Survivor Ghost Island episode 7 challenge previews: R-E-W-A-R-D

Photo: Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment ©2018 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Photo: Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment ©2018 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Survivor Ghost Island episode 7’s sneak peek came late this week, but paired with the behind-the-scenes footage answers questions we have over the challenges.

When the press photos for Survivor Ghost Island episode 7 were first released last week, I had wondered just exactly what the Immunity Challenge was going to be. We saw the same players swimming out to retrieve rings and also climbing up the same obstacles carrying the rings for a second time, seeming to cross between relay and team retrieval.

The previews for this week of Survivor Ghost Island just lay out what to expect in both the reward and immunity challenges in the coming episode, with the Reward Challenge preview throwing in some new wrinkles in a new twist of a challenge. Just like last season, three tribes will suspend a wooden platform in the air by holding a rope taut. Slowly, one player from each tribe will inch out to place a block on the pile, spelling out R-E-W-A-R-D bookended by Ghost Island logo blocks.

Last season, the different tactics employed by each of the tribes made for a fascinating, close race that saw teams drop blocks at the last second and lead changes aplenty. In Survivor Ghost Island, however, the first place team can send a player from either of the opposing tribes to the titular location, possibly depriving them of their chicken kebab reward (the first place tribe also gets steaks and seasoning).

Since the first swap, it seems like whichever tribe wins won’t find a consensus player to send to Ghost Island, but who knows if this episode will be any different (it probably won’t). This may, however, set up one of the season’s few episodes without a puzzle aspect of a challenge whatsoever, as it paves the way for a swimming/dextrous challenge on the backend.

As seen on YouTube, the Immunity Challenge of Survivor Ghost Island episode 7 is called “Cruel Sea,” and it recycles simple aspects from plenty of past challenges. One of four players will swim to a platform, dive into the ocean and retrieve a set of three rings. They then need to bring it back to the starting platform for player two to repeat the process. Once those six rings are retrieved, all competitors from the tribe will push past the rings station to a tossing platform, where one player needs to toss six rings onto a target in order to win immunity.

Next: Survivor: Ranking all 35 seasons

It’s not a creative challenge, but it could represent the final tribe-based challenge of Survivor Ghost Island, as after tonight’s vote we should have 13 players, a ten-person jury and a Final Three FTC to follow. Perhaps the individual challenges will present more variety for the audience at home!