Much of the start-up money came from other previous reality television stars, including Ethan Zohn, Tina Wesson, as well as the team that had beat Mycoskie on The Amazing Race the previous year, Alex Boyan and Chris Luca.
The three major tribes extended into several branches of prominent Dayak tribes in Central Kalimantan such as Lawangan, Taboyan, Dusun Siang, Boyan, Bantian, Dohoi and Kadori.
In 2011, a widely publicized denouncement was made by Rabbi Nissim Karelitz, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, Rabbi Yaakov Hillel, and rabbis from the Vizhnitz, Zvhill, Sanz, Erlau, and Boyan Hasidic dynasties.
Finally on 2009-07-26 Veikka Gustafsson prevailed in a second attempt, along with Japanese climber Kazuya Hiraide and Bulgarian climbers Nilolay Petkov, Doychin Boyanov, Boyan Petrov and Nikolay Valkov.