Boats, Brains & Brawn (also known as Rove, Rove, Rove Your Boat and Under Pressure) is a recurring team challenge on Survivor.
Rules[]
Tribes would paddle a boat out into the water and around a flag before collecting a series of items, either crates or oars, in a zigzag path going back to shore. Once all the items are collected, they would be used to solve a puzzle. The first tribe to finish the puzzle wins.
History[]
United States[]
The challenge debuted in Blood vs. Water as a combined Reward/Immunity Challenge. Paddling out to retrieve puzzle crates, the tribes would have to dive down underwater to release the boxes. Once all crates were retrieved and brought back to shore, the tribes would stack the crates into a staircase with Blood vs. Water properly aligned along the sides. Then, two members of each tribe would solve a puzzle giving them the combination to retrieve the correct key. The first tribe to run to the top of the tower, unlock and pull a lever, releasing the tribe flag, would win the challenge. Galang won their fourth consecutive immunity, beating Tadhana in a close race.
The challenge returned in Cagayan as a post-merge Reward Challenge where the teams had to go out in a boat to retrieve paddles with letters on them. The first team to come back with all the paddles and use them to figure a common Survivor phrase ("Worth playing for") would win. In a back-and-forth race, the purple team of Jefra Bland, Jeremiah Wood, Spencer Bledsoe, and Tasha Fox were able to beat the orange team to win reward.
The challenge appeared yet again in Cambodia, again as a Reward Challenge shortly after the merge. The teams were to set off in boats to collect four separate colored crates which would be used to complete a puzzle similar to Sea Crates. Ultimately, the green team consisting of Ciera Eastin, Joe Anglim, Keith Nale, Kelley Wentworth, Kelly Wiglesworth, and Kimmi Kappenberg won the reward.
The challenge reappeared as the first Immunity Challenge of Survivor 47, where the tribes had to paddle a boat to the shore while collecting three crates along the way. Additionally, a land section was added where the tribes had to pull their boat on a track through a net obstacle before they reached the puzzle. Lavo gained an early lead after both Tuku and Gata capsized, riding it to an easy victory, with Tuku taking second place after Gata fell apart at the puzzle. Notably, Andy Rueda suffered from dehydration and had to receive medical attention which, combined with his paranoia about being voted out, led to a meltdown in front of both other tribes.
Australia[]
The challenge was played for tribal immunity in Titans v Rebels. After retrieving all their letter blocks, each tribe would hoist the blocks up to three puzzlemakers on a tower while the remaining members on the ground use ropes to keep a platform elevated for the puzzlemakers to stack the answer to a word puzzle ("THE REBELS ARE IMMUNE" or "THE TITANS ARE IMMUNE"). The Rebels broke their losing streak at Immunity Challenges to send the Titans back to Tribal Council.
South Africa[]
The Survivor: Cagayan mechanics were adopted in Philippines, where the challenge was used for reward. PK Phetoe was left out of the schoolyard pick to form teams and, on the sitout bench, got to spectate the challenge while chowing on hotdogs. He also found a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol in his tray. In the challenge, Tom Swartz's red team held a lead in the water as Palesa Tau's blue team struggled with retrieving the paddles. However, the red team struggled with the word puzzle, opening the window for the blue team to correctly spell "A WIN TASTES GOOD" and clinch the victory. Palesa, Chané Mynhardt, Toni Tebbutt, and Werner Joubert won hotdogs, beer, and letters from home.
Winners[]
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Blood vs. Water "One Armed Dude and Three Moms" |
Tribal Reward/Immunity |         Galang |
| Cagayan "Sitting in My Spy Shack" |
Team Reward |     Jefra, Jeremiah, Spencer, Tasha |
| Cambodia "You Call, We'll Haul" |
Team Reward |       Ciera, Joe, Keith, Kelley, Kelly, Kimmi |
| Survivor 47 "One Glorious and Perfect Episode" |
Tribal Reward/Immunity |       Lavo |
      Tuku |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Brains v Brawn (2021) Episode 12 |
Tribal Reward |       Brains |
| Blood v Water Episode 4 |
Tribal Immunity |           Water |
| Titans v Rebels "The Saboteur" |
Tribal Immunity |          Rebels |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines Episode 10 |
Team Reward |     Chané, Palesa, Toni, Werner | |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ciera Eastin, Spencer Bledsoe, and Tasha Fox have each competed in this challenge twice and have each won once.
- Both times that Spencer and Tasha competed, they were on the same team.
References[]