Commissioner setup guide

Reality TV Pool — Commissioner Setup Guide

Run a Survivor, Traitors, Big Brother, DWTS, Amazing Race, Million Dollar Secret or Bake Off pool: everyone backs a champion and calls every episode, we enter the results, and every pool scores itself. Setup, scoring, replacements, the spoiler shield and pricing.

Families, offices & friend groups following a season · 6 min read

A reality TV pool on ChooseASquare follows a real season of Survivor, The Traitors, Big Brother, Dancing With the Stars, The Amazing Race, Million Dollar Secret or The Great British Bake Off. Everyone backs one contestant for the season and makes a fresh call before every episode. We publish each episode’s results once, and every pool following that season scores itself — you never type a result.

This guide covers setting one up, what your players do, how scoring and the rulings work, the spoiler shield, what you can change and when it freezes, and what it costs.

Setting it up

Three steps: the show, a name, and share the link.

Pick the season: The wizard lists every season we are covering that still has picks to lock. The cast and the schedule are already loaded, so there is nothing to type. If the show you want is not listed, we have not loaded that season yet.
Name the pool and set entries per person: One entry each is the default. Raise it if people want a second champion.
When entries close: New entries are taken until the pool’s first picks lock — shown on the review step. A pool started mid-season plays from the next episode that has not locked; nobody earns points for episodes the pool did not play.
Run it yourself instead: For a show we do not cover, or a Bake Off or DWTS draft where everyone picks a winner and a first-out, choose “Run it yourself”. You load the cast and enter each episode’s results.

What your players do

One decision for the season, and a few quick calls each episode.

Back a champion: Each player backs one contestant (a couple on DWTS, a team on The Amazing Race). Any number of people can back the same one. Until the first lock they can change their mind; after that there are no swaps while their champion is still in.
Replacements: When a champion goes out, the player picks a replacement for the next episode that has not locked. Points already earned stay. The replacement’s loyalty starts again at +1, and it never earns anything retroactively.
The calls: Before each episode (or each batch release, or each Big Brother eviction window) players make the show’s calls — Next Torch Out on Survivor, Next Banished and Next Murdered on The Traitors, Who Holds the Money on Million Dollar Secret, and so on. Calls do not carry over. A call with nothing to match — no vote-out that week — is void, not wrong.
Hidden until it locks: Nobody can see anybody else’s calls or a not-yet-locked champion until the deadline passes.

Scoring

The same spine on every show; the show-specific bonuses are on each show’s page.

Survival: +1 for the first episode a champion survives, +2 for the second, +3, +4, then +5 for every one after. Counted per champion, so a replacement starts back at +1.
Winning loyalty: If your champion wins: +20, plus +2 for every episode you backed them, up to +20 more. Backing the winner from the start is worth +40 on top of everything else.
Finalist and exit: +10 once for reaching the final stage. −5 for a competitive elimination; a medical exit or a quit costs nothing.
Show bonuses: Immunity and idol plays on Survivor, HOH and veto on Big Brother, shields on The Traitors, the judges’ leaderboard and perfect routines on DWTS, podium finishes on The Amazing Race, holding the money through a dinner on Million Dollar Secret, Star Baker and the technical on Bake Off.
Calls: +5 to +8 each depending on the call; see the Rules section of your pool.

Results, corrections and spoilers

Entered once by us; you never have to.

Who enters results: ChooseASquare publishes each episode’s results, reviewed before they go out, and every pool following the season re-scores at once. Nothing scores until an episode is marked complete — partial results never become points.
Corrections: If a result was wrong we publish a correction; every pool re-scores everything after it, and nobody’s pick history changes. Spot a mistake? Tell us from the help menu.
Spoiler shield: Each player can switch it on to hide every result they have not revealed — standings, who is out, even their own champion’s fate — until they tap to reveal the next episode.
Reminders: Players who have not made their calls get a reminder before the lock. It names the deadline and never an outcome.

What you can change, and when

Point values are yours until the first lock.

Point values: Settings → Scoring. Every default can be changed, and optional calls (like Survivor’s immunity call) turned on, until the pool’s first picks lock. Then scoring freezes for the season so everyone plays the same rules.
Money: Reality pools do not collect entry fees or pay out through ChooseASquare yet. Run it for bragging rights, or settle any side pot yourselves — the leaderboard is the record.

What it costs

Per season, priced on players.

Reality Pass: On the Free plan, a Reality Pass covers one pool for one season: $9 for up to 10 players, $19 for 25, $29 for 50, $54 for 100, and up from there. A Reality Pass only works on a reality pool.
Pro Commissioner and Organization: Reality is included, with no pass needed — every show, every season.

FAQ

Do I have to enter any results?

No. We publish every episode’s results for the seasons we cover, and your pool scores itself. You only enter results in a “run it yourself” pool.

Which shows can I run?

Survivor, The Traitors, Million Dollar Secret, Big Brother, Dancing With the Stars, The Amazing Race and The Great British Bake Off, whenever we have a season open. Any other show works as a “run it yourself” pool.

Can people join late?

Until the pool’s first picks lock. A pool started mid-season plays from the next unlocked episode.

What if two people back the same contestant?

That is fine — champions are not exclusive. The calls each episode are what separate them.

Is ChooseASquare affiliated with these shows?

No. We are an independent pool platform, not affiliated with or endorsed by any show, producer or network.

Ready to run yours?

Set it up in a few minutes — every option here is right there in the wizard.

Start a reality TV pool →