Over-Extended (also known as With a 10 ft Pole, Ten Foot Pole, and Audio Slave) is a recurring challenge from Survivor.
Rules[]
Castaways must place either a wooden statue or a ball on top of a pole. At regular intervals, they will add another section of pole, making it harder to balance. If the object falls off, that person is eliminated. The last person with their statue or ball on top of the pole wins.
The 10 Foot Pole variant of the challenge first seen in Millennials vs. Gen X involved the castaways propping up their statue while holding their pole horizontally. As the challenge progresses, the castaways will move further away from their statue, making the challenge harder.
The Audio Slave variant of the challenge introduced in Ghost Island involved balancing the statue with a pole horizontally on a perch while balancing on a balance beam. At regular intervals, castaways would slide their hands further back on the pole and step forward to a narrower portion of the balance beam instead of adding another section.
History[]
United States[]
This challenge was first used in Samoa as the Final Immunity Challenge, with castaways having to add another section of pole every two minutes. At the 12 minute mark, Mick Trimming's statue was the first to fall, quickly followed by Natalie White. Ultimately, Russell Hantz outlasted Brett Clouser and won immunity past the 14 minute mark.
In South Pacific, the challenge was used as the first Redemption Island duel between Christine Shields Markoski and Semhar Tadesse. After an unspecified amount of time, Semhar's totem fell off first, giving Christine the win and permanently eliminating Semhar from the game.
In Cambodia, the challenge was used as an Immunity Challenge, with the last male and last female standing each winning immunity. Castaways would have to add another section of pole every five minutes. After 25 minutes, Kelley Wentworth outlasted Tasha Fox to win the women's immunity, while Keith Nale won the men's immunity by outlasting Joe Anglim 1 hour and 20 minutes into the challenge after Joe fainted due to a severe drop in his blood sugar level.
In Millennials vs. Gen X, the challenge was used as an Immunity Challenge and modified so that castaways now had to balance a statue horizontally while standing on a balance beam. Castaways would have to move back to another section of the pole and balance beam every five minutes. After an unspecified amount of time, David Wright outlasted Zeke Smith to win immunity.
In Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, the challenge was again used as an Immunity Challenge using the variation introduced in Millennials vs. Gen X. Castaways would have to move back to another section of the pole and balance beam every ten minutes. After an unspecified amount of time, Cole Medders outlasted JP Hilsabeck to win immunity.
In Ghost Island, a new variation was introduced as the first individual Immunity Challenge, requiring castaways to hold a boom pole with a statue at the end above their head. Castaways would have to move back to another section of the pole and balance beam every five minutes. After over 20 minutes, Kellyn Bechtold outlasted Libby Vincek to win immunity.
In Edge of Extinction, the challenge was again used as the first individual Immunity Challenge using the variation from Ghost Island. Castaways would have to move back to another section of the pole and balance beam every ten minutes. After over 20 minutes, Julie Rosenberg outlasted Lauren O'Connell to win immunity.
In Winners at War, the challenge was once again used as an Immunity Challenge, using the variation introduced in Millennials vs. Gen X. After 32 minutes, Tony Vlachos outlasted Jeremy Collins to win his second consecutive immunity, along with two Fire Tokens.
Returning in Survivor 43, this challenge was similar in appearance to its initial run in Samoa. However, the castaways were now balancing a large ball instead of a statue in a manner similar to Hard to Handle; a small lip was also added to the poles' platforms to compensate for the increased difficulty of this task. With five castaways agreeing to sit out of the challenge in exchange for four days' worth of rice for the tribe, the challenge would eventually come down to Owen Knight and Cody Assenmacher. After an extended period of time, Owen would ultimately win the challenge when Cody failed to make the transition to the next stage, winning immunity.
The Audio Slave version of the challenge was used as an Immunity Challenge at the final eleven of Survivor 44 ahead of the Group Tribal Council, with one person from each group winning immunity; additionally, the overall winner will win their team a reward of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and potato chips, as well as exempt their whole team from the vote at Tribal Council. By the third part of the challenge, only Frannie Marin remained for the orange team against almost every member of the purple team. Despite this, Frannie managed to hang on, with the challenge coming down to a showdown between her and Brandon Cottom. In the end, Frannie outlasted Brandon to win immunity and the reward of potato chips and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for her team, while Brandon won immunity for himself.
The Audio Slave version of the challenge was used as an Immunity Challenge at the final twelve of Survivor 47, once again ahead of the Group Tribal Council, with the first team to lose all of its members attending Tribal Council, whilst the winning team would win team immunity and a reward of baby back ribs, potato salad, corn on the cob, beer, and soft drinks. In the end, Genevieve Mushaluk and Teeny Chirichillo were the last two standing for their team and won overall, whilst Kyle Ostwald was the last one standing for the losing team, winning individual immunity as his team headed to Tribal Council.
Australia[]
The challenge appeared as an Immunity Challenge at the final twelve of Titans v Rebels. The challenge came down to a showdown between Jaden Laing, who had remained generally stoic throughout the challenge, and Kirby Bentley, who resisted her pole's flexion to stay in the game. With 12 feet of pole in play, Kirby's pole finally fell apart, giving Jaden his first immunity win.
New Zealand[]
Quebec[]
South Africa[]
In Champions, the two competing tribe captains were instructed to bring along one member of their tribe to assist in a mystery Reward Challenge where the winners would return to camp with "another". On Selatan, Corné Krige picked Zavion Kotze, while Mark Fish picked Shane Hattingh on Utara. At the challenge, Zavion and Shane assisted in passing pegs to their respective captains, who had to keep a jug of water balanced on a disc on the top of their gradually lengthening pole. Zavion's strategy of fitting the poles with one another helped Corné to keep his composure, while Shane's poor assistance caused Mark to tip his jug and lose for Utara. Selatan returned to camp with sporting legend Jonty Rhodes, who brought along meats and mealies for a braai.
The challenge was played for individual reward at the final five of Island of Secrets, with the challenge coming down to Nicole Capper and Rob Bentele. Nicole dropped her pole while slotting her sixth pole segment, giving Rob his fourth individual win and a trip to Manono Island.
The Audio Slave variant was played at the final six of Immunity Island, coinciding with the family visit. After making it to the second stage of the challenge, Chappies Chapman outlasted Tyson Zulu to win a surprise reward; rather than receive his family visit, he would have the power to decide his two competitors in the upcoming Immunity Challenge, depriving the three other castaways of a shot at immunity. Nico Panagio then surprised the Osindile tribe with the fact that all of them would get to a meal with their loved ones at a burger bar.
Winners[]
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samoa "This Game Ain't Over" |
Individual Immunity (Final Immunity) |
 Russell Hantz | |
| South Pacific "Reap What You Sow" |
Duel |  Christine Shields Markoski | |
| Cambodia "Tiny Little Shanks to the Heart" |
Individual Immunity |  Kelley Wentworth |
 Keith Nale |
| Millennials vs. Gen X "Million Dollar Gamble" |
Individual Immunity |  David Wright | |
| Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers "Playing with the Devil" |
Individual Immunity |  Cole Medders | |
| Ghost Island "Fear Keeps You Sharp" |
Individual Immunity |  Kellyn Bechtold | |
| Edge of Extinction "There's Always a Twist" |
Individual Immunity |  Julie Rosenberg | |
| Winners at War "This Is Extortion" |
Individual Immunity |  Tony Vlachos | |
| Survivor 43 "Proposterous" |
Individual Immunity |  Owen Knight | |
| Survivor 44 "Let's Not Be Cute About It" |
Individual Immunity |  Brandon Cottom | |
| Team Reward/Immunity |      Carolyn, Danny, Frannie, Heidi, Kane | ||
| Survivor 47 "Our Pickle on Blast" |
Individual Immunity |  Kyle Ostwald | |
| Team Reward/Immunity |       Andy, Genevieve, Sam, Sierra, Sol, Teeny | ||
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Survivor (2017) Episode 19 |
Individual Immunity |  Ziggy Zagame |
| Blood v Water Episode 17 |
Individual Immunity |  Jordan Schmidt |
| Titans v Rebels "Master and Apprentice" |
Individual Immunity |  Jaden Laing |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand Episode 11 |
Individual Reward |  Eve Clarke |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Survivor Québec (2024) Episode 22 |
Tribal Reward (Hero Duel) |
        Nawa |
| Survivor Québec (2024) Episode 43 |
Individual Immunity | Kassandre Bastarache |
| Episode | Challenge Type | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Champions Episode 6 |
Reward Challenge (Hero Challenge) |
        Selatan |
| Island of Secrets "Icarus" |
Individual Reward |  Rob Bentele |
| Immunity Island "A Very Weird Vibe" |
Individual Reward |  Chappies Chapman |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ben Driebergen, David Wright, Jeremy Collins, Joe Anglim, and Kelley Wentworth have all competed in this challenge twice.
- David and Kelley each won once, while Ben, Jeremy, and Joe lost both times they competed.
- In Cambodia, the challenge was held in the same location as In the Barrel earlier in the season.[1]
- The reason why there was separate immunity offered for men and women in Cambodia was the weight of the poles.[2]
- The Audio Slave variation of the challenge has its name derived from the band Audioslave and was inspired by the Survivor boom operator crew, who also got to test the challenge alongside the Dream Team.[3]
References[]