Survivor DC: You may win the best friends of your adult life
Do you dream of competing on Survivor but don’t 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 “Survivor nerd” brought some college friends together with a group of “10 random strangers from the internet who saw one Facebook post.”
“We played one game. It was great, and it was supposed to be just that one and done,” Hergenreder said. “So, we did it two times. We did it three times, and now we have done it 15 times.”
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.
“A high five from me,” Hergenreder said laughing. “Our budget’s like $5, but we have a lot of fun with it.”
Hergenreder’s day job is a tour guide and it’s no wonder the charismatic storyteller is Survivor D.C.’s cosplay Jeff Probst.
“I’m hosting all day, every day. I’m snuffing the torch, reading the votes. That’s my bread and butter,” Hergenreder said. “The tribe has spoken.”
For their last game, nearly 340 applied for the 21 spots, where they compete like on the real Survivor.
“We hide immunity idols in all the bushes. There are challenges that people win,” Hergenreder explained. “We have the 5-foot-tall giant snake maze that people will work through.”
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’s Bianca Roses, who won at Survivor D.C., all live locally.
“While 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,” Hergenreder said.
While there are five Survivor D.C. competitions a year, it’s more than just immunity idols and putting together puzzles.
“We do watch parties. We go to brunch together,” Hergenreder said. “We 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.”
Confirming that is Sommer Potter, who started out as a competitor two years ago, and says she was voted out because she was ‘too fabulous.’”
“Playing 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,” Potter said, laughing.
Potter, who now runs Survivor D.C.’s 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’ve created.
“It’s really hard to make friends as an adult and Survivor D.C. is that,” Hergenreder said. “It’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.”
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.