Hosted by Jeff Probst, a select number of castaways are marooned in a remote area, varying in location with each competitive installment. Each location has its own beauty and dangers, but the castaways have to remain focused. As competitors, they are forced to band together, carve out a new existence and use their collective wits to make surviving, without any conveniences of the modern world, a little easier.

Day by day the location and tropical sun will test the endurance of the castaways. The survivors must form their own cooperative island society, building shelter, gathering and catching food, and participating in contests for rewards. Those who succeed in the day-to-day challenges will be rewarded with items to make island life more bearable — simple comforts which may include food, pillows, cold beer, and clean clothing. Those who fail, must do without.

At the conclusion of each episode, the participants attend a tribal council. At this meeting, each person places a secret ballot vote to send one fellow castaway home, eliminating him or her from eligibility for the prize money. Week by week, one by one, the tribe shrinks until at the end of the final episode, only two survivors remain. At that point, the seven most recently eliminated castaways will return to form the final tribal council and decide who will be the final survivor, the winner of $1,000,000!

The final Survivor will be the member who was able to Outwit, Outplay, Outlast.