Do you dream of competing on Survivor but don鈥檛 have the PTO to go?
Thanks to a local Live Reality Games group, instead of flying to Borneo, the tribal council meeting is at Roosevelt Island.
Survivor D.C. is the creation of Ryan Hergenreder. In 2023 the self-described 鈥淪urvivor nerd鈥� brought some college friends together with a group of 鈥�10 random strangers from the internet who saw one Facebook post.鈥�
View this post on Instagram
鈥淲e played one game. It was great, and it was supposed to be just that one and done,鈥� Hergenreder said. 鈥淪o, we did it two times. We did it three times, and now we have done it 15 times.鈥�
Survivor D.C. differs from its namesake in a couple of big ways. Instead of 26 days, they cram one season in a 12-hour period, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The final “Survivor” on CBS is awarded $1 million, but on Survivor D.C., the winner receives something nearly as valuable.
鈥淎 high five from me,鈥� Hergenreder said laughing. 鈥淥ur budget’s like $5, but we have a lot of fun with it.鈥�
Hergenreder鈥檚 day job is a tour guide and it鈥檚 no wonder the charismatic storyteller is Survivor D.C.鈥檚 cosplay Jeff Probst.
鈥淚’m hosting all day, every day. I’m snuffing the torch, reading the votes. That’s my bread and butter,鈥� Hergenreder said. 鈥淭he tribe has spoken.鈥�
For their last game, nearly 340 applied for the 21 spots, where they compete like on the real Survivor.
鈥淲e hide immunity idols in all the bushes. There are challenges that people win,鈥� Hergenreder explained. 鈥淲e have the 5-foot-tall giant snake maze that people will work through.鈥�
Something that has made Hergenreder proud is several contests from the show competed in Survivor D.C. and have done quite well.
Like all the contestants, Alex Moore from season 49, Gabe Ortis from season 47, and season 48鈥檚 Bianca Roses, who won at Survivor D.C., all live locally.
鈥淲hile we’re watching, we’re like, ‘Why don’t y’all vote out the person who has played the real show,’ and then she just made it to the end and won,鈥� Hergenreder said.
While there are five Survivor D.C. competitions a year, it鈥檚 more than just immunity idols and putting together puzzles.
鈥淲e do watch parties. We go to brunch together,鈥� Hergenreder said. 鈥淲e host other little minigames of other TV shows, like ‘The Traitors’ or ‘Big Brother.’ It’s really more a community than it is a game.鈥�
Confirming that is Sommer Potter, who started out as a competitor two years ago, and says she was voted out because she was 鈥榯oo fabulous.’鈥�
鈥淧laying a survivor game, doing crazy physical challenges, maybe eating something weird, voting people off. It’s very strange, but it bonds you in a really strong way,鈥� Potter said, laughing.
Potter, who now runs Survivor D.C.鈥檚 social media, admitted she was nervous when she attended her first competition and didn’t know a soul when she arrived, and says her favorite part of the game is the good friends she’s made.
Hergenreder points to the competitions, brunches and the weekly watch parties at DC9 as examples of the community they鈥檝e created.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to make friends as an adult and Survivor D.C. is that,鈥� Hergenreder said. 鈥淚t’s a great activity where you can walk in not knowing a single other person and walk out with the best friends of your adult life.鈥�
The group is gearing up for their Season 16 on May 9 a few weeks before the 26th anniversary of the “Survivor” debut on CBS, where Richard Hatch took home a million bucks.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2026 91欧美激情. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
