Domino Effect (also known as Backed Up, High Step and Stack, and High Step Back) is a recurring challenge from Survivor. It debuted in Survivor: Gabon and has since re-appeared in Redemption Island, Blood vs. Water, Kaôh Rōng, Game Changers, and Winners at War.
Rules[]
Castaways must stack all of their blocks like a line of domino tiles on an angular beam while avoiding tripwires that would topple the blocks that were already stacked. Once all of the blocks have been properly stacked in such a way that they were evenly spaced to topple like dominoes that would reach the end of the beam, the castaway would start a chain reaction which would trigger a mechanism that will release a ball rolling to a bowl, releasing a flag/breaking a tile. The first castaway to raise their flag/break their tile would win.
In Kaôh Rōng, Game Changers, and Winners at War, the challenge was slightly modified so that the beam was now straight, and with the obstacle below the beam being a wooden frame that, when shaken, would cause the blocks to fall. Contestants were only allowed to carry one block at a time, unlike in previous iterations where they could carry as many as desired. The first castaway to topple their blocks like dominoes to the end and ring a gong would win.
History[]
United States[]
This challenge debuted in Gabon as an Immunity Challenge with an additional first round where castaways would race across a series of balance beams carrying three bags of blocks. The first two castaways to bring all three of their bags would go to the final round, along with Corinne Kaplan, who had bought a Challenge Advantage from the Survivor Auction that allowed her to bypass the first round. In the final round, a race between Corinne, Ken Hoang, and Matty Whitmore to topple all their blocks resulted in Corinne and Matty's blocks failing to reach the end, while Ken's managed to do so, giving him immunity.
In Redemption Island, the challenge was used as the second Redemption Island duel. From this point onwards, the first round in Gabon is no longer used, with the challenge immediately starting with the block portion. In the end, Matt Elrod beat Russell Hantz in, permanently eliminating Russell from the game.
In Blood vs. Water, the challenge returned as the second Redemption Island duel between Candice Cody, Marissa Peterson, and Rachel Foulger. Instead of tripwires, trip bars were now installed at the foot of each beam. Candice easily won the duel, keeping herself alive. After over 45 minutes in the intense heat, Marissa finally beat Rachel, eliminating Rachel from the game.
In Kaôh Rōng, the challenge appeared as an Immunity Challenge in a slightly altered form. Several castaways had difficulty stacking their blocks as they tripped on the wooden frame obstacle, allowing Julia Sokolowski to topple all of her blocks first, winning immunity.
In Game Changers, the challenge was again used as an Immunity Challenge and used the same iteration as in Kaôh Rōng. In the end, the challenge came down to a race between Andrea Boehlke, Michaela Bradshaw, Sarah Lacina, and Sierra Dawn Thomas. After quickly re-stacking her blocks, Andrea managed to topple all of her blocks first, winning immunity.
In Winners at War, the challenge was once again an Immunity Challenge using the same iteration as in Kaôh Rōng. Prior to the challenge, Nick Wilson anonymously played a Challenge Disadvantage against Ben Driebergen, requiring him to stack 30% more blocks on a 30% longer beam. Despite this, Ben, Michele Fitzgerald, Sarah Lacina, and Tony Vlachos were all neck and neck, with Michele ultimately pulling out a clutch immunity win.
Australia[]
Heroes v Villains introduced a new variant of the challenge. The four competing members of the Fa'amolemole tribe would stand within a circular table suspended by three cables. They must place their tiles through a specific window, rotating the table so as to place more tiles around the table. As the table is rotated, the tension in the cables builds, so the castaways must stabilize the table with one hand and stack their tiles with the other. The first person to knock down all their tiles wins. Matt Sharp narrowly defeated Simon Mee by seconds to secure his third individual Immunity Challenge victory.
A new variant of the challenge appeared at the final seven of Titans v Rebels. Each castaway had to hold a ring bearing a weight as they stacked their dominoes; if the weight dropped, it would knock over their blocks. On her third attempt at toppling her stack, Kirby Bentley secured her second Immunity Challenge win, narrowly beating out Rianna Bowley to prevent a near-certain elimination.
France[]
New Zealand[]
South Africa[]
In Philippines, the final four competed in the challenge for a spa retreat. The Araw tribe not only had to race against each other, but beat the gusts that constantly toppled each castaway's row of dominoes. In the end, Tom Swartz won his third individual challenge, the spa retreat, and a new Huawei P20 phone.
United Kingdom[]
Winners[]
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabon "Nothing Tastes Better than Five Hundred Dollars" |
Individual Immunity |  Ken Hoang | |
| Redemption Island "Don't You Work for Me?" |
Duel |  Matt Elrod | |
| Blood vs. Water "Opening Pandora's Box" |
Duel |  Candice Cody |
 Marissa Peterson |
| Kaôh Rōng "It's Psychological Warfare" |
Individual Immunity |  Julia Sokolowski | |
| Game Changers "Reinventing How This Game Is Played" |
Individual Immunity |  Andrea Boehlke | |
| Winners at War "The Penultimate Step of the War" |
Individual Immunity |  Michele Fitzgerald | |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Survivor (2017) Episode 23 |
Individual Reward/Immunity |  Michelle Dougan |
| Champions v Contenders (2019) Episode 22 |
Individual Immunity |  Luke Toki |
| All Stars Episode 6 |
Tribal Reward |           Vakama |
| Blood v Water Episode 20 |
Individual Immunity |  Mark Wales |
| Heroes v Villains Episode 21 |
Individual Immunity |  Matt Sharp |
| Titans v Rebels Episode 20 |
Individual Immunity |  Kirby Bentley |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambodge Episode 13 |
Individual Immunity |  Mathilde Chevalier | |
| Fidji Episode 12 |
Individual Reward |  Romain Delaroche | |
| L'Île des Héros Episode 13 |
Individual Immunity (Sudden-Death Challenge) |
 Claude Dartois | |
| La Légende Episode 7 |
Re-entry Duel |  Ugo Latriche |
 Clémence Castel |
| Le Feu Sacré Episode 15 |
Individual Immunity |  Frédéric Khouvilay | |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand Episode 13 |
Individual Reward |  Tess Fahey |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Philippines Episode 15 |
Individual Reward |  Tom Swartz |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Survivor U.K. (2023) Episode 13 |
Individual Immunity |  Christopher Haul |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Every first-time player to win this challenge was the youngest person of their gender on their season.
- Aubry Bracco, Michele Fitzgerald, Sarah Lacina, and Tai Trang are the only contestants to have competed in this challenge twice. Michele won once, while Aubry, Sarah, and Tai lost both times.