reward of items chosen from a catalog. Malakal won the challenge over Airai, taking home a tarp, a lighting kit, and a survival kit.

The challenge was used as the first Reward Challenge in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. The challenge occurred immediately at the start of the game. Teams of two raced for each tribe, with the first tribe to reach three points winning. The Heroes tribe won the challenge, defeating the Villains tribe 3-2, receiving flint. The challenge was notable for inflicting multiple injuries, with Stephenie LaGrossa dislocating her shoulder and Rupert Boneham breaking a toe. This challenge was also notable for Sugar Kiper letting go of her bra (which was undone by Sandra Diaz-Twine) in order to score a point for the Heroes tribe.

In Survivor: Caramoan, a variation of this challenge was again used as the first Reward Challenge of the season. Adapted to an aquatic playing field, two members of each tribe would race to retrieve a buoy from one end of the course and return it to their tribe's pole. The Favorites tribe Bikal won the challenge 4-1 over the Fans tribe Gota, receiving flint and 20 pounds of beans.

Winners

Episode Challenge Type Winners
Palau
Dangerous Creatures and Horrible Setbacks
Tribal Reward File:S10 angie t.jpgFile:S10 bobbyjon t.jpgFile:S10 ibrehem t.jpg
File:S10 james t.jpgFile:S10 jeff t.jpgFile:S10 kim t.jpgFile:S10 stephenie t.jpg
Ulong
Panama
Crazy Fights, Snake Dinners
Tribal Immunity File:S12 aras t.jpgFile:S12 bobby t.jpgFile:S12 bruce t.jpg
File:S12 cirie t.jpgFile:S12 courtney t.jpgFile:S12 danielle t.jpgFile:S12 shane t.jpg
Casaya
Micronesia
I Should Be Carried on the Chariot-Type Thing!
Tribal Reward File:S16 amanda t.jpgFile:S16 ami t.jpgFile:S16 cirie t.jpg
File:S16 eliza t.jpgFile:S16 james t.jpgFile:S16 jonathan t.jpg
File:S16 parvati t.jpgFile:S16 ozzy t.jpgFile:S16 yauman t.jpg
Malakal
Heroes vs. Villains
Slay Everyone, Trust No One
Tribal Reward File:S20 amanda t.jpgFile:S20 candice t.jpgFile:S20 cirie t.jpg
File:S20 colby t.jpgFile:S20 jt t.jpgFile:S20 james t.jpgFile:S20 rupert t.jpg
File:S20 stephenie t.jpgFile:S20 sugar t.jpgFile:S20 tom t.jpg
Heroes
Caramoan
She Annoys Me Greatly
Tribal Reward File:S26 andrea t.jpgFile:S26 brandon t.jpgFile:S26 brenda t.jpg
File:S26 cochran t.jpgFile:S26 corinne t.jpgFile:S26 dawn t.jpgFile:S26 erik t.jpg
File:S26 francesca t.jpgFile:S26 malcolm t.jpgFile:S26 phillip t.jpg
Bikal

Gallery

Trivia

  • Cirie Fields, Amanda Kimmel, Parvati Shallow, Stephenie LaGrossa, Danielle DiLorenzo, Erik Reichenbach, Tom Westman, and James Clement are the only contestants to compete in this challenge more than once.
    • Cirie, Danielle, Erik, and Tom are the only returning castaways to have competed is this challenge in all of their seasons.
      • Cirie is also the only castaway to compete in this challenge 3 times. 
    • Cirie, Stephenie, Amanda and James are the only castaways to have won the challenge every time they competed.
  • This is the only challenge that returning player Francesca Hogi has won.
  • In all of the seasons in which the challenge was used for reward, the winning tribe lost the subsequent Immunity Challenge.
  • This challenge has been played by both members of the Hantz family who have competed on Survivor.
  • Blue and purple tribes are the only tribes to win the challenge.
    • Every purple tribe that has won has contained the eventual Sole Survivor, while every blue tribe has not.

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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