I Ran a “Survivor ”Challenge. It Was Muddy, Exhilarating and So Much Harder Than It Looks on TV

Producer John Kirhoffer shares his favorite part of the first immunity challenge of the 50th season

NEED TO KNOW

• PEOPLE’s senior news editor Stephanie Petit did a test run of a Survivor challenge while on set in Fiji
• She details what it was like to tackle the first immunity challenge of the reality show’s milestone 50th season
• Survivor producer John Kirhoffer even shares his favorite part of the challenge

I remember watching the finale of Survivor's first season in the summer of 2000. My family was gathered around the TV, watching Sue Hawk deliver her infamous “snakes and rats” speech. I wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but I knew that whatever this was, it was electric — and something I wanted to be a part of.

However, becoming a Survivor contestant was never the most appealing idea to me. (Sleeping outdoors? Eating bugs? Being filmed without makeup? No thanks.) But in June 2025, I got the chance of a lifetime: a press trip to cover Survivor’s landmark 50th season in Fiji. It meant I got to interview the cast, meet Jeff Probst, visit the tribe camps and see filming — all while returning to a shower and a bed at the end of the day. Truly, the best of both worlds.

While the entire trip was a dream, people often ask me the best part, and the answer is easy: I got to run a challenge. A few days before the tribes competed in their first immunity challenge of the season, the press members were invited to take part in the rehearsal, where Jeff and other producers got a chance to see the challenge in action and make any last-minute adjustments before the real deal was filmed.

We arrived at the challenge site, which already felt surreal — there it was: a giant rope bridge to climb, mud to crawl through, a heavy crate of coconuts to move, a wall to scale and a 50-piece puzzle serving as the finale.

We were divided into three tribes and mixed in with members of the Dream Team, A.K.A. Survivor production assistants, who test out all the challenges before the cast (you can catch them in the episodes demonstrating the challenge as Jeff explains them). Then came the critical moment of divvying up tasks throughout the obstacle course. No one on my team volunteered to do the puzzle — known to fans as the “equalizer” in challenges, as it often decides the winner — so I said I would do it. Do I often do puzzles for fun at home? No. Was I going to pass up my chance for a hero moment? Also no. I told myself that, in my case, there wasn’t a million dollars on the line, and I might as well say I tried…and if I messed up, I would forever understand when a contestant blows their huge lead at the puzzle.

Jeff kicked us off with one of his famous catchphrases — “Survivors, ready? Go!” — and we were up and over the net bridge.

Then came the mud. I knew this was coming, since Jeff notoriously views crawling through mud as “birthing” contestants into the game. Going through the tight net, I quickly realized that my plan to crawl was not going to work. So there I was, head and belly down in the mud — my own Survivor birth.

I won’t lie — the next stages are a bit of a blur. Members of my team took on their individual or paired tasks: moving a cage of coconuts to a designated spot, getting the coconuts out, throwing the coconuts into a net that dropped a crate, landing a monkey fist in a target and unravelling rope.

The most physical element of the challenge was the wall. One of the Dream Team guys scaled it first, helping from above as another acted as a human ladder for the rest of us to climb. I was the final person (except our human ladder) to go, so I put my feet on his thighs before stepping on his shoulders and reaching the arms of team members above. Without anywhere else to put my feet, I was stuck dangling for a few moments before I was able to swing my leg up — which was grabbed by someone, who exactly I can’t say — and hoisted onto the platform. Then, in a moment of unfathomable athleticism, our base gave himself a running start and was able to leap to the top of the wall with zero help from the rest of us.

John Kirhoffer, who is the mastermind behind Survivor's challenges and has been with the show since season one, told me in an interview afterward that the wall climb was his favorite part of this challenge.

"There is something so satisfying about seeing an entire team coming together to help — leave no man behind," he said. "Someone who is not as physical as the other people, get them to the top. That’s your job because they might be the puzzle genius, then they can go and win that way."

Time for my section: the puzzle.

A Dream Team member and I began sorting through the 50 pieces spread across two tables on either side of the puzzle stand. You know how if you were doing a jigsaw puzzle at home, you might see a corner piece and put it on the table in the general area it belongs? Not allowed on Survivor. We could only work from the side tables unless we were actually attaching pieces. And what you don't experience watching TV is that these pieces were large and heavy.

Slowly but surely, our puzzle started to come together. It felt amazing to work with my partner, discussing what we needed and where it could go. The other six members of our team helped point out pieces that might be next and cheered us on. In my brief glimpses at the other teams, I could tell we were ahead. Before I knew it, my fellow puzzle maker handed me the final piece to slide into place — the top of the 5 in the "50" numeral that topped the structure — and we won!

Jeff was checking out the competition when we actually sealed the victory, but I made sure to get an official “check” from him — I watched Ghost Island, and I didn’t want a Wendell vs. Laurel immunity win snafu. He chuckled as he confirmed our victory.

So despite being covered in mud, hot and exhausted, I was floating on air. I can’t imagine what it would be like to actually be rewarded with the immunity idol at the end!

A few days after my victory, still walking an inch or two taller despite many bumps and bruises, I got to witness the Survivor 50 cast tackle the same course. Since filming was happening, we couldn’t audibly react or cheer — which was nearly impossible. Witnessing Jonathan get up the wall by climbing on Charlie, seeing Cirie struggle with the monkey fist, holding my breath as the challenge halted while the medical team checked on Kyle…is this what my husband felt like every Sunday watching the Buffalo Bills? I truly knew how grueling the challenge was…and I hadn’t been sleeping outside or eating barely anything for days.

During my time in Fiji, I got to test out two more challenges, including a water obstacle course that required jumping off a tall platform while smashing a target to release a key before swimming to a series of balance beams.

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Despite my puzzle win — that I will never stop talking about, no matter how much my husband begs — let's just say that I won’t be so quick to criticize the players who are struggling with the challenges from now on.

Celebrate 50 seasons of Survivor with a new special edition of PEOPLE, featuring exclusive interviews with Jeff Probst and the milestone season's cast as well as a nostalgic look back at the show's history, fan favorite players and more.

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