What-er Drag (also known as Hitching a Ride, Catch of the Day, and Hitch A Ride) is a recurring challenge in Survivor. It originated in Survivor: Micronesia.
Rules[]
Castaways must race across a floating bridge to the end of the course while pulling a rope being woven out by a wench. When they reach the end of the course, they would grab either a bag of puzzle strips or clip themselves onto a puzzle piece. The tribe will then pull that person back by cranking the winch (in Philippines the castaways did not use either a floating bridge or a winch). Once all the puzzle pieces are back, tribe members will solve the puzzle.
History[]
United States[]
The challenge debuted in Micronesia as an Immunity Challenge where each tribe had to collect five bags before solving a square puzzle. Although Malakal managed to collect their bags first, Airai were the first to finish their puzzle to win immunity, sending Malakal to their third consecutive Tribal Council.
The challenge reappeared in South Pacific as a combined Reward/Immunity Challenge with each tribe retrieving five bags. The last two members of each tribe then used a grappling hook to get the bags to the top of a wall where they would solve a vertical mask puzzle. The tribes traded the lead throughout, but Upolu pulled ahead at the grappling hook stage to complete their puzzle first, sending Savaii to Tribal Council.
In Philippines, the challenge reappeared as a post-merge Reward Challenge with four members of each team clipping a rope to a fish basket before being pulled in. The last member would then have to dig for a key to unlock their puzzle. The yellow team of Denise Stapley, Jeff Kent, Jonathan Penner, Lisa Whelchel, and Malcolm Freberg zipped through their flag puzzle to win lunch onboard a river cruise.
The challenge was again used in Ghost Island as an Immunity Challenge where each tribe had to collect three bags before solving a sliding puzzle. Naviti took the lead early on and finished their puzzle first to win immunity, sending Malolo back to Tribal Council.
Australia[]
The challenge appeared in Brains v Brawn (2021) as the sixth tribal Immunity Challenge. Brawn used their brute strength to carve a significant lead in collecting their five keys, giving them a headstart on working on their jigsaw puzzle. Meanwhile, the Brains were undone by their inferior strength and their ill-advised decision to sit out resident puzzlemaker Wai Chim. The Brawn tribe pulled off their second consecutive Immunity Challenge win, sending Brains back to Tribal Council.
France[]
Quebec[]
South Africa[]
In Champions, the challenge was used for tribal reward. Once each tribe retrieved their three crates, they would use a crowbar to open the crates use the puzzle pieces inside to piece together a portrait of the legendary pirate Ching Shih. As the puzzle was being solved, the rest of the tribe had to maintain tension on the winch to keep the puzzle upright. Utara was the first to piece together their puzzle, but they were wrong. Selatan capitalized on Utara's mistake to clinch their first tribal victory, winning fishing gear.
The challenge was played for reward and immunity in Return of the Outcasts. Tribe members had to race out into the water to retrieve five fish traps, each containing two balls; once all the balls had been collected, the tribe would toss them onto two overhead troughs. Masu struggled with understanding the mechanics of the winch, costing them valuable time as Yontau surged ahead. Despite Masu's best efforts, Yontau won their second straight challenge for immunity and a fishing kit, sending Masu back to Tribal Council.
Sweden[]
Winners[]
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Micronesia "Like a Wide-Eyed Kid in the Candy Store" |
Tribal Immunity |       Airai |
| South Pacific "Reap What You Sow" |
Tribal Reward/Immunity |         Upolu |
| Philippines "Dead Man Walking" |
Team Reward |      Denise, Jeff, Jonathan, Lisa, Malcolm |
| Ghost Island "A Diamond in the Rough" |
Tribal Immunity |         Naviti |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Brains v Brawn (2021) Episode 6 |
Tribal Immunity |          Brawn |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Fidji Episode 1 |
Tribal Immunity |           Coravu |
| Le Totem Maudit Episode 5 |
Tribal Immunity |          Cadlao |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Survivor Québec (2025) Cycle 1 |
Tribal Reward |            Ugat |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Champions Episode 3 |
Tribal Reward |           Selatan |
| Return of the Outcasts "The Ghost of Your Past Game" |
Tribal Immunity |           Yontau |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Robinson 2023 Episode 1 |
Tribal Reward |          South Team (Robinson 2023) |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ozzy Lusth is the only person to compete in this challenge twice. He lost both times.
References[]