My Survivor Bloomington

Experience:

It all began one day while walking the halls at Ivy Tech Community College and

catching a glimpse of an all too familiar logo. It was a poster for Surviving

Bloomington, and as a super fan of Survivor, I knew I had to look into this. I

immediately got on my phone, went to the site provided and discovered it was

a charity-based organization designed around the popular television series myself and

millions of others have been hooked to for the past 20 years. The purpose behind it,

being to raise money and awareness for the homeless population in our community,

instantly spoke to me. With a large majority of the homeless population being

veterans, I knew I had to get involved as a Veteran myself.

A few weeks after my submission, I’m contacted by KC and asked to meet up for a

casting interview. Being a huge fan of the show, I’m ecstatic at the prospect of being

involved in such a meaningful event and participating in a competition I’ve always

dreamt of. Upon meeting KC, I instantly knew how passionate he was for Survivor

and even more so for the charitable work he was doing. I felt the interview went great

and couldn’t wait to find out if I’d make the cut. About a month later I received

notification that I had made the cast and, once again, was elated and extremely

motivated to help in any way I could. 

In the months leading up to the three-day event, we were asked to raise a minimum of

$60. KC, being a super fan and great motivator, offered some incentive to really get

the cast to give it their all while raising donations in the form of an immunity idol for

the two highest grossing players, good for the first tribal they attended. This added

more fuel to my fire and I was sure to give maximum effort and exhausted any avenue

I could think of. I was hounding friends, family, coworkers and sharing to social

media every chance I got. In my effort, I got Sandra Diaz-Twine (The Queen) to

retweet to help raise awareness! Ultimately, with all the effort I had put in and the

amazing help from my wife, I was able to raise $670 for our cause! This led to me

earning one of the coveted immunity idols starting the game and I am extremely

grateful to all of those who saw this cause and were willing and able to donate. Along

with raising donations, I was on a very rigorous training regimen. I wanted to get into

the best shape possible before we began our journey.

I can’t say enough how amazing KC and the crew he had organizing and running this

event were. There were a few hiccups COVID created leading up to the original event

dates, but KC and his crew quickly adapted and were able to make the appropriate

changes smoothly and efficiently in a timely manner as to makes things as easy as

possible for those of us competing. 

Day one:

Finally, the day has come were myself and 15 other players got to meet up,

learn our tribes and hit the ground running (literally). The days leading up, I have to

admit, I was overly anxious, excited and motivated. I knew coming into the game, I

wanted to play hard and would do anything needed to achieve my ultimate goal of

sole survivor. The Saanapu tribe consisted off: Da’Vontae, Boogie, Megan Wolf,

Maddison, Max, Tierra, Sam and Griffin. My tribe, Vavau, consisted of: Dallas,

Shalee, Whitney, Kyle, Aaron, Eliza, Khaiah and myself. I felt great about this tribe

makeup and confident we would be strong in challenges. Prior to the first challenge,

we had around three hours to set up camp, find water, decorate our torches and start

building relationships. I instantly clicked with Dallas and we were able to make a

solid alliance. We both agreed a tight two-person alliance would be the most effective

way to advance deep into the game. It’s fair to say he was the one alliance member

throughout the entire game I felt 100% trust with and in a game based on deception

this was a reassuring freshness. From there, we talked to Kyle for a tight three, then

spoke with Shalee and Whitney on building a solid five-person alliance. We all felt as

though this would be advantageous for all in the event, we found ourselves at an early

tribal council. Naturally, this left Eliza, Aaron and Khaiah on the outside, however

Dallas and I had talked about him being tight with Khaiah and leaving me out so no

one would suspect anything between the three of us. I fully trusted this strategy and it

paid of for the time being. 

Going into the first team challenge, I’m feeling confident, excited and anxious as ever.

I’m pumped at this point! Every aspect of this event he has modeled off the show is as

authentic, if not more so, than I had anticipated. We walk in, I see an obstacle course

and a recognizable puzzle from the show. Our tribe decides Dallas and I will do the

puzzle while our remaining tribe members untie one another and make a dash through

the course to retrieve our pieces. (I didn’t want to show my puzzle skills this early, but

with a knee injury coming into the game, I play it off). Once again, I’m feeling all the

emotions that accompany the anchor leg. Our tribe gets the pieces to us just as the

other tribe is getting theirs, it’s neck and neck. We begin placing pieces but we’re

struggling. Ultimately, the Saanapu tribe wins team immunity and Dallas and I are

feeling the heat after letting our tribe down. Luckily I am safe with my donation idol,

but would’ve liked to hold onto it longer. The importance of our early relationships

and alliances are about to be given their first test and set the tone for the remainder of

the game. We go to tribal council with the plan to vote out Eliza and all eventually

goes as planned. No vote is easy and the first vote always seems to be the hardest.

Personally, we all liked Eliza, but it was the consensus for moving forward. However,

we find out that Redemption Island is in play this season, so she’ll have a shot to re-

enter.

A few hours later, we head to our second challenge and it’s a life size version of Code

Names. We’re feeling a little defeated from the last challenge and tribal council, but

we’re confident in the ability of those we’ve put in the critical roles. In a best two-out-

of-three, we lose the first round by a slight margin. The second round is a much

different story with Khaiah leading us to a key victory for the round. It’s all coming

down to the final round. We put Whitney in the leadership role that Khaiah had just

mastered and, with momentum on our side, we’re feeling confident in a comeback.

The round goes to the wire. Saanapu has a single point needed for victory, but would

need to take a shot-in-the-dark to win. They decide to go for it; however, Boogie

showed a little too much excitement when hearing what word they would attempt,

causing an end to their round and a chance for us to get our final two points. We know

we have to get this or we’ll be going back to tribal council. Whitney gives a brilliant

clue and we seal the victory! Our tribe did feel a bit of a sour taste in our first victory

with it coming from a rule infraction, but we wouldn’t let that ruin our moods.

Ultimately, Saanapu went to tribal council and voted out Max.

Idol One:

After our second challenge, I finally feel a little bit of safety to wander around camp

and the surrounding areas to look for a possible immunity idol. Something I’ve always

wanted to do! Everyone has been looking off and on since we arrived, but there’s been

no talk of one. I take a walk up to the water well and with a little luck, I find a scroll

with instructions to speak to KC for the idol location clue. I decide I can’t leave camp

to obtain the clue from KC, so I decide just to do a little more looking. There’s a small

creek behind our camp that seems like a reasonable landmark to investigate. With a

keen eye I spot a something out of place laying in a tree sticking out from the creek. I

decide I need to grab this as soon as possible before someone else has a chance to

retrieve it. I turn my back to camp as if I’m using the restroom and at the right time, I

quickly reach forward to obtain the idol, stick into my pants and proceed calmly to my

tent. This is an amazing moment and a lifelong dream when it comes to playing

survivor. I now have some back-pocket protection if needed.

Here we are, at the final challenge of the night and it’s a race mixed with a

blindfolded table maze with a caller. Dallas and Shalee, being returnees, have

competed in this challenge before, but did not have favorable outcomes. This time

was a chance for redemption, but sadly we fell short. The Saanapu tribe started

off with a bang having Da’Vontae retrieving balls for the maze and their strategy for

running the maze was flawless. Even though we got beat before even getting one ball

through the maze, we felt as though we tried our best and worked together well.

Dallas seemed to take it the hardest being the caller on the maze, but we all assured

him that it was a team effort and in no way was the loss solely on him. The Saanapu

tribe was superior in the challenge and seriously kicked our asses. Hats off to them.

This final tribal council of the day was our first real blindside. With our core five

alliance set and the behind-the-scenes alliance of Khaiah and Dallas, the only option

remaining was Aaron. Again, nothing personal, just the way things fell for our game

going forward.

Day two:

We start day two with the pretense there will be a challenge at 8am. Both tribes

proceed to the challenge area and are caught off guard when KC tells us to drop our

buffs and that we’re switching things up. Instantly we are all worried about how this

will shake down. Nobody is ever prepared for a tribe swap and this was no exception.

With Saanapu having the numbers advantage, someone is going to get the short end of

the stick. We draw rocks and lo and behold, Shalee, Kyle and myself draw blue rocks

and are instantly outnumbered by the four remaining Saanapu tribe members. Luckily,

I have two of my five strong alliance with me and the optimism that we can sway an

original Saanapu to flop. Upon first glance, I’m actually very relieved at the layout of

our new tribe. Saanapu now consists of: Shalee, Kyle, myself, Madison, Megan Wolf,

Boogie and Da’Vontae. Vavau consists of: Dallas, Griffin, Tierra, Khaiah, Sam and

Whitney. I think to myself that we’re stacked for challenges based off of their

performance in the previous ones. All four of them, in my opinion, were absolute

beasts in challenges. All four seemed very intelligent and athletic and I’m stoked at

the prospect of no more tribal councils for the foreseeable future. After the swap,

we’re sent back to camp for a few hours to bond with our new tribe mates and all I

can think, is who can we turn to our side and how can we do it? The three of us from

Vavau begin our attempts at finding some sort of fracture. In my eyes, all four seem

very tight, but more so a threesome of Boogie, Megan and Maddison. I

decide Da’Vontae is my best option, since I seemed to click with him early and he

was the first to really welcome us over to Saanapu. Kyle and I take a walk with

Da’Vontae up to their water well and chat strategy. Incredibly enough he says he’s

willing shake things up and make a move. This is great news for me and my alliance.

Maybe we’ll survive the day. 

Idol Two?:

After some quick thought, I decide getting moved to the Saanapu camp is a blessing in

disguise and maybe there’s an idol at their camp that hasn’t been found. As we’re

chatting, I spot the same package as I did at the old Vavau camp and carefully

position myself for a sly extraction. Kyle and Da’Vontae begin back to camp and I say

I have to pee and preform the same maneuver I did for my first idol. I’m feeling on

top of the world at this point and can’t believe I’ve found not just one idol but a

second and have both in my possession. This is serious power that can’t be

underestimated. I casually stroll back to camp and head to my new tent. I dump the

package in my bag and quickly take a peek. However, this idol is completely different

looking than my first one and I immediately start thinking it’s a fake. This one was

constructed of two sticks and the same beads and twine we used to decorate our

torches. I tell myself that someone has definitely found the Saanapu idol and planted

this fake to lead someone to false safety. Great play by that individual, who will be

named later, and mad respect! Being a fan of the show, I can’t be too mad.

Going into our first challenge as new tribes, we’re feeling confident in our abilities

and positions. The challenge is a massive 6ft high block puzzle with the words

“Outwit”, “Outplay” and “Outlast” displayed. You had to knock down the opposing

tribes puzzle wall, before repairing your own. We decide that Da’Vontae will run for

sand bags, I will launch beanbags at Vavau’s puzzle and Madison and Megan will do

our puzzle portion in the anchor role. Again, I did not want to show my skillset with

puzzles. Da’Vontae started off strong and crushed the first portion of the challenge.

Shalee gets our lock box opened quickly and I start launching bags at the puzzle. We

get out to a lead and have the advantage going into the puzzle build. Madison and

Megan are killing the puzzle, but are ultimately bested by Dallas and Tierra from

Vavau. Again, I’m on the losing end and feeling cursed. We head back to camp and

begin planning for tribal council. Da’Vontae wants to talk and lets me know that they

want to keep me for challenges and want to know who I’d be willing to vote for, so I

appease his request and agree with him that either Megan or Madison should go

because they seem like a tight two and everyone knows how dangerous that can be. I

feel good going to tribal, but 10-15 minutes prior, Da’Vontae pulls me aside says he

can’t flip on his original alliance and wanted to give me a heads up that I was their

target due to my threat of winning challenges come merge. Now I’m nervous. I speak

with Shalee and ask her to get info and play it off that we aren’t close and she’s

willing to vote for whomever as long as she’s safe. Uncharacteristically, I bring my

bag along with me and make the excuse that I need to take my sunblock with me, as to

not raise suspicion. We get to tribal council and Shalee gives me the nod I feared. I

collect my thoughts and decide I have to make the first big move of the season. We all

vote and KC gives us the opportunity to play any hidden immunity idols. I look

around, then stand to approach the podium. Now, all eyes are on me. I pull out the

idol I perceive to be a fake and hope that on the off chance it is real it will be hidden

at the same camp I found it at. I hand it over (another awesome moment I’ve dreamt

of) and KC unfortunately announces it is indeed a fake and my presumptions of the

fake are confirmed. Not to be defeated, I proclaim “well I guess I’ll give you a real

one then”. The reaction of my tribe members, cast and crew are priceless and

memorable. As fans of the show everyone is feeling the excitement and rush of an idol

play. KC reads the votes and as expected, I receive a bulk of them, but with some

payoff from relationships formed and a bit of luck, I’m saved by the idol and Madison

is voted out via circumstance. We head back to camp and I have now helped inflate

the target on my back placed there by my new tribe mates, but I think

maybe Da’Vontae will be willing to work with us after someone from his alliance is

gone and I helped break up a tight two without him getting blamed. 

Soon after our tribal council, we head to our second challenge of the day. This time

we have an all too familiar obstacle course culminating in a memory puzzle. We’re

told both tribes will compete separately for an individual immunity with each

respective winner competing head-to-head for the chance to sit in on the

other tribe’s tribal council. I know I have to give every ounce of energy and focus I

can muster into this immunity after the events of last tribal council. Dallas wins for his

tribe and I’m not surprised with his mental game. Our tribe is up and I take off to get

my pieces, go over a beam, under a rope crawl, over another beam and back with my

pieces. I’m feeling good but know I don’t have time to go back to the memory key

twice. I get to the key, take a moment and develop a quick way to remember the order

and orientation of all nine pieces and rush hastily back to my station. I begin throwing

my pieces down and announce I’m finished. In another dream moment, KC throws his

hands in the air and announces “Adam wins individual immunity!” I’m exhausted,

relieved and totally ecstatic, but hold my poker face and remain humble to the

moment. Next, I go head-to-head with my number one ally in the game and know I

have to get a good lead on him because he is so solid in puzzles and memory. We take

off and get down and back with my pieces relatively quickly and with a slight lead. I

get back down to the key and try to remember as many of the 16 pieces as I can and

rush back to my station. Eventually I have to head back to the key two additional

times, but on my final return I feel over confident in myself, have a lapse in judgment

and casually throw my final piece down, but it turns out of proper orientation and I

have to return to the key before I can fix it. Luckily my lead was enough for me to

remedy my arrogance. This is the moment, I believe, that everyone took notice of my

puzzle/mental skills.

Idol Three:

After winning that crucial individual immunity, we head back to camp and I go on one

of my, now typical, hikes. I head up to our water well and take a path through the

woods, casually looking and am easily able to spot another assumed idol in the same

wrappings as the first “two” I found. I quickly grab it and tuck it into my pants then

continue up the hill for water. I head down to my tent from there to double

check its authenticity when I hear Megan asking what I’m up to and that they will be

watching me after last tribal. At this point I’m becoming concerned I’m the biggest

threat in the game and I will never be safe at a vote. Luckily, I’m safe for the present

tribal.

We head to tribal, and after speaking with Da’Vontae, I feel confident that Megan is

the vote. Once again, I am surprised and one of my closest allies in Shalee is voted

out. At this point I’m beginning to feel the game slipping away and the prospect of

being voted out next is weighing heavily. The Vavau tribe now comes in and there’s

yet another twist in this game. KC reads a sealed note and we get to steal a player

from their tribe until the next challenge. If we can’t come to a consensus, we will

draw rocks and one of us will be removed from the game. I say I want to steal Griffin,

but the original Saanapu members won’t agree. I stand my ground and announce I will

draw rocks, being Kyle and myself would have better odds of survival. However, I’m

overthrown by being on the bottom of the numbers again. No big deal, we steal

Khaiah and Griffin meets his fate and is voted out.

An hour or so later, we head to what we all assume is going to be the Redemption

Island challenge followed by merge. We are all relieved to discover it is what we

thought. We watch the challenge consisting of previous vote outs going through a

familiar obstacle course and ending with a series of puzzles leading to Griffin winning

his way back into the game. After the challenge, we were all given the opportunity to

approach the small puzzle (ball pyramid) and admire it a bit. Griffin mentions the

combo to the lock box (420) and I take note of that, as well as the proper way to build

the puzzle and the puzzle leading to the combo, in the event, I encounter these later.

KC then announces the merge that we had all been anticipating. We are all thrilled to

have hit this milestone. We head back to camp happy as ever and are greeted with an

abundance of pizza, beer and soda. Our merged tribe consists of: Tierra, Megan,

Whitney, Dallas, Griffin, Kyle, Boogie, Da’Vontae, Khaiah, Sam and

myself. Everyone begins breaking off slowly but surely to reconnect with former tribe

mates. Dallas and I know we must tread lightly here as to not confirm any suspicions,

but I’m relieved to have a few more people to work with. 

With full bellies and new relationships, we all head to our first individual immunity

challenge with the exciting prospect of competing as individuals. In a Surviving

Bloomington tradition, we start off with the water bottle balance challenge. In the

beating sun, we stand there all eager to be the first to win the coveted immunity

necklace. It comes down to Sam and Whitney approaching the 15-minute mark when

seemingly out of nowhere Sam drops and Whitney wins the first individual immunity

challenge. However, in a show of shear willpower, Whitney pressed on to set a new

record time for the challenge!

Everyone heads back to the new merge camp and begin to break off into small

clusters. Dallas and I talk shortly and come to the conclusion that Tierra possibly has

an idol and seems to be pulling the strings, so it would be a very advantageous time to

blindside her. Everyone else I speak to seems to be on the same page to vote Tierra

out in fear that she has an idol. Finally, the time has come for our first tribal council

post merge and any name besides mine is a welcome thing. At tribal when the votes

are read it, indeed, seems as though everyone was swayed the same direction and for

the first time since pre-tribe swap, I remain safe without immunity or playing my idol.

This was one vote I felt somewhat uneasy about due to blindsiding Whitney in the

process, as after tribal he informs me, she was working with Tierra.

Tierra- Juror #1

Later that night we head to our final challenge of the day. It’s a seemingly simple

memory challenge, but with the exhaustion from the heat of the two days catching up,

it’s a bit more difficult to remember things and, not surprisingly, I am terrible at this

type of memory challenge. A few rounds pass and Dallas, yet again showing off his

memory, wins immunity. I feel good about this because my main ally is safe and

maybe we can get through the night without a hitch and head into the final stretch on

Sunday. However, in the five minutes leading to tribal council, all hell

breaks loose and I’m tipped off by Dallas that my name is once again the one being

thrown around. Thankfully, I’ve got another idol for such an occasion and once again

my social connections have paid dividends in my favor. I feel comfortable enough and

tell Dallas, on the walk to tribal, that I have an idol and to vote for Boogie. I then tell

Whitney the last second plan and she’s in. We get to tribal, I play aloof, as to not tip

anyone off of the knowledge I’ve been given, we vote and when the verdict comes

back, I grab six votes that are negated after I play my second real idol, which shocks

everyone. The final four votes go three for Boogie and one for Kyle. It’s at this point

I’m 100% convinced no one will be willing to work with me, aside from Dallas and

Whitney, because no one will want to bring me too far in the game. As if the target on

my back wasn’t already big enough, it may have grown to an eclipsing size, but I have

made it through the night and will be able to make a final run and in the process made

a huge move at a pivotal point in the game. My reasoning on targeting Boogie was on

the belief he and Kyle were the ones who originally brought me up and I figured

removing Boogie would slow that down enough for me to pull Kyle back to Dallas

and I. 

Boogie- Juror #2

With the target on me growing by the minute, I knew I’d have to put in extra effort to

find any advantage I could to gain safety. From this point on, everyone assumed if I

wasn’t sitting at camp, I was searching for idols and advantages, so I decided I will

just lean into it and adapt my game to an exhausting and never-ending hunt to save

myself. If everyone assumed I was hunting for idols, I might as well be open and

deliberate about it. From here forward, I would focus any time not in a challenge or

tribal council toward searching every inch of our location. I would only rest if I had

safety. This consisted of walking up and down steep grades, through thick tree lines

filled with thorn bushes and creek beds laced with spiders, all at a constant pace to the

point of shear exhaustion knowing that I would also need energy for immunity

challenges, all while having a knee injury. So, when I heard there were players talking

of my lack of actual gameplay or unwillingness to be social, it was not due to my not

wanting to play a social game. It was due to being labeled the biggest threat for

whatever reason was thrown out, pre first idol play I might add. I was forced to adjust

and adapt my gameplay out of necessity to survive and in my opinion, as biased as it

may sound, is what must be done for me to move forward. My ability to recognize my

position in the game early enough, to make the change necessary, was my greatest

strength.

Day Three:

Coming into day three, I’ve got every emotion associated with Survivor running

through me. I’m physically and mentally exhausted, I’ve hardly slept and refuse to

rest out of necessity to keep fighting for my safety. We’re in the middle of our

breakfast when we get an unexpected visit from KC announcing we all have to drop

what we’re doing and immediately head to tribal council. We’re all speculating what

is going on and start scrambling to formulate some sort of plan for a vote. Upon

reaching the tribal council area we are surprised to find the classic Survivor auction!

This is a relief and I decide I will hold all of my money for a shot at an advantage. We

get to the third item and Sam wins it. He opens a note and reads aloud that he must

choose someone to leave the auction immediately and forfeit their money. At first,

I’m pissed that I won’t have a chance to get an assumed advantage, but the silver

lining is I’ll have extra time with no one at camp. I take off running to the wood line

and start searching as quickly as possible, dumping out things at camp and digging

through everything. I’m unlucky in my efforts this time, but develop a plan out of

desperation. I decide to use an old clue scroll as a decoy to create some speculation

that I have an idol. My “victim” is Sam, solely due to him coming up to me after the

auction ends and apologizing for sending me out. I had no chosen target for this

scheme and this occurred purely out of circumstance. With the bait planted, I continue

my search. I head up to the old Saanapu watering well with my bag of old idol

wrappings and wrap a piece of tree bark, roughly the same size and shape of my other

idols. At this point, out of shear timing and luck, Griffin comes strolling up to talk and

I take advantage of the moment to “get caught” hiding an idol in my pants and fumble

around trying to “hide” what I’m doing. We start talking and I tell him that the

remaining members of the tribe may want to find a new target for next tribal because I

would be playing the idol he just “caught” me with. 

An hour or so later, we head to our first challenge of the day. It’s another classic

involving extreme concentration and balance. I feel like I can pull it off, but fail to

make it through the second round because I can’t balance a check book. In the end,

Megan masters the challenge and wins immunity. After her victory, KC has her read

a sealed note that states she has won the most important immunity of the season as the

next tribal council is a double vote out and it’s good for both votes. We’re all shocked

and I’m especially sweating this vote, knowing I don’t have an actual idol in my

possession and once they call my bluff in tribal, I’m toast. Straight from the challenge

I begin my hunt until it’s time for tribal council. Unfortunately, I come up empty

handed and know it’s all over for me.

Idol Four:

We head to tribal council; I’m completely vulnerable for only the second time in the

entire game and desperately praying someone else’s names will come up. As we sit

waiting for tribal council to begin, I’m in the back row and hear Da’Vontae ask KC if

there is, what looks like, an idol sitting on the podium. I look up, and without any

hesitation, jump up to grab it. Fans of the show may know that the most previous

season had a similar occurrence, ironically enough, involving Adam Klein. At this

point I’m desperate for anything, even if it means looking like an idiot. I didn’t come

to play with the hopes of getting lucky. I was willing to do anything in my power to

win and the prospect of a little embarrassment wasn’t going to deter me. When it

comes time to read the votes, I stand up and attempt to play this idol I grabbed off the

podium. I hand it to KC and he announces, it is in fact, a hidden immunity idol! I’m

shocked along with everyone else there. This is a shining example of how I took

advantage of any opportunity that presented itself. The idol was good for both votes

and I survived another tribal council. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about

my only remaining allies in the game. First Whitney is voted out, followed by Dallas.

Just like that, I was truly alone in the game. The only person I could lean on was

myself. Time to get focused.

Whitney- Juror #3

Dallas- Juror #4

Immediately following tribal council, I was approached by a crew member and told

that I had been willed an advantage by a player just voted out. Thank you, Dallas! It

was a challenge advantage I could play at any challenge of my choice. With the game

reaching its end, this was a most welcome surprise. 

Heading up to our next challenge, there are seven of us remaining; Da’Vontae,

Megan, Griffin, Sam, Khaiah, kyle and myslef. We walk in and I see it; The Tower of

Hanoi puzzle that I’ve done hundreds of times. I’m feeling confident that I’ll pull this

off and save myself for one more vote. I debate saving my advantage for a future

challenge but quickly decide to use it and ensure myself a better shot at immunity. I

play the advantage and I net myself a 45 second head start in the puzzle which is

crucial. With my advantage I make easy work of the puzzle and grab another

individual immunity. I know everyone is sweating this vote coming up, but I’m

confident in who is going to be going based on the group makeup. We head to tribal

council and there’s another surprise when Khaiah plays her advantage she apparently

bought at the auction, and steals my vote. I’m not really upset since my vote would’ve

been a wash anyway, as no one will talk strategy with me anymore. I feel like that

advantage could’ve been used a lot more advantageously with the added benefit of my

vote, but to each their own. As expected, Kyle grabs the necessary number of votes

and joins the jury. 

Kyle- Juror #5

Idol Five:

From tribal, I begin my standard routine between tribal council and challenges. This

time I’m convinced there will be something in the creek bed that ran through the

middle area between both original camps. Within 10 min of leaving tribal council, I

spot a scroll in a mud hole of the creek. I do a quick look to see if anyone is

watching and grab it and make my way to a crew member for the clue to the idol. I’m

told the location and know exactly where to go. Unfortunately, Griffin is in the

general area and I’m not wanting him to look to hard, so I try chatting with him about

strategy, which at this point the only real strategy happening is everyone hoping I’d be

vulnerable at every ensuing tribal council. He decides to walk away, and I do a quick

comb over then spot some disturbed dirt at the base of a tree. I do a quick kick and out

pops the idol. I hurry to hide it and head to camp to grab some much-needed rest for

the coming challenges. Upon returning to camp, I’m questioned on the legitimacy of

the fake idol I had flashed Griffin earlier and a few others at tribal council. Luckily,

with some more incredible timing, I’m able to show them my freshly dug up idol to

prove I “wasn’t lying” earlier. With us being at six players, I know I either need to

win one more immunity challenge or find one more idol to guarantee myself a shot at

competing for final immunity.

We get to our next immunity challenge and I’m worried. It’s definitely a physically

demanding challenge requiring a lot of stamina and I’m not sure I’ve got enough in

the tank to get it done, after all the searching I’ve had to do. This also looks like a

challenge that has been designed for Sam, who just has that wild skill set accumulated

for this challenge. However, I give everything I have to try and win, but am bested by,

you guessed it, Sam. He was just an animal running through that challenge and

deserved the victory.

On the way out, I reassure everyone that I will in fact be playing my idol, and I

suggest they take advantage of the opportunity to not waste votes on me if they’re

wanting to make a move. I go for one of my typical hikes and tell them if they want to

talk, they can come find me. We head to tribal council and something seems almost

steady and I get the sense that they have listened to my sage advice on wasting votes.

KC begins the pre-vote-reading speech and for a slight moment I consider holding

onto my idol. If I hold it and make it through, I’m guaranteed a top four spot, but there

are plenty of ways they could split the votes 3-2 with me and one other member, so I

decide to play it. I’d rather waste the idol than go home with it. Surprisingly enough,

I’m followed up by Megan who throws out an idol that she had manipulated Griffin to

give her. Come to find out, Griffin was given a two-piece idol after winning

Redemption Island that he had to share with another player (Megan) for it to be

playable. The votes get read and surprising enough, I don’t see my name once

and Khaiah gets voted out.

Khaiah- Juror #6

Going into the final five is: Da’Vontae, Griffin, Sam, Megan and myself. A much

different final five than I had originally envisioned before the first vote on Friday, but

that’s the game of Survivor. I have clawed and fought my way to being two tribal

councils away from pleading my case to the jury and I can literally taste it. I feel the

game is mine to lose. I go for a hike to decompress a bit and to do my normal search

pattern. There’s no time to waste in the endgame. With no luck finding an idol before

the challenge, I get myself focused for an all-too-important immunity challenge. We

get to the challenge area and find a lock box with a familiar number puzzle on top.

We’re told it’s a word scramble after the box opens. Yet another puzzle I love to do.

As soon as we begin, I throw the number puzzle aside and immediately put in the

combo Griffin had mentioned after Redemption Island. Incredibly the combo was the

same and my severe attention to detail has rewarded me. I have my letter blocks on

the table and I can feel the worry from my competitors. I’ve had a long time to study

the letters, but eventually KC gives us a hint to the first word and I rush to complete

the remaining words “THERE WILL BE DECEPTION” for my third individual

immunity win. I feel great and it seems like people want to work with me again, at

least for one vote.

Before heading to tribal council, I talk to Da’Vontae and Megan and we all seem to be

on the same page to vote out Griffin. I’ve been wanting to vote him out since

Redemption Island, because I felt he was the one real threat to beat me in a puzzle

challenge if there was one at final four. We get to tribal council and cast our votes

and, like so many tribals before, I am on the outside looking in. Megan and I vote for

Griffin, but Da’Vontae decides to go with Griffin and Sam to send Megan to the jury. 

Megan- Juror #7

For the first time in what seemed like eternity, I was able to go and relax at camp,

since idols were now obsolete, and truly garner some sort of rest and ready myself for

the most important immunity challenge of the season. With a win, I

would guarantee myself a spot at the final three. A loss surely meant I’d be headed to

the jury.

When we get to the final immunity challenge, I am pleasantly surprised to find a

straightforward jigsaw puzzle. There would be no physical aspect to account for and I

felt confident in my ability to solve this quickly. When we’re told to start, I turn

pieces over as quickly as possible and start placing them. It’s the Surviving

Bloomington logo! Griffin is neck and neck with me and I hear KC say he has a

slight lead. My fear of his puzzle skills is coming true and I can feel my grasp on the

game slipping. I kick it into high gear and barely pull out the victory over Griffin by a

piece or two. I’m overwhelmed with emotion and the feeling of safety and

accomplishment. After everything that I’ve gone through and worked to achieve,

having the chance to plead my case is all I can ask.

Going to Final Four tribal council, it seems almost surreal. I’m conflicted on who I

even feel comfortable sitting next to, as if I had a choice in the matter. We go to vote

and the result is a tie between Sam and Griffin. Just a little more excitement to end the

season with Griffin winning the head-to-head, completing the same puzzle from

Redemption Island.

Sam- Juror #8

After the vote and accompanying theatrics, we go directly into questioning from our

jury. As expected, our jury was true and direct, asking for specific information to

make their tough decision. I truly appreciated all of the jury’s questions because they

allowed for unknown aspects of the game to be more fully illuminated. I was

especially appreciative of the questions I was asked allowing me to explain how the

“idol game” I played was born out of necessity and not desire. Griffin is given the

opportunity to explain his path back from redemption and accompanying underdog

story. Da’Vontae, who has scared me since the swap for his social game, reveals he

had the original Saanapu idol since the very beginning and made the fake, only

strengthening his case for playing the greatest social game of the season. When the

jury was finished, I felt more anxious than I had the entire game. Other players had

been telling me I was a sure-fire lock to win, but with the mood of the jury I wasn’t

sold. I’m sweating what the majority of the jury is going to respect from our three

vastly different styles of play. When the votes began being read, all three of us had a

vote apiece, then two apiece and ultimately, I was able to garner the two additional

votes to claim victory and the title of sole survivor with a 4-2-2 score. I was overcome

with emotion and honestly in a state of disbelief, even as I write this, at what I had

accomplished. It was absolutely a dream come true! 

Reflecting on my experience, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I had to

compete and be a part of such a great cause in raising awareness and charitable

donations for our homeless community. Going into this competition, I was excited at

the aspect of meeting new people and playing a game I’ve grown up watching. KC

and his crew do an incredible job of providing the most authentic experience outside

of being cast for the televised show. Every detail of the game they built for us was

incredible, from the challenges to clues and idols, which look like they were taken

from CBS, and the overall atmosphere of camp and tribal council. Anyone looking to

get involved with this great cause and challenge themselves both mentally and

physically, I highly encourage you to apply for the next season when ready. Lastly, I

want to thank all 15 of those I went on this incredible journey with, you are all

amazing individuals and I am very appreciative that I was able to meet you and play

the game with you. This experience definitely builds strong friendships in a very

limited amount of time that I believe will last a lifetime outside the game!

Adam Crotzer

Surviving Bloomington Season 3 Sole Survivor