Where do ‘Survivor’ castaways use the restroom?

While there are dozens of aspects of Survivor that take a toll on its castaways — the physicality of the game, the lack of personal hygiene, the lack of food, and more — the process of using the restroom is something that likely does not come to mind right away when applying for the beloved competition series.

Survivor has been filmed in a wide variety of locations since its premiere in 2001 – from China to Africa to Guatemala and beyond – and (spoiler alert) none of those filming locations had bathroom facilities.

Because of this, castaways are forced to be one with nature on Survivor, using the restroom in an extremely different way than what they are used to. In an interview with PEOPLE, longtime host and showrunner Jeff Probst revealed what exactly this method is.

Probst admitted “there are no restrooms on Survivor,” and revealed what the alternate options are for castaways:

“The jungle and the ocean are your options. ‘Aqua dumps,’ as the players call them, which take place in the ocean, are quite popular. You just want to make sure you know if you are upstream or downstream before you commit”

Gross.

While Probst gets his own hotel to stay at during the filming of Survivor each and every summer, Malcolm Freberg of Survivor: Philippines, Survivor: Caramoan, and Survivor: Game Changers has experienced this poo poo problem on three separate occasions. Because of this, the fan-favorite castaway revealed what exactly “aqua dumps” entail, detailing the pros and cons in an article posted by Business Insider. Admitting that “aqua dumps” are exactly what they sound like, the 36-year-old explained:

“You wade into the Pacific to an appropriate depth, assume the position, and just let it go… Once you’re done, you simply reach down, grab a handful of sand, give yourself a gentle wipe, and you’re just as clean as when you started, but the ‘aqua dump’ is a complicated psychological maneuver.”

He continued:

“It’s hard to relax as waves crash against your back and fish swim around your legs, and unless you have access to an isolated stretch of beach, you’ll be doing this while staring at your camp full of tribemates who know exactly what you’re doing… One former player pointed out that the beaches in Fiji, where the show now films every season, don’t allow for as much privacy as they did in my day, but even back then, there were many players who simply refused the ‘aqua dump’ lifestyle.”

For those who are nervous about taking a dump in front of their fellow castaways, using the restroom in the jungle is always an option, with Malcolm detailing how this process works as well.

“If you’re doing your business on land, be it beach or jungle, your best play is to dig a hole and cover it up when you’re done. Make sure you have some leaves nearby to wipe with, though a handful of greenery will not get your undercarriage as clean as a roll of Charmin. Not even close.”

While you will not see anyone dropping a deuce on your television screen, for better or for worse, Survivor superfans can stream all 45 seasons of the beloved competition series on Paramount Plus now.