Rise and Shrine (also known as Temple of Syrinx, Along the Watch Tower, Tower of Equality, and Bonus Track) is a recurring Survivor challenge. It debuted in Survivor: Cagayan and reappeared in San Juan del Sur, Ghost Island, Island of the Idols, Winners at War, and Survivor 41.
Rules[]
Castaways must race through a series of obstacles before climbing up a large set of walls to the top of a tower, where they must complete a puzzle. The first tribe to finish their puzzle wins.
History[]
The challenge debuted in Cagayan as a Reward Challenge where teams would have race through obstacles both in the water and on land to retrieve a wooden chest. After hauling it up a tall slope, they then had to assemble a ten-piece puzzle. Although the teams traded the lead multiple times, it was the orange team of Jefra Bland, Jeremiah Wood, LJ McKanas, Morgan McLeod, and Spencer Bledsoe who won reward.
The challenge reappeared as the opening Immunity Challenge in San Juan del Sur. The tribes would dash under a wooden structure, then work together to retrieve three bags which contained pieces they needed to get to the top. They then had to ascend the tower, first by hooking a monkey's fist on a target, then by scaling some pegs, and then by only using each other to get up a steep ramp. At the top, they had to solve a large, heavy triangular puzzle. Coyopa made it up the tower first, but Hunahpu ended up completing the puzzle first, sending Coyopa to Tribal Council.
The challenge once again reappeared in Ghost Island as a Reward/Immunity Challenge where the tribes first had to jump between three sets of raised ramps. If at any point a castaway falls while jumping, they would have to run back and start over. Then, they needed to dig a heavy ladder out of a sand pit and use it to retrieve a monkey's fist on top of a tripod. They then had to toss the monkey's fist through a target to climb the first wall, then hoist each other to the top of the second wall. At the top, they had to solve a tiki head puzzle. The two tribes were even throughout, but Malolo pulled ahead at the puzzle to win, sending Naviti to Tribal Council.
The challenge was again used as the opening Reward/Immunity Challenge in Island of the Idols. Each tribe had to climb over a net and go down a slide, with one member then using a grappling hook to lower a bridge. After crossing the bridge, each tribe then had to climb up a tower and solve a village puzzle. Although the two tribes were neck and neck, Lairo collapsed at the puzzle, allowing Vokai to surge ahead and win, sending Lairo to Tribal Council.
The challenge returned in Winners at War as a Reward/Immunity Challenge, where it was identical to the Ghost Island variant, with the exception of the puzzle. Dakal grew a gradual lead over Sele throughout the course, but Sele managed to close the gap on the puzzle. However, Dakal's early lead proved to be critical, as they finished the puzzle seconds before Sele to win immunity, sending Sele back to Tribal Council.
The challenge was again used as the opening Immunity Challenge in Survivor 41, with only the first tribe to finish winning immunity. Tribes had to race over and under a series of obstacles before coming across a sled on a track. They must load bags of puzzle pieces onto the sled, then clear the track of sandbags. Once the track has been cleared, they must push their sled to the other end, unload the bags of puzzle pieces into a crate, then hoist it to the top of a tower, where they must solve a puzzle. Ua were the first up the tower and built a lead while solving their puzzle. However, they failed to notice that they had not emptied all their bags, leading to them missing several pieces. This allowed Luvu to come from behind and win immunity, sending both Ua and Yase to Tribal Council.
Winners[]
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Cagayan "Mad Treasure Hunt" |
Team Reward |      Jefra, Jeremiah, LJ, Morgan, Spencer |
| San Juan del Sur "Suck It Up and Survive" |
Tribal Immunity |          Hunahpu |
| Ghost Island "Only Time Will Tell" |
Tribal Reward/Immunity |          Malolo |
| Island of the Idols "I Vote You Out and That's It" |
Tribal Reward/Immunity |           Vokai |
| Winners at War "Out for Blood" |
Tribal Reward/Immunity |          Dakal |
| Survivor 41 "A New Era" |
Tribal Immunity |       Luvu |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Spencer Bledsoe was the only person on the winning team in Cagayan who was not a member of the original Solana tribe.
- Tony Vlachos, Jeremy Collins, and Wendell Holland are the only castaways to compete in this challenge twice.
- Tony and Wendell lost on their first attempt, but won on their second, while Jeremy won his first, but lost his second.
- According to challenge producer John Kirhoffer, the name for Ghost Island and Winners at War's version of the challenge, Along the Watch Tower, is a reference to the Bob Dylan song, All Along the Watchtower.
References[]