The eight teens are dropped near the shore of a large lake, the "victims" of a floatplane crash. Justin and Nicole are parted from the others, and must survive the night on their own.[4] Les Stroud reveals that he will declare one of the teens "Ultimate Survivor" at the end of the series.

Les requires the main camp of teens to boil water using two different methods. If they succeed, Justin and Nicole will be returned. Meanwhile, the two teens separated from the group try to find food and water and keep calm while waiting for rescue.

The participants must gather as much food as they can during the next day. Les Stroud helps them out by providing them with a live snake which they can kill for meat. The participants decapitate and kill the snake for food.

Les sends the teens on a hike that will take several days to complete. They start out at night. Partway through the ordeal, Ian collapses from a real illness. The group splits up, dividing their resources. The teens debate how best to survive, and how to get reunited.

The days-long hike continues. The teens are confronted by a cliff and a swift river with rapids. Deciding to risk it, they jump into the river but lose all their supplies. Les Stroud helps them by offering a single match.

Les Stroud asks each teen to find a nearby cave and make a survival tool out of what they find there. Each teen must then build a fire. Michael, Manaal and Patricia leave the show.

Nicole is required to fake a medical emergency. The other four must transport the "injured" participant to a nearby log cabin, using only a compass for direction. If they make it to the cabin, they may use whatever supplies they find there. For some of the teens, the supplies prove more of problem than a solution.

Les Stroud challenges each participant with a "fishing trip gone wrong." Each teen must now perform a task set by Les. At the end of the challenge, Les gives each teenager a fish, an axe, and a compass. They must find shelter and build a fire, but Justin and Nicole decide to leave the show.

The remaining three teens must move a fire across some open water. Then they must build a fire and keep it going while building a shelter from items found on the shoreline. The three teens have a very bad argument. Colin and Jade succeed in the challenge, but Ian has a much more difficult time.

Colin, Jade and Ian are dropped into the cold waters of Lake Huron. They are allowed to climb into a life raft, but must spend 24 hours on the open water while surviving wind, wet, and cold.

After their difficult night on the open water, the life raft is beached on a deserted island in Georgian Bay (part of Lake Huron). Each surviving teen must build three unique signals of some kind which will draw a rescuer's attention. But a thunderstorm rapidly approaches, putting the signals at risk.

Part one of a two-part finale. Each teen is given a flare gun, headlamp, knife, paddle, whistle, and a single match. Each teen must survive for several days, and demonstrate their survival skills. Ian fails to light a fire, putting himself at risk.

Part two of a two-part finale. Each teen is led to a cache of survival gear. They are told to turn their shelter into a raft, and paddle to safety. Each surviving teen is reunited with their family and the teens who left the show. Les Stroud declares one teen the "Ultimate Survivor."