Over-Extended (also known as With a 10 ft Pole, Ten Foot Pole, and Audio Slave) is a recurring challenge from Survivor.
Rules
Castaways place a wooden statue on top of a pole. At regular intervals, they will add another section of pole, making it harder to balance. If the statue falls off, that person is eliminated. The last person with their statue on top of the pole wins.
The Millennials vs. Gen X and Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers variation of the challenge involved balancing the statue with a pole horizontally on a perch while balancing on a balance beam. At intervals, castaways would slide their hands further back on the pole rather than add another section.
The Ghost Island and Edge of Extinction variant ditches the perch in favor of balancing the statue horizontally on the pole itself, and castaways no longer must move their hands down the pole.
History
This challenge was first used in Samoa as the Final Immunity Challenge. Mick Trimming's totem was the first to fall, and Natalie White quickly followed. Ultimately Russell Hantz outlasted Brett Clouser and won immunity. Brett's loss would seal his fate in the game.
This challenge was used in South Pacific as the first Redemption Island duel between Semhar Tadesse and Christine Shields Markoski. Eventually, Semhar's totem fell off first, giving Christine the win and permanently eliminating Semhar from the competition.
The challenge reappeared in Cambodia where the last male and last female standing would be given immunity respectively. Kelley Wentworth won it for the females after outlasting Tasha Fox, and Keith Nale won it for the males after Joe Anglim fainted 1 hour and 20 minutes into the challenge due to a severe drop in his blood sugar level. Joe was not in any danger of being medically evacuated, but was voted out at that night's Tribal Council.
In Millennials vs. Gen X, numerous contestants complained about the ants crawling on them, causing several of them to drop out. Ultimately, it came down to Zeke Smith and David Wright, with the latter pulling off a surprising victory.
The challenge was again used in Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, using the variation introduced in Millennials vs. Gen X. It ultimately came down to Cole Medders and JP Hilsabeck, with Cole outlasting JP to win his first individual immunity.
The challenge returned under a new format in Ghost Island, where it was used as the first individual Immunity Challenge. It came down to Kellyn Bechtold and Libby Vincek, with the former pulling out the win.
The challenge was again used in Edge of Extinction, using the variation introduced in Ghost Island. It ultimately came down to Julie Rosenberg and Lauren O'Connell, with Julie outlasting Lauren to win individual immunity.
In Winners at War, the winner of the challenge also wins two additional Fire Tokens. Tony Vlachos beat Jeremy Collins to win his second consecutive Immunity Challenge.
Winners
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samoa "This Game Ain't Over" |
Individual Immunity (Final Immunity) |
 Russell Hantz | |
| South Pacific "Reap What You Sow" |
Duel |  Christine Shields Markoski | |
| Cambodia "Tiny Little Shanks to the Heart" |
Individual Immunity |  Kelley Wentworth |
 Keith Nale |
| Millennials vs. Gen X "Million Dollar Gamble" |
Individual Immunity |  David Wright | |
| Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers "Playing with the Devil" |
Individual Immunity |  Cole Medders | |
| Ghost Island "Fear Keeps You Sharp" |
Individual Immunity |  Kellyn Bechtold | |
| Edge of Extinction "There's Always a Twist" |
Individual Immunity |  Julie Rosenberg | |
| Winners at War "This Is Extortion" |
Individual Immunity |  Tony Vlachos | |
Gallery
Trivia
- David Wright, Joe Anglim and Kelley Wentworth have all competed in this challenge twice.
- David and Kelley each won once while Joe lost both times.
- In Cambodia, the challenge was held in the same location as In the Barrel earlier in the season.[1]
- The reason why there was separate immunity offered for men and women in Cambodia was the weight of the poles.[2]
References