When a boat arrived to camp in episode 11 of Survivor 49, the only player willing to take the "strenuous" journey—and risk the energy for a potential reward—was Steven Ramm.
After a member of his voting group was blindsided at the last Tribal Council and his closest ally burned her hidden immunity idol on his without purpose, he knew he needed to take a chance, no matter the risk.
Upon arriving at the journey starting point, he learned his task was to map a complete lap around the island to collect six numbers for a combination lock that would release a pole allowing him to smash open a jar holding an advantage and his metaphorical next Tribal Council vote. The challenge was to complete this task before the tide rose enough to release the jar, dropping it to the bottom of the ocean and ridding him of both the advantage and his vote.
Without hesitation, he was off. And as we all watched from home as he ran through hot sand, treaded water, and climbed rocks to find the six numbers he needed, I'm sure I wasn't the only one who wondered just how far he was pushing himself to get this done. From the comfort of my couch, as you'll see below, his journey took less than 10 minutes. But clearly, that's not what happened in real life.
Survivor 49 filmed in the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji, the show's home since season 33 Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X. There are a few different islands within the archipelago that have become familiar filming spots—camps, challenge arenas, the Sanctuary—and over the years it seems that journeys continue to take place on Monu Island.
As Steven reviews the rules for the journey and we see the map he's given showing him the way, the outline definitely matches up with an areial image of Monu. Despite the fact that the overhead shot we've given in the show is actually of Monuriki, an island just to the south best known for its appearance in the Tom Hanks film Castaway, the description Steven gives of his journey lines up perfectly with Monu.
Now, not taking into account the added difficulty of running through sand, water, and jagged rocks, the perimeter of Monu Island is approximately 2.5 miles—based on the route Steven was provided on his map in the game. For reference, it would take the average person about an hour to walk 2.5 miles of flat land at a leisurely pace.
But how much time was Steven given to complete his task? Based on the map provided, the boat dropped him off on the east side of the island and since we couldn't see the sun in any of the initial shots of him. This would probably put the start of his journey around 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. which sits around the average end of low tide in Fiji in April/May of 2025 (according to data recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) when Survivor 49 was filmed.
And based on the same data, a normal transition from low to hide tide might see a rise rate of 5-10mm/min with high tide coming in between 600-700mm higher than low tide, on average. If we're assuming the challenge started around the end of low tide and was set to end around the mid-point between low and high tide (ensuring Steven didn't get trapped out in the ocean at any one spot on his trek), that would make his timer approximately an hour with the drop bar set about 1 foot above the ocean.
So while an hour is an okay amount of time for someone on average to walk that distance in an everyday circumstance, Steven was definitely racing against the clock with all the added elements he had to deal with.
So, yes. That journey was hard. And not just anyone could have completed it. I'm sure there were a few people back at camp who might not have been able to finish in time, but we know that Steven's proven himself as a challenge threat, now having won two individual immunities on top of the fact that he was on the original undefeated Hina tribe.
Now that he's made the Final 6—and with a block-a-vote advantage in his possession—his physical prowess could come in handy, especially with Savannah Louie as the only other person left who's won an individual immunity. But, will his skills be enough to get him to the Survivor 49 finale?