The tribes must place twelve poles of varying lengths into their holders to form a staircase, and then run up it. One at a time, three ride a zipline to a pontoon, grab a bag of puzzle pieces, and swim back, then all three climb a ladder back to the platform, where the final three solve the puzzle.
A variation of this challenge was used again in Survivor: Cagayan. Each tribe would build a staircase out of wooden poles, then climb it to reach a bamboo maze. Upon exiting the maze and sliding down a bamboo slide, one tribe member would maneuver a key through a rope obstacle, using the key to unlock a machete to release puzzle pieces. Two more tribe members would then solve a puzzle to reveal the solution to a combination lock. The first tribe to unlock their flag would win immunity. Despite quickly falling behind on the staircase portion, the Solana tribe came out victorious due to LJ McKanas and Woo Hwang's puzzle solving skills to win.
In Philippines, the Styx variant of the challenge was used as the second tribal Immunity Challenge. As Luzon fell into disarray due to poor communication, Mindanao blasted ahead and solved their combination lock first, continuing their win streak.
In Immunity Island, the tribes competed for immunity and a Mexican feast. The tribes had to swim out to collect keys before starting on their staircase. After climbing the staircase, the tribes would unlock a steel ladder and make their way to the top floor of a tower to build a vertical puzzle. Prior to the challenge, Santoni Engelbrecht had an emotional breakdown out of fear of drowning in the water. However, the Zamba tribe was able to coax her through the swim. Still, they fell behind on all stages of the challenge and, with Renier Louwrens on the puzzle, Vuna secured yet another challenge victory.
