Fight to Survive (TV series)

Fight to Survive is an American reality competition television series that premiered on The CW on August 10, 2023. The series is hosted by Akbar Gbaja-Biamila. The series received negative reviews from critics.

Fight to Survive
GenreReality competition
Presented byAkbar Gbaja-Biamila
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producerKevin Lee
Production companyTollbooth Television
Original release
Network
ReleaseAugust 10 (2023-08-10) –
September 28, 2023 (2023-09-28)

Format

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Production

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On December 8, 2021, it was announced that The Roku Channel had ordered the series.[1][2] On July 13, 2023, it was announced that the series would move to The CW and premiere on August 10, 2023. All eight episodes will be available to stream on The Roku Channel on September 29, 2023. The contestants were also announced.[3][4]

Contestants

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Competitor Age Hometown Notability (known for) Day exited Status Ref.
J Ruiz 37 Tampa, Florida American Ninja Warrior Seasons 6, 7 and 8
Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge
25 Won (8) [3][4]
Missy Byrd 27 Denver, Colorado Survivor: Island of the Idols 24 Eliminated (8)
Amal Alyassiri 38 Cedar Rapids, Iowa Naked and Afraid Season 9 22 Eliminated (8)
Sarah Danser 31 Honolulu, Hawaii Naked and Afraid Season 8
Naked and Afraid: Lost at Sea
Naked and Afraid XL Season 4
Naked and Ghosted Season 11
20 Eliminated (8)
Makani Nalu 27 Venice, California Stranded with a Million Dollars
Naked and Afraid Season 10
Naked and Afraid XL Season 6
19 Eliminated (7)
Stephanie Gonzalez 31 Ocala, Florida Survivor: Ghost Island 19 Voluntarily Withdrawn (7)
Keali'i "K" Ka'apana 41 Orange County, California Called to the Wild 19 Voluntarily Withdrawn (7)
Nathaniel Allenby 38 San Diego, California Survival Enthusiast 18 Voluntarily Withdrawn (7)
Libby Vincek 29 Orange Beach, Alabama Survivor: Ghost Island 17 Voluntarily Withdrawn (7)
Christina McQueen 45 Borden, Indiana Naked and Afraid Season 4
Naked and Afraid XL Season 5
16 Medically Withdrawn (6)
Jonathan Monroe 31 Panama City, Florida Naked and Afraid Season 7
Are You the One? Season 8
14 Voluntarily Withdrawn (5)
Robby Canton 25 Colorado Springs, Colorado Survivalist 10 Voluntarily Withdrawn (4)
Zane Kraetsch 33 Pagosa Springs, Colorado Alone: The Beast 10 Eliminated (4)
Yuda Abitbol 30 Oahu, Hawaii YouTube/TikTok/Survivalist Chef Influencer 6 Eliminated (3)
Afften DeShazer 35 Chicago, Illinois Naked and Afraid Season 4 6 Voluntarily Withdrawn (2)
Dani Beau 33 Mercer, Maine Naked and Afraid Season 4 & 14
Naked and Afraid XL Season 1
2 Medically Withdrawn (1)
Matthew Clarke 31 Yukon, Canada YouTube Survivalist Influencer 2 Medically Withdrawn (1)

Elimination table

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Results
Contestant Episodes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
J Ruiz WIN WIN WIN WIN SAFE WIN SAFE WINNER
Missy Byrd WIN WIN SAFE WIN SAFE WIN SAFE OUT
Amal Alyassiri SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT
Sarah Danser SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN OUT
Makani Nalu SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT
Stephanie Gonzalez SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE LOSS SAFE VOL
Keali'i "K" Ka'apana LOSS SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE LOSS VOL
Nathaniel Allenby SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE LOSS VOL
Libby Vincek SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE VOL
Christina McQueen LOSS LOSS SAFE LOSS SAFE MED
Jonathan Monroe SAFE SAFE SAFE LOSS VOL
Robby Canton SAFE SAFE SAFE VOL
Zane Kraetsch SAFE LOSS SAFE OUT
Yuda Abitbol SAFE SAFE OUT
Afften DeShazer SAFE VOL
Dani Beau MED
Matthew Clarke MED
  •   The contestant voluntarily withdrew from the competition.
  •   The contestant medically withdrew from the competition.
  •   The contestant won the challenge.
  •   The contestant lost the challenge.
  •   The contestant lost the challenge and was eliminated from the competition.

Episodes

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No.Title [5][6]Day(s)Original air date [5][6]Prod.
code [5]
U.S. viewers
(millions)
Rating
(18-49)
1"Survival of the Fittest"Days 1-3August 10, 2023 (2023-08-10)1010.353[7]0.06[7]
Challengers: Missy & J vs. Keali'i & Christina
2"The Storm"Days 3-6August 17, 2023 (2023-08-17)1020.262[8]0.04[8]
Challengers: Amal & J vs. Zane & Christina, Missy vs. Afften
3"This is War"Days 6-8August 24, 2023 (2023-08-24)1030.307[9]0.05[9]
Challengers: Yuda vs. J
4"Dog Fight"Days 8-10August 31, 2023 (2023-08-31)1040.217[10]0.01[10]
Challengers: Missy & J vs. Jonathan & Sarah, Zane vs J
5"The Hunt"Days 11-14September 7, 2023 (2023-09-07)1050.242[11]0.04[11]
Challengers: Libby vs. Stephanie
6"The Breaking Point"Days 14-16September 14, 2023 (2023-09-14)1060.274[12]0.04[12]
Challengers: J vs. Nathaniel, Missy vs. Christina (Draw), Missy vs. Keali'i (Keali'i forfeited)
7"The Final Countdown"Days 17-19September 21, 2023 (2023-09-21)1070.223[13]0.02[13]
Challengers: J vs. Nathaniel (Nathaniel forfeited), Sarah vs. Makani
8"Battleground"Days 20-25September 28, 2023 (2023-09-28)1080.213[14]0.05[14]
Challengers: Amal vs. Sarah, J & Missy vs. Amal & Zane, Missy & Zane vs. J & Amal

Reception

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Critics panned the show, criticizing the show's antisocial tone and lack of originality. Writing for Common Sense Media, Melissa Camacho said that the show's violence is "is shrouded in clichéd rituals to exoticize the experience, but it's not enough to hide the fact that it's showcasing a mild version of the worst of humanity for the purpose of entertainment".[15] Writing for Reality Blurred, Andy Denhart criticized the show for being unengaging due to a lack of character development, and that its repeated recourse to violence was "a little one-note".[16] Joel Keller, a writer for Decider.com, said that "despite not being all that different than most survival reality series, there's a nastiness to Fight To Survive that's off-putting. It's not like other series of this type don't have contestants forming alliances and being cutthroat, but for some reason or another, this show wants to show everyone's cutthroat tendencies off the bat rather than show actual survival skills."[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Roku Expands Unscripted Adventure Slate to Include Trio of New Series: "Fight to Survive," "Reptile Royalty," and "UFO Cowboys"; Akbar Gbajabiamila Set to Host "Fight to Survive"" (Press release). The CW. January 25, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023 – via The Futon Critic.
  2. ^ White, Peter (January 25, 2023). "UFO Cowboys, Reptile Royalty & Fight to Survive Adventures Series Land At Roku". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "The CW Network and Roku Join Forces for Original Unscripted Series "Fight to Survive"" (Press release). The CW. July 13, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023 – via The Futon Critic.
  4. ^ a b Petski, Denise (July 13, 2023). "The CW Teams With Roku On Fight To Survive Competition Adventure Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "FIGHT TO SURVIVE (CW)". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Fight to Survive Season 1 Episode Guide". Zap2it. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Douglas Pucci (August 11, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: The Challenge: USA Returns for its Second Season on CBS". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Douglas Pucci (August 18, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Leads in All Key Prime Time Figures". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (August 25, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Wins in Total Viewers as NFL Preseason Final Week Kicked Off in Select Markets". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Douglas Pucci (September 1, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: Fox Wins the Night in Total Viewers with College Football Season Kickoff". Programming Insider. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Douglas Pucci (September 8, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: NFL on NBC Returns to Dominate the Prime Time TV Landscape". Programming Insider. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Douglas Pucci (September 15, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: Amazon Prime Video Leads Prime Time with NFL Thursday Night Football Return". Programming Insider. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Douglas Pucci (September 22, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Tops Broadcast Networks, NFL on Prime Video Wins Overall". Programming Insider. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Douglas Pucci (September 29, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: The Golden Bachelor Series Premiere on ABC is Top Non-Sports Telecast in Prime Time". Programming Insider. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  15. ^ Camacho, Melissa (August 10, 2023). "Fight to Survive TV Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Dehnart, Andy (August 10, 2023). "Fight To Survive is like Survivor with violence instead of Tribal Council". Reality Blurred. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  17. ^ Keller, Joel (August 10, 2023). "Fight To Survive CW Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". Decider. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
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