Pirate Master is an American reality television show created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on CBS.

The show also aired on CTV in Canada and Sky3 in the United Kingdom, and premiered on June 21, 2007, on Network Ten in Australia, and on July 4, 2007, on AXN Asia.

The final compartment contains a map showing the location of every gold stash on the island of Dominica, leading to the grand prize.

[2] Each week, the contestants are divided into two crews, Black and Red, to hunt for the treasures indicated by the maps and clues obtained from the most recently opened compartment in the Chest of Zanzibar.

[4] Both crews simultaneously go on expeditions and decipher clues along the way to find gold coins hidden around the island of Dominica.

The captain receives the right to claim half of the treasure for themself, in additional to other luxuries, but must also nominate three contestants for elimination.

[6] The coins are distributed to the crew members immediately, and may be used as in-game currency, allowing the contestants to strike deals with each other and vie for long-term security.

Prior to the distribution of the next Black Spot letters, any player (including the captain and officers) may bid secretly for the pardon.

If the pardon-holder does not receive the most votes, they retain the pardon but must sell it to a different player via silent auction by the next Pirates' Court.

If the Ghost Crew should win, they not only keep the treasure, but get to decide which three of the remaining players would get the Black Spot for the Pirate's Court, and there would be no Captain or Officers until the next expedition.

Much of the show takes place on the ship, called the Picton Castle, but the contestants also disembark and explore island rivers and muddy riverbanks in search of gold.

[14] Some critics have considered that the failure of both Pirate Master and On the Lot represent not only troubling issues for Mark Burnett, but for reality television as well.

In Australia, free-to-air Channel Ten moved the show from its 7.30 p.m. Tuesday timeslot to Sunday afternoons on July 27.

[1] Despite being removed from American television in mid-run, the show went on to win an Emmy award in the category of outstanding original main title theme music.

Cheryl Kosewicz, the fourth person to leave the game, was found dead inside her home on July 27, 2007, after an apparent suicide.

[11] On fellow contestant Nessa's MySpace webpage, Cheryl blamed the show for causing friction between herself and her boyfriend, who committed suicide two months prior.

Booty that may be exchanged afterward is not counted in this column, due to the inability to verify these amounts from the show as presented; however, the CBS Pirate Master Wiki includes a "Treasure Tracker".