Dragged Through Mud (also known as Reverse Sumo,[1] Tug of War and Reverse Tug of War) is a recurring strength challenge that debuted in Survivor: Guatemala and that has reappeared in Australian Survivor and Survivor South Africa.
Rules[]
Each tribe will send up a team of tribe members who will pull on a rope, while the person at each end of the rope attempts to grab a tribe flag. The first team to snag their flag scores a point for their tribe.
In Survivor: Guatemala, the challenge was played in mud, and opposing tribe members were allowed to make physical contact with their rivals to impede their progress.
In Australian Survivor: Blood v Water, the challenge was modified for use as a water challenge, with the opposing teams sitting in boats tethered to each other as they attempt to out-paddle their opponents to grab a tribe flag.
History[]
United States[]
The challenge debuted as the second Immunity Challenge of Guatemala, where the tribes played in a mud pit. After 15 minutes, neither Nakúm nor Yaxhá were able to retrieve any of their tribe flags; a stalemate was declared and switched to be played in one-on-one showdowns. The person who was closer to their flags after each five-minute showdown claimed the flag for their tribe. Nakúm beat Yaxhá to score three flags first to win their first Immunity Challenge.
Australia[]
The challenge appeared in All Stars as a Reward Challenge. Representatives of each tribe would team up and compete in a game of tug of war with a crate to reach a flag. Mokuta won reward after scoring three points.
Russia (Unofficial)[]
In Serdtse Afriki, the challenge was used for tribal immunity. Four men and one woman from each tribe took part. The challenge involved connecting each member of the tribe to one another, and their task was to reach the center of the site and then proceed to each of the bandanas, retrieving them along the way. The Sand tribe emerged victorious, securing immunity for themselves. Conversely, the River tribe experienced a loss, being unable to score any points.
South Africa[]
In Panama, one member of each opposing tribe will be harnessed to each other. They will start in a seated position in the middle of a sand pit. On the go, they will get up and pull themselves to the border of the circle and grab a stake. The first person to grab their stake scores a point for their tribe; the first tribe to score three points wins. Facing little resistance, Aguila won all three matches to win the reward of flint and fishing gear.
In Malaysia, the challenge appeared again as a tribal Reward Challenge, where it was modified for use as a team challenge. Each tribe would attempt to pull themselves to three totems, with the first tribe to stack all their totems winning a live goat as their reward. Iban was physically outmatched and proved no resistance to Bajau. Before Bajau could get their totems stacked, illegal contact from Iban's Irshaad Ally prompted host Mark Bayly to disqualify his tribe and call a forfeit in Bajau's favor.
The challenge was used as the second Captains' Duel on the first day of Champions. The opposing tribe captains Corné Krige and Mark Fish were tethered to each other and competed in four rounds to grab hold of a rope and pull up bags of rice. In the first round, the captains came to a stalemate, which was broken when Mark turned his body sideways, giving Corné enough leverage to pull himself towards the rope and win the round for Selatan. In the second round, Corné once again managed to pull himself to the rope to score the second point for Selatan. Before the third round, host Nico Panagio offered the two captains the chance to switch out for a member of their tribes. Corné chose to switch out for Zavion Kotze, while Mark switched out for Solly Mathiba. Zavion easily pulled Solly along with him towards the rope and clinched the game point for Selatan, winning six days' worth of rice.
Winners[]
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| All Stars Episode 7 |
Tribal Reward |          Mokuta |
| Blood v Water Episode 7 |
Tribal Reward |          Water |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Serdtse Afriki Episode 5 |
Tribal Immunity |         Sand |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
References[]