Desafío (TV series)

Contestants are split in different groups of usually six to eight people each. The criteria for the division might vary from season to season. Some criteria used have been whether they had been in a previous season ("Sobrevivientes", and "Superhumanos"), if they were famous ("Celebridades"), age ("Cuchacos", "Pelados", and "Catanos"), social status ("Privilegiados", "Rebuscadores", and, "Llevados"), or where they came from ("Antioqueños", "Cachacos", "Cafeteros", "Costeños", "Emigrantes", "Santandereanos", and "Vallecaucanos")

Each group is given a unique name and an identifying color. These are used on flags, challenge courses, on-screen text and various other items. Each player is given an assortment of clothes with their respective colors and symbols. Players are required to wear the color of their group in a visible location at all times, allowing the audience to identify their affiliation. Upon switching groups (due to a merge or dissolution), players are required to give up their old clothes and obtain new ones in the new group's color.

Each group is assigned a different beach to stay. Each beach has different qualities and benefits:

• Playa Alta/Oro has a luxurious cabin with beds, showers, bathrooms and a fully equipped kitchen. In some occasions, there are employees that prepare the meals for each contestant.
• Playa Media/Plata features the bare necessities for living. Contestants have a wooden roof with hammocks to sleep. They are given pots and pans, knives, some food and tools to hunt and cook.
• Playa Baja/Bronce features the worst conditions for the contestants to live in. Contestants have to build their own shelter or sleep in a cave. There is no food and the contestants have to eat fruits or try to hunt or fish what they can.

During each show, the groups have to compete in a challenge ("Desafío territorial") to decide which group will stay on each beach. As the show progresses and contestants are eliminated, the teams are merged into a single group and they are taken to Playa Fusión, which features commodities slightly better than Playa Media.

During each show, teams will play three separate challenges. The challenges are:

• Desafío Territorial where the winning group receives the "keys" to "Playa Alta". The second and third place teams get the "keys" to "Playa Media" and "Playa Baja" respectively.
• Desafío de Salvación
  • Desafío de Salvacion where the winning team gains immunity from elimination, plus, in some seasons, the chance to be judges at the final "juicio" or judgment.
  • Desafío a Muerte where the losing team is sent to "Juicio" to have one of their members eliminated.

Challenges vary from obstacle courses, to races, swimming matches, building puzzles, among many others.

"Juicio" (or "Judgment") is held after the ‘Desafío de Salvación’. Here, the group that lost the "Desafío Final" vote one person out of their team. Present at the judgment is the team that won the "Desafío de Salvación", who will serve as the judges. After a brief discussion of the events that led to that moment, each member of the losing team walks up to a table and secretly votes to eliminate a member of his team. After all members of the team have voted, the host counts the votes.

Originally, the judges voted to save a member of the other team. The strategy usually was to try to anticipate who the losing team would want to eliminate and save him/her. The next member with the most votes would then be eliminated. In 2008, the rules were changed and the judges were given the option to veto the choice of the other team to eliminate a member. If they veto, the losing team is forced to vote publicly for a second member to be eliminated. This is referred to as the "bloody vote". In 2009, a new rule was made. The losing team voted to eliminate a member of their team. Then, a second voting has to be done to choose a second member to be eliminated. Then, the judges decide which of the two "sentenced" members was eliminated.

In the event of ties, sometimes the judges get to choose which of the members of the losing team that are involved in the tie, is eliminated. Also, the members that are chosen to be eliminated are sometimes given a chance to vouch in front of the judges for their safety.

When there are two contestants left in the game, they return to Colombia for one last show, along with the eliminated contestants. Here, the audience votes for the contestant they want to win the game. In 2008, the system was changed and it was the other contestants who voted for the winner. The winning contestant usually gets a prize in cash whereas the second place contestant gets a new car.