Survivor Wiki
Survivor Wiki

By the Numbers (also known as Plank Race) is a recurring challenge in Survivor that demands teamwork and delicate balance.

Rules[]

The members of each tribe line up on a very narrow balance beam. One tribe member at a time, they must move across the beam and around the other tribe members. The person crossing can only touch one member at a time. If two people touch at once or a member falls into the water, they must start all over. Once a member reaches the platform, the next person may proceed. The tribe who gets all their members across first wins.

History[]

United States[]

The challenge debuted in Survivor: Vanuatu as the season's first Reward Challenge. The Yasur tribe was able to easily defeat the Lopevi tribe and win the challenge, earning themselves blankets and pillows.

In Survivor: Fiji, Moto and Ravu competed in this challenge for reward. Despite originally trailing, Moto developed a strategy which involved having the member kneel down, allowing them to cross with relative ease. This would allow Moto to pull off a victory and earn fish, rice, spices, and a king-sized bed with sheets, pillows, and blankets. This is the only season where the challenge was administered to tribes with both male and female members.

The next time the challenge was used was in Survivor: One World for immunity. While the Manono tribe made decent progress, the Salani tribe had communication problems early on, which were aggravated by Kat Edorsson unnecessarily jumping into the water. By the time Monica Culpepper was able to come up with a plan to get the women across, the Manono tribe won immunity.

Australia[]

France[]

Russia (Unofficial)[]

In Serdtse Afriki, the challenge was used for immunity. Despite their initial lead, the Sand tribe lost because Natalia Nikolaeva couldn't get across the balance beam, and the River tribe won immunity for the first time.

South Africa[]

In Philippines, the challenge was used for tribal reward. Also at the challenge, one Hidden Immunity Idol was hidden on each tribe's finish platform; Werner Joubert grabbed Mindanao's idol, while Chané Mynhardt took Luzon's idol. Luzon handily won the challenge, getting all their members across before Mindanao managed to get a single member across. They received comfort items as their reward.

Winners[]

Episode Challenge Type Winners
Australian Survivor (2017)
Episode 6
Tribal Reward

Samatau

Episode Challenge Type Winners
Bocas del Toro
Episode 7
Tribal Reward

Boro
Viêtnam
Episode 2
Tribal Immunity

Vang
Johor
Episode 3
Tribal Immunity


Lankawaï
L'Île au Trésor
Episode 3
Tribal Reward


Naga
L'Île des Héros
Episode 2
Tribal Reward

Nacomo
Le Totem Maudit
Episode 6
Tribal Reward

Matingi

Episode Challenge Type Winners
Serdtse Afriki
Episode 4
Tribal Immunity

River

Episode Challenge Type Winners
Philippines
Episode 3
Tribal Reward

Luzon (South Africa)

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • This challenge has been used in two seasons with the Battle of the Sexes format.
  • Every tribe to win this challenge shares several similarities:
    • Every tribe had nine members at the time.
    • Every tribe had to sit out people to accommodate the other tribe, one of whom was the oldest contestant of the season.
    • Every tribe had not lost a challenge up to that point.

References[]

Recurring Challenges
A Bit Dinghy · A Bit Tipsy · A Crate Idea · A Leg Up · A Numbers Game · Air Raid · Angry Chair · Arch Madness · Around the Bend · Back in Slack · Balancing Point · Ballin' A Jack · Barrel Bridge · Barrel of Monkeys · Barreling Along · 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 · 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 · Driving Wheel · Drop A Log · Drum Roll · Dulcimer Stomp · End of the Line · EOC · Eve 6 · Fallen Comrades · Fast Fire · Faulty Towers · Fauxconut Bowling · Feel the Earn · Fire and Water · Fire Fighter · Fire Starter · Flips, Flops, & Flags · Float Your Boat · Floating Puzzle · Full Tilt Boogey · 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 · Invertigo · 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 · Spoon Man · 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 · Super Ramp · 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 · Wizard's Staff · Wrist Assured · Yank Your Hank · You Shook Me