I played 'Survivor' in someone's backyard. Now I'm hooked on live reality games

I was 12 years old when I discovered Survivor. My mom and I were flipping channels, and we paused to watch some cranky people arguing about where to build a shelter and a fire. Corporate trainer and eventual winner Richard Hatch was trying to organize the group, much to self-proclaimed redneck Sue Hawk’s chagrin. “Corporate world ain’t gonna work out here in the bush,” she complained.

It was a new show called Survivor, my mom explained, where people lived on an island and competed to win $1 million. By the end of the episode, I was a fan.

I’m 36 now, and as obsessed as ever. I’ve spent years discussing the game in forums, listening to podcasts breaking down each episode, trying to divine the winner of each season based on “edgic” (“logic from the edit”) and competing in Survivor fantasy leagues. I’ve often pondered applying, wondering if I could dig deep enough to actually be on this show I love more than almost anything, but 26 days of minimal sleep and food isn’t for me.

What if I could get a little taste somehow?

On Jan. 31, 2023, the Survivor gods smiled on me. At the coffee shop, fetching his daily cortado, my husband noticed a casting flier for Surviving Bloomington, “a four-day live game based on the TV show Survivor.” Applications closed that day. I hastily filmed an audition video.

A few months later, I found myself in a heavily wooded Bloomington, Ind., backyard, meeting my tribe as the production crew filmed us with their iPhones.

Outwit, outplay, outlast … or try, anyway

Though I had known live reality games (LRGs) existed, I’d never thought one would be just a few minutes down the road from me. Or that within 14 months, I’d appear in three.

I soon learned there are LRGs all over the country, and not just Survivor ones. There are versions of The Mole, Big Brother, The Challenge and others — even entirely new games. LRGs range from one to 10 days; some are live streamed, others are edited into episodes for YouTube. Survivor LRGs sometimes bring in players from the real thing to compete or just say hi.

These DIY games are true to their TV parents, with challenges, immunities, twists and turns, and themes. The Survivor Weekender LRG I joined in August was themed “Olive Garden of Eden,” with the starting tribes named Soup, Salad and Sticks. (I was a Stick.) Surviving Bloomington‘s conceit was Order vs. Chaos; my tribe was Order.

My time on Surviving Bloomington was short: Another player and I lost the first immunity challenge for our tribe — putting together a puzzle made of wooden planks — and I was voted out first. No one wants to be that person. Typical of Survivor, there were sudden shifts in allegiance. Also true to genre, the edit didn’t tell the whole story of my eleventh-hour betrayal.

The author succumbs to gravity.

Ethan Gill/Surviving Bloomington

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Ethan Gill/Surviving Bloomington

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Then, I lost my chance to return via a Redemption Island challenge: hold a bottle of water above my head for as long as I could. I made it to the final three, biceps on fire. After almost 25 minutes, I couldn’t go on. It’s not eating bug larvae, but it wasn’t fun.

Despite my brief tenure — and the “I’m not here to make friends” reality show trope — I did make friends. When my tribe got to camp, we immediately began swapping personal stories. One night on Redemption Island (another backyard), a group of us stayed up late talking, and I fell asleep listening to one of my mates tell ghost stories.

After Surviving Bloomington and Survivor Weekender, I joined The Mole Ohio. As in the TV version, contestants work together to add money to a pot that only one can win, all the while being thwarted by a saboteur appointed by the producers.

Where Survivor requires teamwork and alliances, The Mole is a solo, self-reliant sort of game. Here, I could try on a different version of myself. I’m normally helpful and forthcoming. Not needing votes to stay in the game, though, I could be selfish, suspicious, cagey. I could — and did — sow chaos.

What happens in the game, stays in the game

LRGs are admittedly low-stakes. We’re usually competing only for bragging rights, so there’s a kindness and humanity not often seen on TV. And what happens in the game stays in the game. Slights and schemes don’t generally spill over into real life. I’ve kept in contact with almost everyone, either individually or in group chats.

I’m still unsure if I could make it 26 days on an island. But playing these games boosted my confidence. I consider myself pretty awkward, socially. In the company of people who nerd out over the same thing I do, I found strength in my ability to connect.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, Survivor 47 premieres tonight. I’ve got my eye on Teeny for the win.

To learn more about live reality games, check out these links:

Survivor Weekender on YouTube and Instagram

The Mole Ohio on YouTube and Instagram