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Temple Transfer (also known as Sea Towers, Thrilogy, and Towers of Hanoi) is a recurring mental challenge that originated in Survivor: Thailand and was later used in South Pacific. Its design is based on the popular mathematical puzzle, Tower of Hanoi.

Rules[]

Each tribe must race to transfer levels of a temple from one of three stations to another. They must move the levels one at a time, with the added stipulation that larger levels cannot be placed on top of smaller levels. The first tribe to completely move the structure over to the final station in the correct order would win the challenge.

The challenge was modified for re-use in Survivor: South Pacific as a tribal challenge in a similar vein to Hero Duels, including a brief obstacle course section before the puzzle, and the puzzle itself being downsized to fit on tables.

History[]

United States[]

The challenge first appeared in Thailand as an Immunity Challenge, in which the two tribes had to transfer large pieces one at a time between three platforms in order to build a Thai temple on the final platform. Chuay Gahn would easily win their first Immunity Challenge after Sook Jai decided to throw the challenge.

The challenge reappeared eighteen seasons later as the opening challenge in South Pacific, where Savaii's Ozzy Lusth competed against Upolu's Coach Wade for reward. First, the two returnees would have to climb a twelve foot pole to retrieve a wooden sea turtle that sat on top, and then dig themselves under a log before moving on to their puzzle, which they must complete by placing the turtle on top. While Ozzy managed to pull ahead of Coach through the course, the lead quickly evaporated once the former got hung up on his puzzle. After requesting help from his tribe, however, Ozzy would once again overtake Coach with Savaii's guidance, even taking advantage of Coach's mistake of placing one of the big pieces on top of one of the smaller pieces, allowing him to solve the puzzle and win reward for his tribe.

Australia[]

South Africa[]

In Champions, the challenge was used as a Captains' Duel between Corné Krige and Mark Fish. Stephen Walker's familiarity with the puzzle from his childhood allowed him to guide Mark in the right direction and help Utara to win reward.

Winners[]

Episode Challenge Type Winners
Thailand
"Family Values"
Tribal Immunity S5 brian tS5 clay tS5 ghandia t
S5 helen tS5 jan tS5 ted t
Chuay Gahn
South Pacific
"I Need Redemption"
Tribal Reward
(Hero Challenge)
S23 cochran tS23 dawn tS23 elyse t
S23 jim tS23 keith tS23 mark t
S23 ozzy tS23 semhar tS23 whitney t
Savaii

Episode Challenge Type Winners
Celebrity Survivor Australia
Episode 7
Team Reward AUS2 david tAUS2 gabrielle tAUS2 imogen t
David, Gabrielle, Imogen

Episode Challenge Type Winners
Champions
Episode 1
Tribal Reward
(Hero Challenge)
ZAS5 buhle tZAS5 killarney tZAS5 mark t
ZAS5 marian tZAS5 shane tZAS5 sivu tZAS5 solly t
ZAS5 sonette tZAS5 stephen tZAS5 vel tZAS5 zan t
Utara

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Each tribe that won this challenge lost the first Immunity Challenge.
  • Both winning tribes would have the eventual fourth place finisher.
  • Each season this challenge was used, the merged tribe color was yellow/gold.

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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