What are the tv shows the amazing race and survivor all about and what happens in those shows?

Question

need to know what they are all about

Answer 1

In the Amazing Race, 11 or so groups of 2 go on a long race around the world.  On the way, they encounter fast forwards, road blocks, detours and yields. Fast forwards allow the team to skip both the road block and the detour and go straight to the next 'pit stop' where they must rest for 12 hours before departing to their next locale. This can give a team a huge advantage in gaining time over the other teams, which can help with booking  flights and getting in first place.  However, a team can only use it once.  Road blocks are tasks that only one person can perform.  They usually have to do with the country they are in, like riding a rickshaw, delivering items and such.  Only once they have completed this, the team can move on.  Detours give the teams 2 options for the next challenge.  One is normally faster but requires strength or wit,  and the other is slower but is easier.  The purpose of the show is to come in first always because they usually reward the first team to come in the pit stop first with a free trip or car or something.  Yields only show up two or three times.  They allow a team to make another team of their choice be forced to wait one hour before resuming with the race.  In a situation where time is important, this can severely hurt their chances at making it to the next round.  And, a team can only use it once, so strategy comes into play there, just like the fast forward. But, each week the last team to arrive at the pit stop is eliminated.  Sometimes, though, they are not and are given a second chance, but they either have to give up all their clothes, money and resources.  Finally, the last leg brings them back to the USA, where the final three teams compete for the million dollar prize.  It's a great show and I recommend watching.  A new season is coming on pretty soon I believe.

Survivor is much more Machiavellian. I believe it was based on Lord of the Flies.  Anyway, 16 (in other seasons, 18 or 20) contestants go to an exotic location for 39 days and compete for one million dollars.  They start off as 2 (in other seasons 3 or 4) tribes.  For the first 20 or so days, they compete as opposing tribes in reward and immunity challenges.  The reward challenges give them fishing equipment and flint and stuff to help them out.  Immunity challenges give them, well, immunity from tribal council, which is the place where the losing tribe votes out a member from tribe.  This can be detrimental come the merger where numbers are key so you want to win as many immunity challenges as possible.  When the two tribes merge, they pick a camp to live at and stay there the remaining time.  They still compete for reward challenges and immunity, but they are now at an individual level.  Once the tribe becomes 9 members large, the next 7 eliminated people become what is called the jury.  They ultimately decide who will win the money.  At the last tribal council, the jury gets to ask the final 2 questions and say comments to them about how they played the game and such.  Then, they vote.  The vote is read live in the USA where they also have a reunion show.  This is the basic premise of the show. A lot of strategy and alliances determine who gets to the merger and then the final four and the last two.  You can play deceitfully or honestly. That's why I said it was a bit Machiavellian.  It can get pretty dirty and messy throughout the show between the alliances and personality conflicts.