Reality-adventure series pitting 16 Americans against each other in a rigorous contest of physical and mental endurance that rewards the sole survivor with a prize of $1 million. Competitors are chosen from a nationwide search for potential participants. Once the finalists are selected they will be marooned on Pulau Tiga island off the coast of Borneo in the South China Sea, where they will be left to their own devices to find food, water and shelter. Camera crews will record all the action for the 39-day competition. At the conclusion of each episode, the participants are required to form a tribal council and conduct a secret-ballot vote to expel one or two of their colleagues from the island and thereby narrowing the competition to two finalists. The ultimate winner is then selected by a final tribal council of the competitors expelled over the previous weeks.