Endurance is an American reality television series, previously shown on the Discovery Kids cable network in the United States and also on networks in other countries. The show's format is somewhat similar to the television series Survivor, with a teenage cast. Endurance contestants live in a remote location and participate in various mental and physical challenges, although Endurance contestants compete as pairs (one boy and one girl), and the outcome of the competitions determines which pair of players is eliminated.

Endurance
Logo for Endurance: Hawaii
Created byJ. D. Roth
Todd A. Nelson
Presented byJ. D. Roth
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes86 + 19 specials (list of episodes)
Production
Running time24 minutes
Production companies3Ball Productions
90266 Productions Inc.
Original release
NetworkDiscovery Kids
ReleaseOctober 5, 2002 (2002-10-05) –
June 28, 2008 (2008-06-28)
Related

In its six-year run between 2002 through 2008, each season began with a new slate of contestants, who were gradually eliminated as the season progressed until the remaining two teams competed to get all of the Endurance Pyramid pieces. The winning boy and girl received an all-expenses paid vacation package with their parents to an exotic location as the prize.

Production ended with the final episode of the sixth season, first aired on June 28, 2008. After the series ended, reruns continued to air on Hub Network until July 21, 2013. The first four seasons of the show also aired on NBC on Saturday mornings under the Discovery Kids on NBC umbrella from 2002 to 2006. Three seasons of Endurance (Hawaii, Tehachapi and High Sierras) were each nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of "Outstanding Children's Series", however the show never won.

Production

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The show was produced by 3Ball Productions. Its co-creator, former actor and children's game show presenter, J. D. Roth, is the executive producer and on-screen host. Roth received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2006 as "Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series" for Endurance: Tehachapi but did not win.

Contestants ages 12–15 were chosen each spring from five-minute audition tapes sent in by more than 12,000 teens to the show's production team. Twenty players were selected to participate in each of the first five seasons of Endurance; this was reduced to sixteen in Season 6. In a 2004 newspaper interview, Roth revealed that he looked for as diverse a group as possible.[1] Shooting of the series took place each summer over a three-week period and began with the selected teenaged contestants arriving at a secret remote location in late July. Each season was taped in a different location, including California, Hawaii, Mexico, and Fiji.

In a January, 2007, interview with the Boston Globe, Connor Finnegan recalled his experience as an Endurance: High Sierras player the previous summer: "At first it was weird being filmed all the time. You'd be talking and suddenly there would be a camera or microphone shoved into your face. The big rule with reality TV is never to look at the camera."[2]

As part of the show, host J. D. Roth and the players sometimes discuss the interpersonal drama occurring among the teams. Roth has said that many participants have become close friends while the series was being shot, learning tolerance for people who were different from themselves.[1] However, the Boston Globe reported that there was friction among the players on Endurance: High Sierras following the controversial break-up of teams. Finnegan's mother said, "There was definitely some nastiness", complaining that the producers and writers, "deliberately put the kids in situations that are designed to increase the drama and tension".[2] But, Taylor Sico-McNulty, another Endurance: High Sierras contestant from Massachusetts and Finnegan's partner, said that when she returned home following the show's California taping, she "really missed seeing all the other kids in the cast every day", adding that a number of player reunions have since been held.[3]

Another player from the fifth season, Dakota Fisher of Eliot, Maine, echoed the feeling, saying that his appearance on Endurance left him with relationships he will never forget. "You should have seen me a week after the show, it was depressing", said the 15-year-old who had been trying for two years to get on the Emmy-nominated teen reality program.[4]

Roth said in a 2007 news release, "Being on Endurance is a life-altering experience for every kid who is selected. With only the sun, moon, stars and each other, these kids have no choice but to get to really know each other. They learn to dig deep within themselves when someone says they can’t do something. They learn to overcome first impressions and prejudice and they build tremendous self-confidence by tapping into skills they never even knew they had."[5]

Endurance is the successor to Moolah Beach, a show created by Roth which was not renewed after its single 2001 season, when a change in ownership of Fox Family Channel opened up a new offer from Discovery Kids for a reality series. From 2002 until 2006, Endurance was also broadcast on the NBC network as part of its Saturday morning Discovery Kids on NBC block of programs.

Locations

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Country/Region Locations (season number)
North America (5) California (1, 4, 5), Mexico (2), Hawaii (3)
Oceania (1) Fiji (6)

The contests

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The Right To Stay Challenge

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Shortly after they arrive, the group of 20 contestants competes in the first Endurance game, called the Right To Stay Challenge. As the name implies, this game eliminates a group of contestants from continuing any further in the game. The game is normally a test of endurance, where each contestant has to hold on to something such as a bar or a pole for as long as possible. In Seasons 1 through 4, the first three girls and the first three boys to let go were eliminated. In Season 5, the game was a test of balance and speed, and the last two boys and last two girls to finish the game were eliminated. In Season 6, the first two boys and two girls to let go of a rope were eliminated, winnowing the sixteen hopefuls to twelve contestants who earned the right to stay, forming six teams of players.

In Season 3, the eliminated players were brought back the following day to compete in a second chance Right to Stay game. The winner of this game (Tom) chose his partner from the group of girls (Vanetta), forming the Brown team.

In Seasons 3 and 5 the group was required to choose two players (a boy and a girl) who were allowed to sit out the Right To Stay Challenge, automatically advancing as if they had survived the challenge. In season 3 the boys were required to choose one girl to be safe and the girls were required to save a boy, the boys saved Lindi and the girls chose Reece because they were the most attractive in their opinions. In season 5, Darci and Aric were selected to sit out. They were then each allowed to save one other person (of the same gender). Darci chose Kelsey, Aric chose Alex.

Choosing teams

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The day after the Right To Stay Challenge, the remaining players compete in another game to determine teams. Each team consists of one boy and one girl. The game and the rules vary from year to year. The team colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and gray (brown is added in seasons with 8 teams and is removed in seasons with 7 teams). In season 6, there is no gray team.

After the teams are decided, they each receive one pyramid piece of the Endurance Pyramid. To win the game and the grand prize trip, one team must possess all of the pieces. (10 pieces in the first season, 12 in Seasons 2 and 3, 13 in Seasons 4 and 5, and 14 in Season 6).

Endurance Mission

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With the teams now assigned, they begin competing in Endurance Missions. This is usually a test of skill. The team that wins the Endurance Mission wins a Samadhi that contains something that will have a negative effect on one team during the Temple Mission that the winning team gets to give to any team to play with its effect. The winners of the Endurance Mission also receive a pyramid piece. However, it is customary, that when three teams remain, the winners of the Samadhi have the right to not give its effect to a team, leaving a level playing field for the final Temple Mission.

Samadhi

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The teams compete for a Samadhi fairly often through the entire game.[a] All of them but two had a negative impact on another team. In Season 3 (Endurance Hawaii) there was a Samadhi that benefitted the team that it was given to. Chris and Lindi (the Gray Team) won that Samadhi, and decided to keep it. It gave them the option to switch teams or to take all the pieces from one team, which they did to the Yellow Team. In Season 5, the Blue team won the power to switch two teams around. In Season 1 the team that won the Samadhi at the Final 3 stage chose to eliminate it from the game. In Season 2, the team that won the Samadhi at the Final 4 stage chose to eliminate it from the game as well. This pattern was broken in Season 3, however. Also, in Season 5, the first Samadhi (won in the mission "Hot Potato") was the ability to make two players switch teams or give another team the power to make the switch. Taylor and Isaac, the original Blue team, won this Samadhi. They gave it to the Red team, who used it to switch Connor onto the Blue team and Isaac onto the Gray team. The first time the Samadhi was introduced, J.D. explained that the word Samadhi is the Buddhist word for "contemplation."

Temple mission

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This mission is usually one of endurance (hence the show's title). The team that wins a Temple Mission usually earns the right to choose two other teams to send to the "Temple of Fate", the elimination challenge.

Temple of Fate

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The two teams sent to the Temple of Fate bring with them all pyramid pieces they have won up to that point. In a variant of the Rock, Paper, Scissors intransitive game, the teams select water, wood, or fire to defeat one another in a best 2 out of 3 match, e.g.,

  • Water puts out Fire (Water wins)
  • Wood floats on Water (Wood wins)
  • Fire burns Wood (Fire wins)

The first team to win two rounds wins the challenge and the right to stay in the game. The losers are immediately eliminated. In Season 1, the losing team's pieces went to the team winning the next episode's challenge; in all subsequent seasons, the losing team gave their pyramid pieces to any team of their choice, with a farewell note read to the remaining contestants.

Pyramid pieces

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The pyramid pieces play an important part in the game, since one team must possess all of the pieces to win the game. Season 1 had 10, Seasons 2 and 3 had 12, Seasons 4 and 5 had 13, and Season 6 has 14.

Pyramid piece First used during
Commitment Season 1
Courage Season 1
Discipline Season 1
Leadership Season 1
Luck Season 1
Perseverance Season 1
Strength Season 1
Heart Season 1
Knowledge Season 1
Trust Season 1
Ingenuity Season 2
Teamwork Season 2
Friendship Season 4*
Karma Season 6*
* Introduced in the Finale of the prior season.

Golden Triangle of Immunity

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In Season 5, the Golden Triangle of Immunity was added. It is a border that is placed around the Friendship piece. It may be transferred to another team with any temple mission. In Season 5 the Triangle of Immunity was given to the Purple Team of: Dakota Fisher and Kelsey Schultz, by Anna and Garret. The team in possession of the Triangle of Immunity can avoid being sent to temple once, but is only able to use it until the final four. Once they reach the final three, the Triangle of Immunity is removed from the game. Season 6 removed the Triangle of Immunity, as the Friendship piece is back to a regular pyramid piece.

Magic Box

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In Season 6, a new aspect of Endurance called the Magic Box was introduced. This is a challenge where teams compete for the chance to gain an advantage over the other teams. Leslie Powell and Will Cuddy (the Green team) won the first Magic Box in the episode "Mana Kisi". Inside, the Magic Box contained one free round at the Temple of Fate, to be used before the Temple of Fate challenge begins. In addition to winning a Magic Box, teams are allowed to do what they want with the information given. They decided to lie about it. In the end when the Green Team was sent up to temple with their friends the Orange Team, they used their advantage against them and sent the Orange Team home.

The Final Challenge

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For the Final Challenge, both teams go to the Temple of Fate with all the pieces they have won. These pieces are now used as chips to play a shell game type challenge.

The team with fewer pieces starts by placing pieces by a group of pyramids, one of which has the gold pyramid under it. That team may claim as many as it wishes but must leave at least one pyramid unclaimed. The team with more pieces must claim the pyramids that its opponent did not claim. At this point, the gold pyramid is revealed, and the team that has claimed it wins all the pieces that were played on the board. If teams have the same number of pieces the team that had fewer pieces the round before places first. If teams are tied in first round, the team that won the final mission places their pieces first

There are three pyramids to start the game, and one more is added every round thereafter. The team that gets all the pyramid pieces wins the challenge, the game and the grand prize trip.

Episodes

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
113October 5, 2002 (2002-10-05)February 22, 2003 (2003-02-22)
214September 27, 2003 (2003-09-27)February 28, 2004 (2004-02-28)
318September 25, 2004 (2004-09-25)February 19, 2005 (2005-02-19)
414October 1, 2005 (2005-10-01)March 25, 2006 (2006-03-25)
514October 14, 2006 (2006-10-14)March 17, 2007 (2007-03-17)
612October 13, 2007 (2007-10-13)March 8, 2008 (2008-03-08)

Season 1 - Endurance (2002–03)

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The premiere season was taped in the summer of 2002 on Parsons Beach on Catalina Island, California. Each of the seven teams played for one of seven grand prize trips.

The Blue team of Aaron Thornburg and Jonna Mannion won their grand prize trip, which was a trip to the Amazon*.

Mannion was also a participant on the show The Real World: Cancun and its spin-off show The Challenge on MTV.[6] She was also on the TruTv series Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel as a cocktail waitress. She was also featured in the LMFAO music video for "La La La".

Skyler Russell was featured on A&E's Intervention (season 12, episode 8) in which he is battling an addiction to bath salts in an attempt to distance himself from his stage mother who pushed him into show business. He died on October 16, 2020, after suffering from a brain infection and organ failure caused by alcohol withdrawal.[7]

The season consisted of seven teams (in order of elimination):

Position Team Boy Age Girl Age Starting Piece(s) Trip Temple Winner Piece(s) Won by Pieces Held
Name Hometown Name Hometown
7th Gray Max DeLeo Los Angeles 14 Jenna Jimenez Rogers Park, IL 14 Heart and Trust Galapagos Islands Green Yellow 2
6th Purple Brandon Hendrix Winter Park, FL 14 Layla Brisco Gardena, CA 14 Strength Costa Rica Orange Yellow 1
5th Orange Skyler Russell Phoenix, AZ 14 Chelsea Myers Apache Junction, AZ 14 Luck Bali & Komodo Green Green 1
4th Green Trevor Wilkins Chicago, IL 12 Lana Neiman Lincoln Park, IL 14 Commitment Amazon* Yellow Blue 2
3rd Red Christian Justice San Clemente, CA 15 Ashley Gudzak Jacksonville, FL 14 Leadership Australia Yellow Yellow 1
2nd Yellow Jon Crocilla Chicago, IL 15 Sabrina Lloyd Sugar Land, TX 15 Perseverance Belize Blue (Finale) 5
Winner Blue Aaron Thornburg Bozeman, MT 15 Jonna Mannion Chandler, AZ 13 Courage Africa 10
Right-to-Stay Eliminations
Boy Girl
Name Hometown Age Name Hometown Age
Shane Peltzman Huntingdon Valley, PA 13 Lacey Elick Bellville, TX 14
Ron Neurauter Glen Ellyn, IL 15 Heather Ichihashi Brooklyn, NY 14
Alejandro Rose-Garcia Austin, TX 15 Cree Howard Bozeman, MT 15

Elimination table

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Contestants Episodes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 3 12
Aaron & Jonna WIN1 WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN SAMADHI WIN WIN WIN LOSE FIRST
Jon & Sabrina SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE TEMPLE SAFE2 TEMPLE WIN SECOND
Christian & Ashley SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT
Trevor & Lana SAFE TEMPLE SAFE SAFE SAFE TEMPLE WIN OUT
Skyler & Chelsea SAMADHI SAFE SAFE TEMPLE SAMADHI OUT
Brandon & Layla SAFE SAFE SAMADHI OUT
Max & Jenna SAFE OUT
Key
  (FIRST) The team won the Final Temple Mission and became “Endurance” Champions.
  (SECOND) The team lost the Final Temple Mission and were the runners-up.
  (WIN) The team won the Endurance Mission, the previously eliminated team's pyramid pieces, and the Samadhi.
  (WIN) The team won the Temple Mission.
  (SAMADHI) The team was handicapped with the Samadhi by the winning team.
  (SAFE) The team did not win the challenge, but was safe from going to Temple or did not receive the Samadhi.
  (TEMPLE) The team won at the Temple of Fate and avoided elimination.
  (OUT) The team lost at the Temple of Fate and was eliminated.
Notes
  • 1In "Tilt", the winning team, in this case the Blue team, won the two remaining pyramid pieces that were not in play after the "Fate Falls" challenge.
  • 2 The Yellow team would have received the Samadhi, but the Blue team decided to take it out of the game.
  • 3In “Don't Drop the Ball”, the only prize up for grabs was the pyramid piece left behind by the Red team.

Challenges

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  1. Tilt
  2. Knotted Up
  3. Plant the Flag
  4. Squeeze Play
  5. Water Logged
  6. Eruption
  7. House of Cards
  8. Dial In
  9. Build a Pyramid
  10. Leap of Fate
  11. Don't Drop the Ball
  12. Final Temple

Season 2 - Endurance 2 (2003–04)

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Endurance 2 was taped in Baja California, near the resort town of La Paz, Mexico. An unusual twist in this season was the return of Jenna and Max, who were previously eliminated in season one, chosen to become the Brown Team from an alumni vote of Season 1 contestants who reunited at a reunion. One contestant, 14-year-old Tyler Burkhalter, competed despite having diabetes requiring daily insulin treatments.[8]

In the end, Max DeLeo and Jenna Jimenez won the game, earning the grand prize trip to Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

This season consisted of eight teams (in order of elimination):

Position Team Boy Age Girl Age Starting Piece Temple Winner Piece(s) Awarded to Pieces Held
Name Hometown Name Hometown
8th Gray Wayne Williams Bloomfield, NJ 15 Maryelle DeVitto Winter Park, FL 14 Heart Orange Purple 1
7th Red Phil Morelli Denver, CO 14 Jacquelynn Pointer Silver Spring, MD 13 Discipline Orange Blue 1
6th Blue Scooter Magruder Orlando, FL 14 Christa Scholtz Austin, TX 13 Trust Purple Purple 2
5th Yellow Shep Allen Wayzata, MN 14 Calley Payne Elberton, GA 15 Commitment Brown Brown 1
4th Purple Jeff Phillips Sanger, CA 15 Annie Kim Bethesda, MD 15 Leadership Brown Orange 6
3rd Orange Tyler Burkhalter[8] Jacksonville, FL 14 Michelle Durand Linden, NJ 14 Knowledge Green 8
2nd Green Mike Lavigne Shelton, CT 15 Keetin Marchi Fairfax, VA 14 Teamwork Brown (Finale) 5
Winner Brown Max DeLeo Los Angeles 15 Jenna Jimenez Rogers Park, IL 15 Perseverance 12
Right-to-Stay Eliminations
Boy Girl
Name Hometown Age Name Hometown Age
David Cofresi Clermont, FL 14 Sarah Ruckriegle Breckenridge, CO 14
Glen Powell Austin, TX 14 Abbey Konz Humble, TX 14
Trey Griffin Sebring, FL 14 Simone Bouffard Antioch, CA 15

Their eliminations did not affect the arrival of Max and Jenna as the Brown team, who arrived after the formation of the seven official teams.

Elimination table

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Contestants Episodes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 2 12
Max & Jenna SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAMADHI TEMPLE SAFE TEMPLE WIN WIN (4) FIRST
Mike & Keetin WIN SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE1 WIN TEMPLE WIN (4) SECOND
Tyler & Michelle TEMPLE SAMADHI TEMPLE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE OUT
Jeff & Annie SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE TEMPLE WIN WIN SAFE OUT
Shep & Calley SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT
Scooter & Christa SAFE SAFE SAFE SAMADHI OUT
Phil & Jacquelynn SAFE SAFE OUT
Wayne & Maryelle OUT
Key
  (FIRST) The team won the Final Temple Mission and became “Endurance” Champions.
  (SECOND) The team lost the Final Temple Mission and were the runners-up.
  (WIN) The team won the Endurance Mission and the Samadhi.
  (WIN) The team won the Temple Mission.
  (SAMADHI) The team was handicapped with the Samadhi by the winning team.
  (SAFE) The team did not win the challenge, but was safe from going to Temple or did not receive the Samadhi.
  (TEMPLE) The team won at the Temple of Fate and avoided elimination.
  (OUT) The team lost at the Temple of Fate and was eliminated.

Notes

  • 1 The Green team would have received the Samadhi, but the Orange team decided to take it out of the game.
  • 2 In the final challenge, the Brown and Green teams competed for the eight pieces left behind by the Orange team. Each team won four pieces.

Challenges

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  1. Tower of Power
  2. Fireball
  3. Rollerball
  4. Tide Pull
  5. On the Ropes
  6. Face to Face
  7. Cherry Picker
  8. Aqueduct
  9. Plank Maze
  10. Pathfinder
  11. Final Mission
  12. Final Temple

Season 3 - Endurance 3: Hawaii (2004–05)

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Moving to Wainiha Valley, Kauai, Hawaii, for the third season, a number of production problems were encountered, including difficulties in obtaining location permits, torrential rains, muddy conditions, and mosquitoes.[1] It had 21 episodes including casting specials showing the selection process. One of the contestants, Rachel Lofton of the Red team, is the daughter of Pro Football Hall of Famer and San Diego Chargers coach James Lofton. There were many twists including bringing back six eliminated players, after the right to stay, to compete in a challenge to become an official endurance player. The winner would choose someone from the opposite sex and they would become the Brown Team. Tom won and chose Vanetta as his partner. Later, Vanetta injured her knee: while walking outside of her hut and stepping down, she cut her leg on a piece of bamboo. The cut required more than 20 stitches, and she was removed from the game, making Tom the first person in Endurance to be a one-person team. Also, he was the first person to go to the Temple of Fate without a partner.

In the end, the Gray team of Chris Vanderwier and Lindi Oest won, with a trip to the Galápagos Islands as their prize.[9]

This was the only season to see the Gray team continue on past the first temple elimination. There was also a special program at the conclusion of the season showing winners Chris Vanderweir and Lindi Oest enjoying their trip to the Galápagos Islands.[10]

After the season, Vanetta Smith of the Brown team starred in the movie Freedom Writers.

Kareem Nugent was on BET during the BET Split Ya Game contest as his named was Karma .

Demian Martinez was a contestant on The N's reality show Girls v. Boys Puerto Rico and also appeared during one episode of Scare Tactics after being set up by his mom.

In 2012, Tom Maden played Rigo in season 3 of the ABC Family show Make It or Break It and starred as Jake Fitzgerald in the MTV series Scream.

In November 2015, Alex Reid joined BP RaNia, a South Korean girl group.

The eight teams competing were (in order of elimination):

Position Team Boy Age Girl Age Starting Piece Temple Winner Piece(s) Awarded to Pieces Held
Name Hometown Name Hometown
8th Blue Antonio Iannicelli Wellesley, MA 14 Willa Zhou[11] Seattle, WA 15 Commitment Orange Orange 1
7th Green Bjorn Leum Ennis, MT 15 Alex Reid Plano, TX 15 Heart Yellow Yellow 1
6th Red Kareem Nugent Bronx, NY 15 Rachel Lofton Poway, CA 13 Trust Brown Purple 1
5th Brown Tom Maden Coppell, Texas 14 Vanetta Smith Cleveland, OH 14 Perseverance Yellow Yellow 1
4th Purple Reece Bors[12] Shelbyville, KY 14 Sarah Baker Downers Grove, IL 13 Discipline Gray Gray 3
3rd Yellow Monroe Gierl Glendale, WI 15 Bryanah Bascon Stoughton, MA 14 Teamwork Gray 2
2nd Orange Demian Martinez[13] Las Vegas, NV 15 Nicole Clark Los Angeles 14 Leadership Gray (Finale) 2
Winner Gray Chris Vanderwier St. Augustine, FL 15 Lindi Oest Tampa, FL 13 Knowledge 12
Right-to-Stay Eliminations
Boy Girl
Name Hometown Age Name Hometown Age
Marshall Katheder Orlando, FL 14 Taylor Madison Dallas, TX 15
Brandon Johnson Lithonia, GA 13 Eleanor Monahan Hyde Park, MA 14

Elimination table

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Contestants Episodes
1 2 3 4 5 62 7 8 9 10 11 12 134 14
Chris & Lindi SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN WIN WIN SAFE SAMADHI TEMPLE WIN TEMPLE WIN (2) FIRST
Demian & Nicole SAFE TEMPLE WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE WIN LOSE (0) SECOND
Monroe & Bryanah SAMADHI WIN TEMPLE WIN1 WIN SAMADHI SAMADHI TEMPLE WIN SAFE SAMADHI OUT
Reece & Sarah WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE OUT
Tom & Vanetta SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE TEMPLE SAFE SAFE OUT
Kareem & Rachel SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT
Bjorn & Alex SAFE SAFE OUT
Antonio & Willa SAFE OUT
Key
  (FIRST) The team won the Final Temple Mission and became “Endurance” Champions.
  (SECOND) The team lost the Final Temple Mission and were the runners-up.
  (WIN) The team won the Endurance Mission, the previously eliminated team's pyramid pieces, and the Samadhi.
  (WIN) The team won the Temple Mission.
  (SAMADHI) The team was handicapped with the Samadhi by the winning team.
  (SAFE) The team did not win the challenge, but was safe from going to Temple or did not receive the Samadhi.
  (TEMPLE) The team won at the Temple of Fate and avoided elimination.
  (OUT) The team lost at the Temple of Fate and was eliminated.
  (OUT) This team/person was removed from the game due to injury before they were sent to temple.

Notes

  • 1 In "Out on a Limb" there was no Samadhi to give to another team, nor did the winning team win a pyramid piece. The winning team (Yellow) got the chance to create two super-teams. The Yellow team created their super-team of Yellow, Grey, and Purple. The second super-team was Orange, Brown, and Red. The winning super-team members were all safe from going to the Temple of Fate.
  • 2 The Samahdi won by the Grey team in the endurance challenge allowed them to steal another team's pieces. The Grey team chose to steal the Yellow team's two pieces.
  • 3 Due to Vanetta's removal from the game, Tom was eliminated at the Temple of Fate alone.
  • 4 The final challenge, the Grey and Orange teams competed for the two pieces left behind by the Yellow team. The Grey team won both pieces.

Challenges

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  1. Ring of Fire
  2. Bagging on You
  3. Squaring Off
  4. Out on a Limb
  5. Bamboo Jungle
  6. Pipeline
  7. I'm Pulling for You
  8. Balance Ball
  9. Tri Try Again
  10. You're Fired
  11. Create Your Own Game
  12. Color Coded
  13. Battle for the Pieces
  14. Final Temple

Season 4 - Endurance: Tehachapi (2005–06)

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Returning to California for the next two seasons, Endurance: Tehachapi was taped in the Tehachapi Mountains at Tejon Ranch in the summer of 2005 for airing beginning that Fall.[14] A 13th pyramid piece, Friendship, was added this season. The Red team of Franke Sisto and Erika Cook won the grand prize, a trip to Costa Rica.

Julie Dubela appeared on American Juniors in 2003 and auditioned for American Idol. Jeszie Geronimo appeared on TKO: Total Knock Out in 2018.

Contestants and teams

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There was no Brown team this season, which meant only seven teams competed:

Position Team Boy Age Girl Age Starting Piece Temple Winner Piece(s) Awarded to Pieces Held
Name Hometown Name Hometown
7th Gray John Kardian Westchester, NY 15 Julie Dubela Stratham, NH 14 Commitment Blue Blue 1
6th Yellow Chris Tavarez Atlanta, GA 12 Callie Simpkins Frederick, MD 14 Trust Red Red 1
5th Orange Michael Delvecchio Bailey, CO 15 Kylie Glessman Simpsonville, SC 15 Knowledge Purple Red 1
4th Blue Shea Thomas Douglasville, GA 15 Amelia Land Macon, GA 15 Courage Red Green 2
3rd Green Isaac Hainley Portland, OR 15 Jeszie Geronimo Boston, MA 15 Leadership Purple 6
2nd Purple Jonathan Lebowitz New York, NY 15 Daniela Bustamente Boca Raton, FL 14 Perseverance Red (Finale) 6
Winner Red Franke Sisto Sewell, NJ 15 Erika Cook[14] Lake Forest, CA 15 Heart 13
Right-to-Stay Eliminations
Boy Girl
Name Hometown Age Name Hometown Age
Nick Verderosa Bethel, CT 15 Brittany Harvey Slidell, LA 15
Tucker Baer Littleton, CO 15 Kendall Yorkey Menomonee Falls, WI 14
Keith Walker II Chandler, AZ 14 Brooke Bellows Maitland, FL 14

Elimination table

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Contestants Episodes
1 2 3 4 52 6 7 8 9 10 113 12
Franke & Erika SAFE SAFE WIN1 TEMPLE SAMADHI SAFE SAMADHI TEMPLE SAFE WIN WIN (3) FIRST
Jonathan & Daniela SAFE WIN SAFE WIN TEMPLE TEMPLE SAFE WIN WIN TEMPLE WIN (4) SECOND
Isaac & Jeszie WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN WIN WIN SAFE SAMADHI OUT
Shea & Amelia SAFE TEMPLE SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT
Michael & Kylie SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE OUT
Chris & Callie SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT
John & Julie SAMADHI OUT
Key
  (FIRST) The team won the Final Temple Mission and became “Endurance” Champions.
  (SECOND) The team lost the Final Temple Mission and were the runners-up.
  (WIN) The team won the Endurance Mission, the previously eliminated team's pyramid pieces, and the Samadhi.
  (WIN) The team won the Temple Mission.
  (SAMADHI) The team was handicapped with the Samadhi by the winning team.
  (SAFE) The team did not win the challenge, but was safe from going to Temple or did not receive the Samadhi.
  (TEMPLE) The team won at the Temple of Fate and avoided elimination.
  (TEMPLE) The team came in last place during the Endurance mission and was forced to go to Temple in the next episode.
  (OUT) The team lost at the Temple of Fate and was eliminated.

Notes

  • 1In "Drop Out," there was no Samadhi to give to another team. The winning team (Red) got the chance to create two super-teams. The Red team created their super-team of Red, Green, and Yellow. The second super-team was Blue, Purple, and Orange. The winning super-team members were all safe from going to the Temple of Fate.
  • 2In "Waterworks," the Purple Team was forced to go to Temple of Fate in the next episode for coming last in the Endurance mission. If they won the next Temple Mission (the "Fireball" challenge), they could have sent another team in their place. However, they did not win it, so the Purple Team went to the Temple.
  • 3In “Spin Fly,” each team won a certain amount of Pyramid Pieces in the challenge, which is indicated in parentheses.

Challenges

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  1. Blocked
  2. Raft Pull
  3. Drop Out
  4. Super Stumped
  5. Waterworks
  6. Fireball (a challenge from a previous season voted by "Endurance" fans to appear again)
  7. Hang 5
  8. Cubed
  9. Create Your Own Game
  10. Circle of Trust
  11. Spin Fly
  12. Final Temple

Season 5 - Endurance: High Sierras (2006–07)

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The fifth season was taped at Shaver Lake in the High Sierra Mountains of central California. Contestants lived in multi-level tree houses without electricity. The Green Team of Alex Carignan and Cealey Godwin, won the grand prize, a trip to Hawaii.

In a new twist to the fifth season's contestant selection, the Discovery Kids website held a casting poll in which fans could vote for one boy and one girl out of six hopefuls. Garret Manno and Kelsey Schultz won this poll by a narrow margin and were the 99th and 100th contestants out of the history of the program.

In the third episode ("Unwind"), one team – Garret Manno and Anna Asare – was eliminated without going to Temple. They finished last in the first challenge and left the game without a team color; the other seven teams selected colors as they finished. The "colorless team" received the "Immunity Triangle", which they gave to the Purple team of Kelsey and Dakota. The team that received the Triangle of Immunity may use it once to avoid going to the Temple of Fate; they never did.

The Blue team of Connor Finnegan and Taylor Sico-McNulty set a record this season by surviving three trips to the Temple. Dakota Fisher, of the Purple team, was featured in a commercial for Burlington Coat Factory. Kelsey Schultz, also of the Purple team, appeared in the film Queen Sized. Max McFarland of the Orange team was featured on in-store advertisements nationwide in Hallmark Gold Crown stores. Aeriél Miranda of the Red team, competed in a family edition of Fear Factor, and had a recurring role as Shana on television drama Pretty Little Liars.

Contestants and teams

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The eight teams competing were:

Position Team Boy Age Girl Age Starting Piece Temple Winner Piece(s) Awarded to Pieces Held
Name Hometown Name Hometown
8th N/A Garret Manno Orlando, FL 13 Anna Nti Asare Laramie, WY 14 Friendship No temple visit Purple 1
7th Gray Isaac (Ike) Moody Riverside, CA 15 Darci Miller Baldwin, NY 15 Luck Yellow Yellow 1
6th Yellow Aric Manthey Madison, SD 15 Lilly Brown Bloomington, IN 15 Trust Blue Blue 2
5th Orange Max McFarland Kansas City, MO 14 Kristine Turner Huntington Beach, CA 14 Strength Blue Red 1
4th Red Cameron Uranick Orlando, FL 14 Aeriél Miranda Dallas, TX[15] 14 Knowledge Blue Green 2
3rd Blue Connor Finnegan Acton, MA 15 Taylor Sico-McNulty Boxford, MA 14 Perseverance Green 7
2nd Purple Dakota Fisher Eliot, ME 15 Kelsey Schultz Rockwall, TX 15 Teamwork Green (Finale) 6
Winner Green Alex Carignan Leominster, MA 14 Cealey Godwin Tallahassee, FL 14 Commitment 13
Right-to-Stay Eliminations
Boy Girl
Name Hometown Age Name Hometown Age
Adrian Bardales LaPlace, LA 15 Martina Iwala Lagos, Nigeria 14
Rafael Liriano Bronx, NY 15 Stefanie Fernandez Boca Raton, FL 15

* Initially, the Blue team was Ike and Taylor and the Gray team was Connor and Darci. The Blue team gave the Samadhi to the Red team thinking they were going to switch Alex and Cameron but they used it to switch Connor and Ike.

** Anna and Garret were eliminated after an Endurance mission and never went to the Temple of Fate.

Elimination table

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Contestants Challenges
11 2 3 4 53 6 7 84 9 10 115 12
Alex & Cealey WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE TEMPLE WIN (5) FIRST
Dakota & Kelsey SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE SAMADHI WIN WIN WIN (3) SECOND
Connor & Taylor SAFE WIN2 SAMADHI WIN SAFE SAFE TEMPLE TEMPLE WIN TEMPLE OUT
Cameron & Aeriél SAFE SAFE CTRL SAFE WIN SAFE WIN SAFE TEMPLE OUT
Max & Kristine SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN OUT
Aric & Lily SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE TEMPLE SAFE OUT
Issac (Ike) & Darci SAFE SAFE SAMADHI SAMADHI OUT
Garret & Anna OUT
Key
  (FIRST) The team won the Final Temple Mission and became “Endurance” Champions.
  (SECOND) The team lost the Final Temple Mission and were the runners-up.
  (WIN) The team won the Endurance Mission, the previously eliminated team's pyramid pieces, and the Samadhi.
  (WIN) The team won the Temple Mission.
  (SAMADHI) The team was handicapped with the Samadhi by the winning team.
  (SAFE) The team did not win the challenge, but was safe from going to Temple or did not receive the Samadhi.
  (TEMPLE) The team won at the Temple of Fate and avoided elimination.
  (TEMPLE) The team came in last place during the Endurance mission and was forced to go to Temple in the next episode.
  (OUT) The team lost at the Temple of Fate and was eliminated.
  (OUT) The team was eliminated without a team color.
  • 1 In “Unwind” Garret & Anna finished last in the challenge meaning they were eliminated without receiving a team color.
  • 2 In “Hot Potato” the Blue Team of Ike and Taylor won the Samadhi that would allow the team who possessed it to switch two players on any two teams. After receiving the Samadhi, the Red Team used it to put Ike on the Gray team with Darci and Connor on the blue team with Taylor.
  • 3 In “Fill & Spill” there was no Samadhi to give to another team. The winning team (Purple) got the chance to create two super-teams. The Purple team created their super-team of Purple, Red, and Orange. The second super-team was Green, Blue, and Yellow. The winning super-team members were all safe from going to the Temple of Fate.
  • 4 In “Create Your Own Game” the Red Team was forced to go to Temple of Fate in the next episode for coming last in the Endurance mission. If they won the next Temple Mission (the "Fill ‘Er Up" challenge), they could have sent another team in their place. However, they did not win it, so the Red Team went to Temple.
  • 5 In “Slingshot Alley” the Green and Purple teams competed for the final eight pyramid pieces of the game. The Green team won five while the Purple team won three of the pieces.

Challenges

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  1. Unwind
  2. Hot Potato
  3. Move It Along
  4. Walk The Plank
  5. Fill & Spill
  6. Superboats
  7. It's A Drag
  8. C.Y.O.G.
  9. Fill ‘Er Up
  10. All Tied Up
  11. Slingshot Alley
  12. Final Temple

Season 6 – Endurance: Fiji (2007–08)

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Repeating the candidate selection innovation first introduced for Season 5's Endurance: High Sierras, a casting poll was again held at the Discovery Kids website, allowing fans to select two contestants from a group of six hopefuls. The contest ran from June until July 9. Will Cuddy and Leslie Powell won the casting poll (and later became the Green Team). Two contestants are siblings of previous Endurance contestants. Connor Konz's sister Abbey and Leslie Powell's brother Glen both competed in Season 2 (and were subsequently eliminated in the Right-to Stay challenge).

Episodes began airing on October 13, 2007, on the Discovery Kids channel with the finale broadcast March 8, 2008. A new feature, the "Magic Box", was introduced in this season's third episode (Mana Kisi), giving a secret advantage to the team that wins it.

The Blue team of Ben Scheuer and Jordyn Barbato won the grand prize which was a trip to Australia.[16] This was also the second time the blue team has become the endurance champion with Jonna Mannion and Aaron Throrburg being the first in season 1.

Also, with this being the last season, that leaves the Purple, Orange and Yellow teams without winning an Endurance.

Briana Vega (who was on the Yellow Team) was a contestant on High School Musical: Get in the Picture.

Rebecca Simonoko (who was eliminated in the right-to-stay challenge) is currently featured on a web series entitled "Life on Tour", a teen travel experience from the makers of The Real World.

Jonathan Young competed on Survivor 42, which also filmed in Fiji.[17]

There was no Gray or Brown team this season, which meant only six teams competed:[18]

Position Team Boy Age Girl Age Starting Piece Temple Winner Piece(s) Awarded to Pieces Held
Name Hometown Name Hometown
6th Yellow Kyle Curtis Pearland, TX 15 Briana Vega Winter Springs, FL 15 Perseverance Purple Red 1
5th Purple Connor Konz Humble, TX 15 Jackie Wei Highlands Ranch, CO 15 Leadership Blue Blue 1
4th Orange Caleb Courtney[18] Blowing Rock, NC[19] 14 Lauren Dixon Maitland, FL 15 Courage Green Green 2
3rd Red Jonathan Young Orange Beach, AL 14 Hannah Gross West Bloomfield, MI 14 Heart Blue 3
2nd Green Will Cuddy[20] Beaverton, OR 15 Leslie Powell Austin, TX 15 Friendship Blue (Finale) 6
Winner Blue Ben Scheuer Cloquet, MN 15 Jordyn Barbato Gibsonton, FL 14 Strength 14
Right-to-Stay Eliminations
Boy Girl
Name Hometown Age Name Hometown Age
Andres Ramirez Austin, TX 15 Rebecca Simonoko Ludlow, MA 15
Matthew Jones Raleigh, NC 14 Cinnamon Aldridge Omaha, NE 13

Elimination table

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Contestants Challenges
1 2 3 4 5 6 73 8 95 10
Ben & Jordyn SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE TEMPLE SAFE WIN TEMPLE WIN (2) FIRST
Will & Leslie WIN1 SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE WIN TEMPLE SAFE SAFE WIN (3) SECOND
Jonathan & Hannah SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE SAMADHI WIN WIN4 OUT
Caleb & Lauren SAFE WIN2 SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE OUT
Connor & Jackie SAFE SAFE TEMPLE SAMADHI OUT
Kyle & Briana SAFE TEMPLE OUT
Key
  (FIRST) The team won the Final Temple Mission and became “Endurance” Champions.
  (SECOND) The team lost the Final Temple Mission and were the runners-up.
  (WIN) The team won the Endurance Mission, the previously eliminated team's pyramid pieces, and the Samadhi.
  (WIN) The team won the Temple Mission.
  (SAMADHI) The team was handicapped with the Samadhi by the winning team.
  (SAFE) The team did not win the challenge, but was safe from going to Temple or did not receive the Samadhi.
  (TEMPLE) The team won at the Temple of Fate and avoided elimination.
  (TEMPLE) The team was selected to go to Temple by the Endurance mission winners.
  (OUT) The team lost at the Temple of Fate and was eliminated.
  • 1 By winning the first challenge, the Green team won the Magic Box.
  • 2 The Orange team decided to remove the Samadhi from the game so that they could instead automatically send the Yellow team to the Temple of Fate.
  • 3 In “Shark Bait” the Blue and Red Teams won the challenge, and each had the right to send one team to the Temple, even the other winning team.
  • 4 In “Stand Bags” the Red Team won the challenge but was not guaranteed immunity.
  • 5 In the "Scavenger Hunt" challenge, the Blue and Green teams competed for the final five pyramid pieces of the game. The Blue team won two while the Green team won three of the pieces.

Challenges

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  1. Sand Bar Relay
  2. Blind Faith
  3. Box Launch
  4. Fish Food
  5. Weight An Hour
  6. Island Hopping
  7. 3 To Go/Shark Bait
  8. Stand Bags
  9. Scavenger Hunt
  10. Final Temple

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Kauai film project battled adversity". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. June 28, 2004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2004.
  2. ^ a b West, Nancy Shohet (January 11, 2007). "See who hangs on". Boston.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2022 – via The Boston Globe.
  3. ^ "Nancy West, "Determined Boxford teen stakes her claim on TV show", Boston Globe, January 18, 2007".
  4. ^ Steven Gintz, "Teen finds 'Endurance' to compete", Foster's Daily Democrat (Maine), March 13, 2007[dead link].
  5. ^ ""Must-see TV: Beaverton teen rocks the small screen in 'Endurance: Fiji'", Beaverton Valley Times, October 12, 2007". Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
  6. ^ Donnelly, Matthew Scott (July 7, 2011). "Will Jonna's Game Show-Winning Past Ensure A 'Rivals' Victory?". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  7. ^ "Skyler Russell Obituary - Phoenix, AZ". Dignity Memorial. Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  8. ^ a b "Children's Congress Teen Tyler Burkhalter Makes the Final Four on Endurance!". New York: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. January 28, 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
  9. ^ Walt Belcher (October 10, 2007). "Teen Roughing It Learns More Than 'Endurance'". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
  10. ^ Monique Frigard (2005-03-01). "Las Vegas teen makes it to finals on NBC's Endurance". Las Vegas Review Journal. Archived from the original on 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
  11. ^ Gary Dretzka (September 25, 2004). "Bug-filled 'Endurance' ordeal". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  12. ^ "Shellbyville Teen Stars on NBC Reality Show". WAVE (TV), Louisville, Kentucky. October 20, 2004. Archived from the original on December 9, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  13. ^ Monique Frigard (March 1, 2005). "Las Vegas teen makes it to finals on NBC's 'Endurance'". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on 2009-07-10. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  14. ^ a b Rita Freeman (March 17, 2005). "Power of positive thinking Reality show finalist". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  15. ^ "Milam students meet Olympic Silver Medalist," El Paso Independent School District, January 31, 2007 Archived March 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ^ Belcher, Walt (March 8, 2008). "Secret's Out: Local Girl Wins TV Challenge". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on 2008-10-21. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  17. ^ Bloom, Mike (February 13, 2022). "Meet the Survivor 42 Cast! Jonathan Young Wants to Be a Provider and a Chaos Maker". Parade. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Jeff Eason (October 17, 2007). "Local Teen Competes on Discovery Kids Channel Reality Series". Mountain Times. Archived from the original on 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  19. ^ "Endurance : Discovery Kids". Archived from the original on 2009-08-23. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  20. ^ Elena Boryczka (October 12, 2007). "Must-see TV: Beaverton teen rocks the small screen in 'Endurance: Fiji'". Beaverton Valley Times. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
Notes
  1. ^ Samadhi is Sanskrit for "contemplation"
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