Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Student-run club Santa Clara Survivor is wrapping up its second year of competition on campus. The club emulates the hit CBS show by recreating the challenges on campus, with the eventual winner taking home a $250 prize. The club’s crew films the entire process and plans to release each season as a series of episodes.
Photo Source: Josie Collier
After eight weeks of competition, four contestants remain. Elise Murugasu is a sophomore general engineering major. Anna Mulderink is a first-year mechanical engineering major. Mac Smith is a sophomore finance major. Carter Strauss is a senior finance major. I sat down with each finalist to get their thoughts on the final weeks of competition.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Matthew Lallas: What’s your experience been of the past eight weeks of the competition?
Elise: Eight weeks passed so fast [...] I think most of us, even though not a lot of us revealed that we were, are superfans of Survivor. My tribe personally, the engineering tribe, struggled hard and had to go to every single tribal in the tribe stage, we called ourselves the kings of tribal. There were a lot of disastrous things that happened during the challenges. We just felt like our luck was not it. Then, when we got to the merge, that was the first part where you could feel everyone switch on. We got the chance to switch on a little bit sooner, but then everyone started to wake up and form alliances, lie to each other and tell each other nice things to hear.
Anna: It’s been crazy. I think the first couple of weeks I was like: “It’s really fun, I enjoy doing the challenges” and then it picked up. After the tribe switch, really, and then especially when we hit the merge, it was zero to 100. I felt like the game just hit a whole other level. But it's been really fun. I genuinely do really enjoy doing the challenges because I feel like each time I go I don't know what it's gonna be and I like pushing myself and trying new things.
Matthew: Were you a big fan of the show? If so, were there differences between the show and actually competing that surprised you?
Mac: I was pretty impressively surprised. The challenges are as close as you can get to that high of a budget. We do similar challenges that are on the show, you know, obviously being a club on campus. You got to maybe have things a little bit more scuffed, but no, it's been awesome to see the creativity of the people that are running, like how they can make it as close as possible to the show.
Carter: So the real answer is no. I had never watched it before. A week before we were starting to do the show I was like: “okay, I need to actually watch the show.” So I binged watched a season and had an idea of what I was supposed to do. But for the most part, I was pretty much new to survivor. I had an idea of “yeah, okay, we do a challenge and like that was it, and I know people got voted off,” but I didn't know how dramatic it would get.
Matthew Lallas: Looking forward to the last two weeks, what are you feeling right now?
Anna: I think it all just comes down to the next challenge because that person has the most power, they get to decide who comes with them. In general, I've just been thinking a lot about like if I do make it as a final, what I would say and how to frame my game and I think the jury will be unbiased. I think everyone is a good enough fan of the game and understands and respects that. I think for the most part, people respect the integrity of the game by voting who they really thought played the best game, not necessarily who they prefer to be friends with.
Carter: I feel like I'm already in the top three. I know that sounds crazy, I know I'm not. But for the first time ever, I feel like the odds are actually in my favor. Only one of us is going to get out. One of us is going to bring somebody else along. If it comes down to a fire and I'm in the fire game, even if I don't win, I've gotten everything that I've wanted out of it. For the first time ever, I feel like I know what's coming up and I feel like I'm prepared for it.
Matthew Lallas: What do you hope for the next iterations of the game in coming years?
Elise: Anna and I are gonna be on exec next year. Making challenges is something that is going to be pretty exciting. I'll be excited to see how the challenges evolve, especially because I feel like this season was pretty straightforward. We only had hidden immunity idols and normal riddles. It's kind of mirroring the CBS Survivor where it was definitely in its beta stage, but I feel like even the pickup from last season to this season was so much. So I could only imagine next season.
Mac: I think the club is in a really good spot. Everybody that signed up this year to be a competitor are really into the show and really into the club as well. So they're signing up to take positions. I think, expanding it, putting the word out there more and getting more people to apply is important. The more people that apply, the higher the production can get and the bigger the funding, so, you know, just growing.