Whitworth’s fourth season of Survivor will take place over fall break.
The competition is a spinoff of the TV show “Survivor.” It’s a game show where people compete against each other in a social setting. The participants are split up into two tribes and compete during the challenges. If the tribe loses a challenge, then that tribe is required to vote a member off of their team.
“The point of the game is to win challenges and gain trust with other people so that they don’t vote you out of the game,” junior Survivor host Korina Chamberlain said.
Eighteen contestants are participating in the event, all striving for the $200 prize.
“Survivor” consists of 20 challenges all over campus, each activity requiring a combination of mental, physical and emotional skills. This year the competition is pirate-themed and will incorporate different pirate aspects among some of the challenges, trinkets and immunity idols that are present within the game.
The event requires an extensive amount of planning and the people involved are ready for event to start, sophomore Survivor host Rachel Porche said.
“We have been doing this for like five to six weeks at this point,” Porche said. “A lot of it is just trying to figure out challenges and when we want to do the challenges, merge stuff and just get everything organized.”
It is important to make sure that the events are well planned, as the game show has to be equal for all participants disregarding skill, Chamberlain said.
“We want to make sure that there aren’t too many physical challenges so that someone who is super athletic doesn’t have a better chance to win,” she said. “We want to make sure that anyone, no matter what their skill level, has the chance to win.”
The hosts also had the opportunity to play in previous seasons of Survivor on campus and expressed positive reviews. They hope to create a similar experience for those participating this fall break.
“I’m excited because I’ve played before and I’ve spent so much time and effort trying to set this up with my roommate,” Porche said. “I’m excited for other people to have the same opportunity to get to know people like I did.”
Chamberlain and Porche met through the game show and are now close friends, they said.
“Interestingly enough, me and [Korina] both played over fall break last year,” Porche said. “During the first challenge we stood next to each other and spent about three hours during that event just talking. Then after that, we were never actually on a team together so we didn’t get the chance to work together at all. But after those three hours, we became friends, and then best friends, and now roommates.”
Senior Danny Butler started Survivor at Whitworth two years ago. Over the years he has participated in different roles during the competition. This season will be Butler’s second season participating as a competitor.
“I came up with the idea for this event my sophomore year,” Butler said. “I have been hosting game shows since I was little and I always wanted to see college students compete in something I hosted. I wanted it to be something fun that my friends could participate in as well as people who were here for fall break.”
Chamberlain acknowledges the things that she enjoys about the game. She thinks that Survivor is a great way for students to meet people of which they would not have met otherwise.
“I want people to have fun and to meet new friends,” Butler said. “I want people to be proud that they took a step out of their comfort zones and did the best they could. If they make the end they should be amazed of how they kicked butt.”
The competition will span over all of fall break and the winner will be announced the night of Oct. 29 during the final ceremony.
