Endurance (TV series)
Teen pairs compete in remote challenges for a grand prize trip.
Endurance is an American reality television series that aired on the Discovery Kids cable network, featuring teenage contestants competing in pairs in a remote location. The show, which ran from 2002 through 2008, was noted for its similarity to Survivor and received multiple Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Children's Series.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 24 minutes
- Creator
- J. D. Roth; Todd A. Nelson
- Presenter
- J. D. Roth
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Company
- 3Ball Productions; 90266 Productions Inc.
- Network
- Discovery Kids
- First aired
- 5 October 2002
Facts from the source article.
Production
The series was produced by 3Ball Productions, with co-creator J. D. Roth serving as executive producer and on-screen host. Roth received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2006 as Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series for Endurance: Tehachapi. Contestants aged 12 to 15 were selected each spring from over 12,000 audition tapes. Twenty players were chosen for each of the first five seasons, reduced to sixteen in Season 6.
Roth stated in a 2004 interview that he sought a diverse group. Filming took place each summer over three weeks, beginning in late July at a secret remote location; each season was taped in a different site, including California, Hawaii, Mexico, and Fiji. In a January 2007 Boston Globe interview, contestant Connor Finnegan described the experience of constant filming, noting the rule never to look at the camera. Roth and the players sometimes discussed interpersonal drama among teams; Roth noted that many participants became close friends and learned tolerance.
The Boston Globe reported friction among players on Endurance: High Sierras after a controversial team breakup. Finnegan's mother complained that producers deliberately increased drama and tension, but another contestant, Taylor Sico-McNulty, said she missed the other cast members and that reunions were held.
The contests
Upon arrival, the group competed in the Right to Stay Challenge, which eliminated some contestants. This game typically tested endurance, such as holding onto a bar or pole. In Seasons 1 through 4, the first three girls and three boys to let go were eliminated. In Season 5, the last two boys and two girls to finish a balance and speed test were eliminated.
In Season 6, the first two boys and two girls to release a rope were eliminated, leaving twelve contestants who formed six teams. In Season 3, eliminated players returned for a second chance Right to Stay game; the winner chose a partner from the girls. In Seasons 3 and 5, the group selected a boy and a girl to sit out the challenge, automatically advancing. In Season 3, the boys saved Lindi and the girls saved Reece; in Season 5, Darci and Aric were selected, each then saving one person of the same gender.
The day after, remaining players competed in a game to form teams of one boy and one girl. Team colors included red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, gray, and brown (added for eight teams, removed for seven; Season 6 had no gray team). After teams were decided, each received one pyramid piece of the Endurance Pyramid. To win, a team needed all pieces: 10 in the first season, 12 in Seasons 2 and 3, 13 in Seasons 4 and 5, and 14 in Season 6.
Episodes
The premiere season was taped in summer 2002 on Parsons Beach on Catalina Island, California. Seven teams competed for seven grand prize trips. The Blue team of Aaron Thornburg and Jonna Mannion won a trip to the Amazon. Mannion later appeared on The Real World: Cancun, The Challenge, and Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel, and was featured in the LMFAO music video for La La La.
Skyler Russell was featured on A&E's Intervention for a bath salts addiction and died on October 16, 2020, from a brain infection and organ failure caused by alcohol withdrawal. The season had seven teams eliminated in order: the first team out was the Red team, followed by others, with the Blue team winning the Final Temple Mission. Episodes included Tilt, Knotted Up, Plant the Flag, Squeeze Play, Water Logged, Eruption, House of Cards, Dial In, Build a Pyramid, Leap of Fate, Don't Drop the Ball, and Final Temple.
Endurance 2 was taped in Baja California near La Paz, Mexico. An unusual twist saw Jenna and Max, previously eliminated in season one, return as the Brown Team after an alumni vote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Endurance (TV series)?
Endurance was created by J. D. Roth and Todd A. Nelson.
When did Endurance (TV series) end?
Endurance last aired on 28 June 2008.
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