Survival in Borneo

CBS television has given us their “Survival” series, and the Eco-Challenge Expedition Race 2000 has just run its course. So what do these endurance contests tell us about what it means to be a winner?

Survival, the CBS reality-adventure series, wrapped up its summer run a few weeks ago. The 13-week series which began May 31, was set on a tropical island in the South China Sea. Here's the premise: Eight men and eight women are marooned. They must band together to find food, water and shelter - and build a world for themselves. Yet, every week they vote to expel one person from the island. The last one left on the island wins $1 million. [At press time, the outcome was uncertain.]

If this sounds like another popular adventure race, The Eco-Challenge, it's because the founder of Eco-Challenge, Mark Burnett, is also the Executive Producer of Survival. The Eco-Challenge Expedition Race 2000 is also history. The 10-day, 300 mile, 24/7 challenge concluded only three weeks ago in the remote highlands of Borneo, Malaysia. The international field of over 70 teams raced through Borneo via ancient headhunter trails, remote rivers and the surrounding tropical seas.

Not every team that...