Today, eight brave contestants will step into the ring. Thursday, only one will come out a survivor. Move over Survivor, the USF Sun Dome has a grueling competition all its own.

The Sun Dome’s “Survive and Thrive” challenge is a four-day, three-night battle of mental wits and physical strength. Contestants will be eliminated one by one during the course of the event until only the strongest is left.

In a play off the hit CBS series Survivor, the Sun Dome has assembled physical and mental strength tests in hopes of shining the light of promotion on the World Wrestling Federation event being held at the Sun Dome on Friday. The Sun Dome will spot their survivor two tickets to the WWF Live on the Road to Wrestlemania event.

Clark Brooks, manager for marketing and promotions at the Sun Dome, said the winner will prove worthy by eliminating the competition one by one in a series of tricky and demanding competitions both physical and mental.

“The competition should be interesting,” Brooks said.

“We hope to bring some attention to the WWF event and have some fun at the same time.”

Brooks said possible events include mental struggles such as spelling bees and geography tests to physical engagements such as push-up battles.

And perhaps seeing which contestant can hold his or her hand in a bucket of ice water for the longest could be a possibility.”We’re definitely going to torture them a little bit,” Brooks said. “It’s not going to be easy to get the tickets.”

Brooks said the prize tickets are the “best seats in the house,” and tickets of their caliber are in high demand for others looking to attend one of the Sun Dome’s most publicized events of the year.The contestants will enter the ring today, Brooks said, with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Brooks said the eight contestants were randomly selected Feb. 15 from a pile of applications originally made available to the public on Feb. 9. Among the group of contestants are five men and three women, while three of the eight are USF students.Brooks said everyone is welcome to attend the competition and cheer on their favorite “survivor.”

There is no cost to observe the grueling struggles, which will be located inside an outdoor wrestling ring that will be constructed beneath the Sun Dome’s marquee on Fowler Avenue, Brooks said.

Brooks said the competition promises to be a challenge, but some may not find it difficult. Brooks said any contestant who leaves the ring for any reason, other than reasons officially sanctioned, will be disqualified and eliminated.

The competition begins today at 10 a.m. and will continue until Thursday at 9 a.m. Brooks said though the “Survive and Thrive” challenge is not sponsored by CBS, contestants must “outwit, outplay and outlast” the others if they want to survive the competition and win the WWF tickets.

• Contact Mike Kerrigan at oraclekerrigan@yahoo.com