The name alludes to both
Robinson Crusoe and
The Swiss Family Robinson, two stories featuring people marooned by shipwrecks. Twelve to 20 contestants are put into a survival situation and compete in a variety of physical challenges. Early in each season two teams compete but later on the teams are merged and the competitions become individual. Contestants are eliminated through tribal councils and, after merging, losing immunity challenges until the final challenge where the winner wins the competition. ==Ownership==