ROSINVILLE -- The challenges are getting tougher, but in the end, there's always a sole survivor.

For the third consecutive year, Russell O'Cain of Cordova has organized his own version of the hit reality TV show, "Survivor." The devoted "Survivor" fan said he started planning for this year's installment of "Survivor: Buoy Creek" in late January.

With the help of Rosinville Buoy Creek owners Johnny and Patty Ware, O'Cain gathered all the materials and decorations and built all the challenges for this year's colorful Hawaiian-themed event.

Twelve new contestants were found by asking friends or by word-of-mouth, O'Cain said. "Survivor: Buoy Creek 3" was held Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 2-3.

O'Cain said he chose the members for each tribe this year, and in order to keep strength levels as even as possible, each tribe was comprised of three men and three women.

The tribes were then given survivor banners and had to come up with their own names.

"A lot of (the contestants) didn't know each other, so I figured they would introduce themselves and get to know each other that way," O'Cain said.

Tribe Orange Crush included contestants Joey Jeffcoat, Mark O'Cain, Tanner Garrick, Anna Jackson, Kathy Bagwell and Jessica Fralick.

The Rebels were Ron Easterlin, Charlene Wannamaker, David Banks, Sally Jameson, Eric Chillcut and Julie Durrenberger.

In addition to Orange Crush and the Rebels, six "Survivor: Buoy Creek" veterans returned. Jenna Varn, Caitlin Boan, Russell Boan, Tracey Clements, Patty Ware and Mike Chavis formed tribe Lei Lows.

Chavis was a participant in the first "Survivor: Buoy Creek." He said he enjoyed the experience so much, there was no hesitation to return for another go at it.

"I told him (O'Cain) to keep me in mind because I had such a great time," he said.

Chavis said he doesn't have a strategy when going into the competition -- he just does his best.

This was Clements' third year participating in the event. His strategy this year was to form an alliance that would guarantee him a way to the end.

O'Cain said there aren't many rules to his version of "Survivor," other than no fighting and putting safety first. Contestants were told to adhere to safety precautions, such as wearing life jackets during water challenges, and there was a certified lifeguard present.

Also, O'Cain said precautions were taken to make sure contestants were well hydrated. He said temperatures neared the 100-degree mark on the first day of competition.

"We're not out to kill anybody," O'Cain said. "We will stop to drink water, just to be on the safe side. You never know what might happen, especially as hot as it was."

With safety instructions out of the way, O'Cain said the tribes headed into their first challenge -- Buried Treasure.

Six keys were buried in the volleyball court, and PVC pipes lining each side of the court were marked with a number and letter. Each team had two ropes with instructions to connect the ropes to the matching coordinates. Where the ropes crossed marked the spot to dig for a key in the sand, which led to another set of coordinates that led to a second key that opened a box full of puzzle pieces.

O'Cain said the process was repeated until three boxes of puzzle pieces were found. Next, tribe members had to put the puzzle together. The puzzle made up numbers that led to a wagon wheel with slots similar to a combination lock. If the combination was done correctly, a knife would be in the final slot that could be used to cut a rope signaling the end of the challenge.

"The first challenge is usually difficult and long to give everybody a chance to do it," O'Cain said.

After nearly 20 minutes of strenuous competition, tribe Orange Crush emerged as the winner of the Buried Treasure challenge. This awarded Orange Crush safety and led the Rebels to tribal council, where they voted off Wannamaker.

During the Rebels tribal council, the Lei Lows had their own stilt race challenge, which Russell Boan won. Because of a tie vote during tribal council -- three votes each against Caitlin Boan and Mike Chavis -- a puzzle tie-breaker challenge was held. In the end, Caitlin Boan lost and was voted out of the tribe.

The second Orange Crush-Rebels challenge was The Maze, in which teams had to maneuver a steel ball bearing through a square maze until it fell through a hole.

Four blindfolded team members were placed on each corner of the maze, with a fifth team member giving directions. Each time the team succeeded, the maze was rotated. The first team to get three balls in the hole was named the winner.

Orange Crush succeeded in the end, winning their second challenge in a row.

The next challenge required each team to paddle canoes across Buoy Creek and retrieve bags of puzzle pieces. The solution to each puzzle was in the middle of the pond on the way back, forcing teams to stop and look with hopes of remembering it for easy assembly once they made it to shore.

The Rebels proved their memory was best and won the challenge.

There's not much difference in "Survivor: Buoy Creek" and the popular television series "Survivor," O'Cain said.

"The competition is still cutthroat," he said, adding that contestants form alliances and make strategic moves in order to be the last one standing in both versions.

O'Cain said his version is, however, more laid-back, in terms of contestants not having to rough it out in the wilderness and hunt for their own food. Instead, contestants are fed lunch and dinner, and shelter is provided in the form of screened tents.

"It rained twice, and some of them got a little wet, but they hung in there," he said.

O'Cain admits he gets a portion of his ideas for the challenges from TV's "Survivor."

The Buried Treasure challenge was actually a combination of challenges from the show, he said. He also develops a lot on his own and gets ideas from friends.

"It's hard from year to year to come up with something new, but this year, they were pretty new," O'Cain said.

After the sixth challenge, the tribes were merged to perform challenges as a whole. The remaining tribe members from Orange Crush -- Mark O'Cain, Joey Jeffcoat, Anna Jackson and Jessica Fralick -- combined with the two remaining Rebels, Sally Jameson and Eric Chillcut, and the last of the Lei Lows, Tracey Clements and Mike Chavis.

The remaining challenges included a variety of competitions that O'Cain said were more easygoing. Contestants used their thinking and coordination skills to untie knots, shoot blow darts and bow and arrows and test their memory with a trivia game.

Jessica, Anna and Mark made it to the final three for a challenge O'Cain saw on "Survivor: Fiji."

He made an 8-by-8-foot platform divided into three sections, and the object of the challenge was to lie on the platform holding ski handles that were placed above the contestants' heads. While contestants were being sprayed with cold water, the platform was raised in five-minute increments, forcing them to hold on tight or fall into Buoy Creek.

Jessica dropped first, leaving Anna and Mark. In the end, only Anna remained.

When it came time for the final three to go to tribal council, O'Cain said Anna had the immunity idol, which kept her safe from the vote. She voted Jessica out and took Mark to the final two.

All contestants from Orange Crush, the Rebels and the Lei Lows formed the jury for the final vote, giving everyone a chance to participate at the end of the game. O'Cain said Mark and Anna gave statements about why they should be the winner of "Survivor: Buoy Creek 3" before the voting began.

O'Cain said the votes were tied seven to seven for Mark and Anna until the final vote, which named Mark the "Survivor."

"That's probably the closest vote any of the 'Survivors' we've had," O'Cain said. Past "Survivor: Buoy Creek" winners are Ken Lane and Steve Cumbee.

Mark said he wasn't expecting to win because he's never watched the television show, and he figured Anna would have more people on her side. The 20-year-old said he played baseball and football in the past but admits he's out of shape now.

"I was kind of skeptical to participate at first," he said, "but I decided to do it to see what kind of physical strength I have."

Mark said he would definitely participate again and plans to start watching the show.

Second-place finisher Anna is a junior at Clemson University, where she plays intramural softball and Frisbee. She also played volleyball, softball and ran track in high school.

Anna said she was introduced to "Survivor: Buoy Creek" when she met past contestants while taking water skiing lessons at Buoy Creek. She said she went as far as she could to come in second and said she, too, would participate again if asked to come back as a veteran contestant.

The challenges were a lot of fun, Anna said, and she admired the work O'Cain put into creating them.

"The team challenges were especially a lot of fun because we got to work together," she said. "They actually took time, and you had to work hard to get them done."

O'Cain, who's been a fan of "Survivor" since the very first season in 2000, has applied to be on the popular television series 12 times. He's made his own three-minute videos and filled out the eight-page application year after year.

O'Cain said he won't give up until he makes it on the TV show, but until then, he'll keep having a "Survivor" of his own.

"I always liked building everything and coming up with the ideas," he said. O'Cain said he also enjoys watching the competition and seeing the strategies that work and those that don't, which is exactly how it plays out on TV, he said.

"It's the survival of it all," O'Cain said, when asked what drew him to the series. "You have to find your own food, boil your own water. It reminds me of being young, but it's different seeing grown men being boys."

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