Survivor: Borneo is the first season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. Over 6,000 people applied for the show; 800 were then interviewed in 16 cities. Forty-eight people were then chosen, and after background checks and psychological evaluations done by the producers, the final 16 contestants and two alternates were picked. As the survivors awaited the game's start, Survivor crews prepared the island for reward and immunity challenges, removing harmful items, checking for harmful animals in specific locations, and building a Tribal Council set. Camera and other crews were sent to the island three weeks in advance for testing. On the opposite side of the island from the tribes, headquarters were set up for the producers and crew to live in. This facility included traditional trailers with running water, televisions, and a phone line. The Tribal Council set was built 200 yards from the crew's facility. The first 16 survivor contestants were initially separated into two tribes, Tagi and Pagong, which represented the names of their beaches.