Savvy or Sweat

Savvy or Sweat
Survivor Gameplay
Description	A chance for the tribes that lost the opening Reward Challenge to earn their supplies
Appearances	Survivor 41-46

Savvy or Sweat is a recurring game mechanic that debuted in Survivor 41. This mechanic offered the tribes that lost the opening Reward Challenge another chance to earn their camp supplies.

Overview

Starting in Survivor 41, tribes have had to compete in a Reward Challenge upon their marooning in order to obtain basic supplies, including their flint. In line with the goal of making the shortened seasons more physically taxing, the tribes that lost the opening challenge were deprived of their flint until they successfully completed the "Savvy or Sweat" challenge. This challenge offers the losing tribes two methods of winning their supplies: correctly answering a brain teaser in the "Savvy" task, or completing a physically demanding challenge in the "Sweat" task. The "Savvy" task usually involves the entire tribe coming together to make a collective guess at the brain teaser, while the "Sweat" task isolates the nominated participants in the challenge from the rest of their tribe until the conclusion of the challenge. If the tribe or representatives fail in this challenge, they will only receive their flint and supplies after the first Immunity Challenge.

This mechanic was retired in Survivor 47, where the penalty challenge was played as a Hero Challenge.

Challenge History

Survivor 43

In Survivor 43, the Vesi tribe won the opening Reward Challenge, leaving Baka and Coco to perform the penalty challenge. This season, the "Savvy" challenge was performed by the whole tribe, and they had fifteen minutes to manipulate a matchstick puzzle to make the highest number possible out of the number 5080. On the other hand, the "Sweat" challenge gave two tribe members four hours to dig up their tribe supplies from a marked area.

Coco selected the "Sweat" challenge and they elected Geo Bustamante and Ryan Medrano to perform the task. They quickly completed it, earning their supplies. Meanwhile, Baka selected the "Savvy" task, wherein Sami Layadi outsmarted the brain teaser to help his tribe earn their supplies.

Survivor 44

In Survivor 44, the Reward Challenge was run until two tribes had completed the challenge. Soka won the challenge and abstained from the penalty, while Ratu came in second and had the right to choose which penalty challenge to complete, leaving Tika with the other challenge. The "Savvy" challenge gave two tribe members fifteen minutes and one chance to guess the number of rings contained within two hanging spheres, while the "Sweat" challenge gave two tribe members four hours to drag a net between two piles of coconuts, filling the net with coconuts from alternate piles until both piles were empty.

Ratu opted for the "Sweat" challenge, which Brandon Cottom and Matthew Grinstead-Mayle narrowly completed before the hourglass emptied. Tika was thus left with the "Savvy" challenge, with Carson Garrett and Helen Li managing to correctly guess that there were 18 rings between the two spheres.

Survivor 45

In Survivor 45, the Reba tribe won the opening challenge. Belo and Lulu were each tasked with nominating two members to attend the penalty challenge; Belo nominated Brando Meyer and Jake O'Kane, while Lulu nominated Kaleb Gebrewold and Sabiyah Broderick. At the challenge, the two pairs were informed that they would have to complete both legs of Sweat and Savvy within a time limit. The "Sweat" leg challenged the pairs to carry 40 logs across the beach before they could start on the "Savvy" leg, which involved maneuvering a key through a series of rings to free it.

In addition, the pairs were informed that they would be competing against each other, such that either one or both pairs could leave the challenge empty-handed. Ultimately, neither pair was able to complete the challenge in time.

Survivor 46

Like in Survivor 44, the opening Reward Challenge was run until two tribes had completed the challenge. Nami won the challenge and abstained from the penalty, while Siga came in second and had the right to choose which penalty challenge to complete, leaving Yanu with the other challenge. The "Savvy" challenge gave two tribe members fifteen minutes to solve a wordsearch puzzle for a key to break a combination lock, while the "Sweat" challenge gave two tribe members four hours to use two leaky buckets to fill two giant ceramic pots with ocean water.

Siga opted for the "Savvy" challenge, which Ben Katzman and Charlie Davis failed to complete before the hourglass emptied. On Yanu, Q Burdette and David Jelinsky were tasked with finishing the grueling "Sweat" challenge; however, noticing the apparent physical impossibility of completing the challenge before the time elapsed, Jelinsky threw in the towel and ended the challenge with 2 hours and 45 minutes left on the clock.

Summary

Episode	"Savvy"	"Sweat"	Tribes	Decision	Outcome
Survivor 41 "A New Era"	The tribe will have one guess to count the number of triangles in a brain teaser	Two tribe members will use two pots to fill a barrel with seawater	Luvu	Sweat	Completed
			Yase	Sweat	Completed
Survivor 42 "Feels Like a Rollercoaster"	The tribe will have two guesses to count the number of triangles in a brain teaser	One tribe member will use a pot to fill a barrel with seawater	Taku	Savvy	Completed
			Vati	Savvy	Completed
Survivor 43 "LIVIN"	The tribe will have one guess to solve a matchstick puzzle	Two tribe members will dig to find their camp supplies	Baka	Savvy	Completed
			Coco	Sweat	Completed
Survivor 44 "I Can't Wait to See Jeff"	Two tribe members will have one guess to count the number of rings between two hanging spheres	Two tribe members will have to drag a net between alternating coconut piles until they have filled the net with coconuts	Ratu	Sweat	Completed
			Tika	Savvy1	Completed
Survivor 45 "We Can Do Hard Things"	Two tribe members will have to release a tangled key from a baguenaudier puzzle	Two tribe members will have to transport 40 logs across the beach	Belo	Sweat & Savvy2	Lost
			Lulu		Lost
Survivor 46 "This Is Where the Legends Are Made"	Two members will solve a wordsearch to find the key to a combination lock	Two members will have to use leaky buckets to fill up two giant ceramic pots	Siga	Savvy	Lost
			Yanu	Sweat1	Lost
Notes: ^1 This tribe was forced to perform the challenge that the other tribe did not select. ^2 The two pairs competed head-to-head in a Hero Challenge.