Boot Camp (TV Series) - Format

Format

The show involved sixteen civilian contestants, known as recruits, participating in a real life military style boot camp 24 hours a day. Four drill instructors put the recruits through special training activities and obstacle courses to prepare them for the "missions" which they took part in on each of the first seven episodes. Every week, the squad would elect one of their team as the "Squad Leader" giving this recruit extra responsibilities, most notably that of leading the squad in the weekly mission. If the mission was passed successfully, the squad leader earned immunity from the next elimination, and the squad would gain a luxury prize. If the mission was failed, the squad leader became eligible for dismissal, and the entire squad would receive a punishment.

At the end of each episode, the squad gathered on 'Dismissal Hill,' where players would exit the team. The squad would each vote one player out of the game, and the recruit with the most votes would be dismissed. However, in a second twist, that recruit then got the ability to take any other eligible recruit out of the game for any reason. Contestants regularly adapted their voting strategies as a group in order to try to avoid being "discharged" by the recruit they chose to dismiss. Due to two earlier unplanned exits, two dismissed recruits lost the privilege to discharge another from the game. Upon elimination from the game, the Recruits lost their dog tags, symbolising their life in the game.

After seven episodes, only two contestants remained in the game - Recruits Whitlow and Wolf. The format of the show then shifted with the final being referred to as "The Gauntlet". The Gauntlet consisted of seven physical and mental events, each named in honor of one of the seven dismissed recruits. The winner of each event won the dog tags of the former recruit that the event was named after. Following these seven events, the final two then returned to Dismissal Hill where they faced the six (planned to be seven) discharged recruits, who were then able to pledge their votes to the recruit of their choice. The recruit with the most dog tags after the combination of Gauntlet event wins and votes would win $500,000, with the runner-up receiving $100,000.