Format

Eighteen Filipino strangers will be cast on a remote tropical island, with barely anything to survive.  For 39 days, they will be left deprived of basic human necessities and forced to fend for themselves.  At stake is the ultimate glory of being named the one winner.  The Pinoy Sole Survivor.

Tribes

These18 strangers will be divided into two teams called “Tribes”.  With limited tools which include a machete, water canteens, and a special water well which holds brackish water, players must strategize and work within their means in order to survive.  Survival means having to create their own fire to boil drinking water and to cook their own meals scavenged from the island’s resources. Each tribe must also build their own shelter to protect themselves from the elements.

Each tribe will be designated its own unique name and color, with which to identify themselves throughout the game.  These colors will mark tribe flags, challenge courses, and items within the show.

Each player will be required to wear a buff, an elastic ring of material generally patterned with the logo for the show.  The buff can be worn as an armband, headband, tube top, or mini skirt, and comes in each tribe’s color.  It must be visible at all times to distinguish tribal affiliation.  Should there be a merge or switching of tribes, players must replace their old buff with a new one in their new tribe's color.

Challenges

Players compete as tribes or individually in contests called challenges which test endurance, problem solving, teamwork, dexterity, and/or will power.  These are usually designed to fit the theme of the current season. One type of challenge involves a race through an obstacle course to collect puzzle pieces that must be assembled successfully in the end.  Other challenges involve eating strange and unfamiliar cuisine, which forces players to sample the most bizarre dishes in order to win.  Knowledge quizzes about the locale or other players may also make up the challenges. At times, a 'loved one' challenge may be included, where a family member, friend or significant other of each player participates or is part of the challenge reward.  There is also what is called the 'Survivor Auction' in which contestants bid against each other on luxury items and strategic advantages.  Some challenges may involve components of a previous challenge for that season. Cars have also been given away as prizes for certain contests.

Endurance challenges are those that test the players’ stamina and staying power.  This usually requires staying balanced on a small perch or being left to support one’s weight in the most uncomfortable position for as long as possible. The degree of difficulty may be heightened in the course of an endurance challenge to conclude the game faster. Some challenges are performed at the tribes’ respective camps.  Tribes have been tasked to construct a shelter or an SOS signal.  Expert judges determine the winner and the winning tribe receives a package which arrives on the shore by boat, or dropped from a plane in the sky.

Special messages left at a location near camp dubbed 'treemail' leave information on the next challenge location.  ‘Treemail’ usua;;y consists of a rhyme which gives hints to the nature of the challenge and may even include props that may be useful for the upcoming challenge.  These forewarnings allow tribes and players to create a strategy before the contest. In some cases, tribes have been given equipment to practice with or provided with information they need to memorize prior to the challenge.

Contestants either compete for “rewards” or “immunity”.  Rewards are luxury pieces not essential for survival but make life on the island much more comfortable.  These can be anything from food, flint, matches, rain gear, to short trips away from camp.

Immunity on the other hand is a fight to win exemption from an elimination ceremony known as Tribal Council.  In the tribe stage of the game, the team that wins immunity does not take part in Tribal Council.  When only one tribe remains after the merger of the two tribes, the individual who wins immunity cannot be voted off the island.

All challenges are between tribes until the merge takes place.  Tribal rewards and immunities are shared by all members.  Once the merge has taken effect, players compete as individuals to enjoy rewards and solo immunity.  Some individual rewards include the option of selecting one or more other tribe members to share the reward.  At times, even after the merger, two or more teams are created from the remaining players, with the winning team reaping the reward benefits.

The challenges usually take place in a 3 day cycle.  One day is allotted for the reward challenge, another day for rest, and another for the immunity challenge and Tribal Council.

Tribal Council

Perhaps the most tension-filled moment of every Survivor episode happens with Tribal Council.  Held at the end of each episode, the tribe shall vote one person out of their tribe. At each tribe’s first Tribal Council, they are asked to take a torch and light it from the fire pit omnipresent at every Council.  The significance of fire in the Tribal Council is described thus: "This is part of the ritual of Tribal Council because fire represents life. As long as you have fire, you are still in this game. When your fire's gone, so are you". 

Before the voting begins, the host questions the players, revealing details of rivalries, intrigues and events that transpired since the last Council. If a player has been awarded individual immunity through an immunity challenge, he is given the option of giving that immunity to another player.  The person who has immunity cannot be voted off the island.

A secret ballot is then cast by each player, bearing the name of the person whom they wish to be voted out of the tribe.  The person who receives the most number of votes leaves the game.  Players cannot vote for themselves. When the episode is aired, the votes in the confessional are not all revealed to create suspense before the final tally is read. The order in which the votes are read are usually pre-selected by the producers to obtain the most suspense from the players and viewers. Once a name has been given the majority of votes, the host stops the tally and pronounces the player who is voted off the island. The remaining votes are kept secret to the players themselves but all votes are later revealed to the viewing audience during the credits together with the ousted player's confessional.

At each elimination, the host declares "The tribe has spoken" and "It's time for you to go." The eliminated player's torch is snuffed or extinguished, and the player then leaves the Tribal Council area and gives his final words. The remaining tribe members return to camp.  In some seasons, the tribe is allowed to return to camp with their torches as a source of fire.  In other seasons however, the tribe they are only allowed torches if they have already established their own source of fire.

Should there be a tie, a predetermined tiebreaker is held and continues until there is a clear winner. These tiebreakers may include going back to past votes, quiz tiebreakers, drawing of rocks from a bag and participation in a head-to-head challenge between those tied. The loser is eliminated.

The Jury

The Jury, formed out of the last few players cast off of their tribes, usually the Final 9, join each Tribal Council proceeding and play a vital role in determining the sole survivor.

Members of the jury are not allowed to speak or interact with the players still in the game; they merely observe the questioning and voting that occurs. They are kept away from the remaining players and are prohibited from discussing voting and other issues with the other contestants, with fellow jury members, or the final players in order to prevent forming subgroups or coalitions within the jury. This restriction continues through the game up until the winner is proclaimed at the Final Vote.

Final Tribal Council

The remaining players clean up, tear down, or burn down their camp as a tribute to surviving until the end of the game. And then there’s Final Tribal Council.

At final Tribal Council, these events usually take place, though some parts may be edited to fit the show’s time limit:

• Each of the final players makes an introductory statement to the jury about why they are deserving of the jury's vote.
• Each jury member, in turn, can ask each of the final players a question, which that player must respond to. In some cases, the juror may only be making a short speech which requires no answer but is meant to throw the player off guard.
• Each final player makes a closing statement, allowing them to respond generally to the jury's question and again explain why they would be the most deserving winner
• Each jury member then votes for one of the final players, indicating which player he or she wants to win the game.

After the final vote, the container holding the ballots is taken by the host to be transported off the island, and secured until the finale. The tally is made during the live finale, when all votes are revealed and the winner is proclaimed.

The last person standing, the Pinoy sole Survivor, is then announced as winner and claims his 3 million peso cash prize.