The season started with 16 participants tasked with being left to survive in a remote area in Borneo, Malaysia, with minimal tools and supplies.

The series was set in the South China Sea on the remote Malaysian island of Pulau Tiga in the state of Sabah, about six miles (10 km) off the north coast of Borneo.

Forty-eight people were then chosen, and after background checks and psychological evaluations done by the producers, the final 16 contestants and two alternates were picked.

They were surrounded by wildlife such as pythons, kraits, adders, monkeys, monitor lizards, and white-bellied sea eagles.

Outside of Survivor, Richard Hatch, Susan Hawk, Sean Kenniff, Ramona Gray, Gretchen Cordy, and Joel Klug competed on a special edition of NBC's The Weakest Link.

Pagong was dominated by the younger, more carefree members, whereas four Tagi members—Kelly, Richard, Rudy, and Susan—formed an alliance, choosing to vote as a bloc to ensure their safety.

There was dissension in the alliance as Kelly was deemed untrustworthy, but she won four consecutive immunity challenges and was ineligible for elimination.

Richard's strategic prowess and leadership were valued over Kelly's challenge performances, and the jury awarded him the title of Sole Survivor by a vote of 4–3.

The next morning, Tagi seemed to be in good spirits as Sonja played her ukulele, though Rudy realized he might need to adapt to the personalities of his younger tribemates.

Sonja stumbled as they reached the shore, helping Pagong crawl ahead to light their final torch and win.

At Pagong, Ramona started to feel better after having been sick and tried to begin pulling her weight around camp, but Jenna said it might be too late for her despite the pair bonding more.

Dirk and Sean began to help around the camp but that didn't change their tribe members' minds, and they remained on the outs.

At the immunity challenge, Gervase finally led Pagong to victory and Kelly, the whitewater rafting guide, was upset that "she got beat by a guy who couldn't even swim".

Tagi was afraid due to their numerical deficit, and Rudy agreed to be a part of Richard, Susan, and Kelly's alliance.

At Tribal Council, the Tagi alliance and Jenna piggy-backed off of Sean's alphabet strategy and voted out Greg.

Sean was convinced that his alphabet strategy of voting for people was the fairest way and that there was no alliance because he wasn't asked to be a part of it.

At tree mail, the castaways were surprised by cigars and a note saying that Gervase's son Gunnar was born the previous day, which they celebrated.

Sean brought his dad back to camp to meet everyone, who attempted to update them on current events and the stock market (although Susan thought he didn't know anything), and before he left he gave each person a care package from their loved ones, which rejuvenated their spirits.

On the beach, Richard thought it was funny that Colleen was really trying to win immunity when she had no chance of going home tonight because they were going to blindside Kelly.

At 4:00 am on day 38, the remaining three were awoken by Jeff, told to put on something comfortable, and took a long boat ride to their rite of passage and final immunity challenge.

Sean had no questions, but congratulated the two and thanked Kelly for being capable and keeping camp afloat, and told Richard that he enjoyed his company although he played the game differently.

Colleen asked what three character traits got them where they were and were essential to get future players to the finals; Kelly said faith, strong will, and likability, while Richard said self-awareness, observation of relationships, and ethics.

[16] Survivor was the surprise summer hit show of the season garnering an average of 28.3 million viewers with a 12.1/36 share in the 18/49 market over its 13-week run.

Survivor: Borneo was criticized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in response to footage showing the contestants trapping rats on the island, initially for fish bait but later for human consumption.

I believe we owe it to the island spirits we have come to know to let it end in the way that Mother Nature intended: for the snake to eat the rat.

[21][22] Despite the initially mixed reception, Borneo has undergone significant critical reappraisal and is now considered one of the best seasons of the series.

[31] In another poll in the same magazine, Richard Hatch's win at the end of the season was voted by viewers as the #5 most memorable moment in the series.

As well as every episode from the season, the DVD release features bonus material including commentary, interviews and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

[7][37] In early 2001, Borneo contestant Stacey Stillman sued CBS, claiming that executive producer Mark Burnett arranged her exit and orchestrated the show's outcome.

Her 14-page lawsuit alleged that two of her fellow tribemates, Dirk Been and Sean Kenniff, were persuaded to change their vote from 72-year-old Rudy Boesch to her.