UFC Survivor
I’ve been a huge Survivor fan since I was a little kid, so I wanted to create a new competition inspired by the show—but built around UFC pick-ems.
How Survivor Works
Survivor is a competition where contestants are divided into tribes and compete in challenges for immunity. The losing tribe goes to Tribal Council, where they vote one of their own teammate out of the game.
The game isn’t just about winning challenges. Strategy, alliances, relationships, and knowing when to target someone are all important. Eventually, the tribes disappear, everyone competes individually, and eliminated players help determine the eventual winner.
That’s the basic idea behind this competition.
Starting the Game
The plan is to have three tribes of 6–8 players each.
The buy-in is $25 per person, and once all the spots are filled, the game will begin. Tribes will be selected completely at random.
Every competition will take place during a UFC card using the pick-em format I already run.
Team Competitions & Immunity
Before each UFC card, every player will DM me their picks. After the card, I’ll add everyone’s scores to create their tribe’s total score.
The two tribes with the highest combined scores win immunity.
Winning immunity means everyone on those two tribes is safe from elimination. The losing tribe will go to Tribal Council and be forced to vote someone out.
There is also an advantage for finishing first: the tribe with the highest overall score will begin the next competition with a +5-point bonus.
Tribal Council
Eliminations will be decided entirely by the players.
Every member of the losing tribe will secretly DM me the one player they want eliminated. You can vote out the weakest player, target the biggest threat, or vote against someone you simply aren’t working with.
Tribal Council will take place on the Monday following each UFC card from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET.
Every player gets one vote, and votes cannot be changed once submitted. If you fail to vote before the deadline, your vote will automatically count against you.
All votes are secret. What you tell the other players is completely up to you. Tell them the truth, lie about your vote—that’s part of the game.
The Social Game
The social side of this competition will be important.
I’ll create a private group chat for each tribe. You can discuss the fights, strategize about picks, talk about the game, or just get to know the people on your team.
You’re also free to create your own private chats and make alliances with other players. Who you trust and who trusts you could become just as important as your pick-em scores.
Twists
You can’t have Survivor without twists.
I already have certain twists planned for specific points throughout the game. Only I know what they are or when they’re coming.
Nothing will be too crazy or completely break the game, but expect a few surprises along the way.
Hidden Immunity Idols
Just like Survivor, there will be Hidden Immunity Idols.
An Immunity Idol can be used to save yourself or another player from elimination at Tribal Council.
How do you earn one? That’s something only I know.
The only hint I’ll give is this: you earn them by hitting something specific during one of the Saturday UFC pick-em competitions.
There is no limit to how many Immunity Idols can be earned or played throughout the game. However, the Final Six is the last opportunity to use one.
The Finale
Once we’re down to the Final Three, the championship will be decided with one final three-way UFC pick-em competition.
But your pick-em score won’t be the only thing that matters.
Just like Survivor, a jury of eliminated players will decide the winner. The final seven eliminated players will each vote for one member of the Final Three to win the game.
Whoever receives the most jury votes will receive a +10-point bonus toward their final pick-em score.
That means getting to the end isn’t enough. You also have to think about how you played the game and how the people you eliminated feel about you.
Win competitions. Build alliances. Make moves. Survive the vote. Outlast everyone.
Here’s how I’ll run this: I’ll put every player in one group chat on Twitter/X. There, I will post updates, results, twists, announcements, etc… Nobody is to write anything in that chat! Save all the chatting for your team and/or alliances.