Survive the Raft is an American reality competition series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on July 30, 2023.
The money won in each challenge goes into a team bank which is split equally among the contestants who make it to the end of the competition.
Survive the Raft is inspired by the 1973 Acali Experiment, which was conceived by Mexican anthropologist Santiago Genovés.
Genovés placed ads in newspapers worldwide in order to put together a group of four men and six women that he deemed attractive from different races, religions, and backgrounds to take with him on a raft named Acali for a 101-day voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to Mexico.
Every episode, the group competes in a bounty mission where the contestants must work together in order to win money for the team.
The money earned over the course of the season is put into a team bank which is split equally among the contestants that make it to the end of the competition.
[1] Notes Filming of the first season took place over the course of twenty-one days in August 2022 on the Pearl Islands, off the coast of Panama.
[2] As early as 2018, it was reported that reality show producers were looking to create a series based on the Acali Experiment.
[4] Host Nate Boyer said the Discovery Channel wanted to produce the show now in order to see if the social experiment would prove successful in today's polarized and divided climate.
CJ and Lashanna continue to bicker after she says she was offended when he told Nate he "gave" her an opportunity to lead during the bounty mission.
Lashanna explains that she feels the comment was disrespectful and demeaning and the two remain unable to find common ground.
The next morning, Nate informs the group that throughout the competition they will have opportunities to vote out one current team member in exchange for a new contestant.
Mykhal quickly makes a good impression on the team and they praise his intelligence, athleticism, and positive attitude.
Nate informs the group that before they vote they must officially nominate one current team member to go up against Mykhal for potential elimination.
Following Mykhal's exit, Lashanna questions why Russell would nominate himself for elimination and wonders if the team was targeting her.
CJ decides to change his strategy and stay quiet going forward, hoping to fly under the radar and stop Tara from campaigning for his elimination.
CJ proposes a potential alliance to Jimmy, telling him that both of them will be able to stay in the competition as long as they keep Summer S., Elliot, and Russell on their side.
Jimmy, Garrett, and CJ attempt to create an official alliance with Summer S. but she remains hesitant and declares that she doesn't want to backstab anyone for money.
Summer S. later gets emotional and says she doesn't trust Garrett or Jimmy because they threw CJ under the bus, which led to his elimination.
Summer S. stays steadfast in not wanting to commit to any alliances and Jimmy and Riley express their frustrations about her being a follower that refuses to make a big move in the game.
After Riley's elimination, Nate informs the group that the eight remaining players are the final team moving forward into the next phase of the competition and that no more new contestants will be introduced.
Garrett tells Jimmy that Tara is targeting him, causing a fracture in the group which ruins the plan to vote out Russell.
The team gets together to try and work through their differences as Tara confronts Jimmy about his negativity and Maddie calls out Russell for his hypocrisy.
Jimmy vents to Garrett about the rest of the team and their lack of loyalty to him, namely Summer S., who he calls the most two-faced person he has ever met.
Jimmy expresses his interest in eliminating Summer S., Merissa, Tara, or Maddie in the final bounty mission if given the opportunity.
Elliot and Maddie remain safe from elimination due to being voted the team's most valuable players earlier in the day.
Elliot, Garrett, Jimmy, Maddie, Merissa, Russell, Summer S., and Tara are then declared the winners of the competition and split the $223,000 in the team's bank equally amongst themselves.