SURVIVOR
SKILL METER
Survivor takes a mix of strength, strategy, and social skills. Here’s my totally unscientific skill meter—what I’m bringing to the island and where I’ll probably have to wing it. I’ve always leaned on my physical side, but I’m pumped (and a little nervous) to see how my social game stacks up… my wife already told me I’m awkward, so thanks babe. And puzzles? Yeah, not my best category. But that’s the thing—I’ll keep laughing, keep grinding, and eventually figure it out. I might not start as the puzzle guy, but I’ll EITHER DELEGATE OR FIGURE IT OUT!
CLICK THE METER READER!
PHYSICAL CHALLENGES
SOCIAL GAME
PUZZLES
EATING CHALLENGES
I AM NOT A WEBSITE DESIGNER,
I'M A SURVIVOR!!!
FUN FACT
MY LOVE FOR THE GAME STARTED
WAYYYYY BACK...
I'M JUST A FOUR-YEAR-OLD KID IN SMALL-TOWN INDIANA WHEN SURVIVOR DEBUTS. MY SINGLE MOM, JUST 20 YEARS OLD, AND WE GET HOOKED. OUR FIVE-CHANNEL, RABBIT-EARED TV GAVE US JUST ENOUGH TO DREAM OF ONE DAY BEING ON THE BEACH, OURSELVES.
FAST FORWARD TO MY MOM'S 40TH, WE'RE CELEBRATING IN HAWAII - HER DREAM DESTINATION, WATCHING SURVIVOR. IT HITS ME, FROM THOSE FUZZY TV DAYS TO THIS PARADISE, SURVIVOR HAS BEEN OUR CONSTANT. EVEN LIVING ON OPPOSITE COASTS, IT'S OUR GLUE.
AND IN CASE YOU’RE WONDERING NO, I'M NOT ROLLING IN DOUGH - JUST A CREDIT CARD REWARD ENTHUSIAST
NOW AT 30, (EVEN THOUGH I FEEL LIKE I’M 20 - WHICH IS WHEN I THOUGHT I’D BE ON THE SHOW AND THEN LIFE HAPPENS, YOU KNOW HOW IT IS) I'M ALL SET TO SWAP THE COUCH FOR THE 'SURVIVOR' CAMP. TO LEAP FROM A LIFE-LONG VIEWER TO THE ONE OUTWITTING, OUTPLAYING, OUTLASTING. LET’S DO IT.
JESSE AND FRIENDS...
ENJOY MY RAMBLE
ABOUT ME
I'M PASSIONATE, I'M CANDID, AND I APPARENTLY HAVE NO CONCEPT OF TIME. ONCE, I AIMED FOR A 3-MINUTE BEST MAN SPEECH AT MY FRIEND'S WEDDING. FELT LIKE A HOME RUN - UNTIL MY WIFE BROKE IT TO ME: I HAD BABBLED ON FOR AN OSCAR-WORTHY 9 MINUTES AND 36 SECONDS. NOW HERE I AM, CRAMMING 'ME' INTO THIS SURVIVOR CASTING VIDEO. BRACE YOURSELVES! P.S. MY FRIENDS FACE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
MY GRANDFATHER ALWAYS TOLD ME:
YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU
SET YOUR MIND TO
MY MOM WAS ONLY 15 WHEN I WAS BORN SO I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH MY GRANDPARENTS. THIS QUOTE WAS HIS MANTRA TO ME, AND IT WASN'T UNTIL I WAS 27 THAT IT REALLY HIT ME. THE WISDOM IN THIS MANTRA. THE TRUTH IN CREATING OUR OWN REALITY AND NOT LIMITING OURSELVES TO THE WORLD'S LIMITS. THE TIME HAS COME FOR ME TO SET MY MIND TO WINNING SURVIVOR, SO THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO DO.
WHY YOU SHOULD
CAST ME
100% ORIGINAL
I LEAN ON MY PEOPLE SKILLS AND EXCEL AT CONNECTING THROUGH AUTHENTICITY. AFTER SPENDING A LITTLE TIME WITH ME YOU'LL SEE THAT I AM JUST A KID AT HEART THAT LOVES LIFE.
NO FEAR OF FAILURE
I AM GOING TO PLAY A FEARLESS GAME. I FEEL THE BEST WAY TO PLAY IS ONE WITH NO REGRETS. THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS TO NOT BE AFRAID TO FAIL.
I'M A SOBER HIPPIE
COMING FROM RURAL INDIANA AND NOW LIVING IN MIAMI, FL FOR NEARLY A DECADE, I CAN CONNECT WITH ANYONE ABOUT ANYTHING. THIS IS CRUCIAL TO MY GAME AND GOD HAS PUT ME IN A POSITION TO SUCCEED AT SURVIVOR THROUGH POSITIVE INTERACTIONS WITH FELLOW COMPETITORS. GOOD VIBES ONLY.
HYBRID COMPETITOR
STRONG PEOPLE PERSON. EVEN STRONGER ATHLETIC ABILITIES. SLIGHTLY LESS STRONG PUZZLER. NONETHELESS, JACK OF ALL TRADES KIND OF SORTS TO OUTWHIT, OUTSMART, OUTLAST.
AVERAGE STRAIGHT WHITE GUY
0 WORLD RECORDS
FUNDING MY HAIR TRANSPLANT
AFTER WINNING THE $1M, I AM GOING TO GET A HAIR TRANSPLANT AND THUS, TAKE THE FATE OF MY HAIRLINE INTO MY OWN HANDS. ALTERING GENERATIONAL BALDNESS.
FUN FACT
I AM 1,000,000,000% SURE
I AM THE PICKIEST EATER YOU WILL EVER MEET
MY WEDDING SHOWED ME THE BEAUTY OF
VULNERABILITY
MY WIFE AND I PLANNED OUR WEDDING IN 5 WEEKS
I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING AND NO, SHE WASN'T PREGNANT. WE HAD THE PLAN TO ELOPE AND THEN SHE CHANGED HER MIND AND WANTED A FULL-BLOWN WEDDING... 5 WEEKS BEFORE THE BIG DAY.
COUNTLESS SACRIFICES, BLOOD, SWEAT, AND MANY MANY MANY TEARS WENT INTO MAKING THIS DAY, THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE. I HAVE NEVER SHOWN EMOTION BESIDES SMILES, UNTIL NOVEMBER 11, 2022. WHILE IT WAS TEARS OF JOY, IT WAS ALSO PURE EXHAUSTION AND RELEASE. I CRIED AND CRIED AND SNIFFLED AND SNIFFLED. I WAS CRYING BEFORE I EVEN SAW HER WALK DOWN THE AISLE.
I COULD GO ON BUT THE REASON FOR INCLUDING THIS AND THE MORAL BEHIND IT ALL, IS I WAS COMPLETELY VULNERABLE WHICH IS EXTREMELY RELEVANT TO SURVIVOR. I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE ABSOLUTELY WEAPING IN FRONT OF EVERYONE I LOVE AND CARE ABOUT.
SO TO BE VULNERABLE TO AMERICA, 350 MILLION STRANGERS? THAT'S NOTHING. LET'S DO IT.
MY WEDDING PLAYED AN INTEGRAL PART IN MY COMMITMENT TO GETTING CAST FOR SURVIVOR. IT REINFORCED MY GRANDFATHER'S MANTRA. I CAN DO ANYTHING I SET MY MIND TO. AND I WILL.
SUPPORT SYSTEM UNMATCHED
BOTH OF OUR FAMILIES DROPPED EVERYTHING AND MADE HER DREAM COME TRUE. ALMOST EVERYONE MADE IT FOR THE BIG DAY AND BOY WAS IT EVENTFUL. BUT WE MADE IT HAPPEN AND THAT'S EXACTLY HOW I SEE MYSELF COMPETING ON SURVIVOR. I AM GOING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
SURVIVING WITH
FAITH OVER FEAR...
My faith started with my grandparents and the way they served in their church. My grandma was the secretary and a greeter, and my grandpa worked in hospitality. Some of my earliest memories are running around the church while they served, or helping out in the garden my grandma cared for. Next door lived the preacher and his wife, Betty — which was funny, because that was also my grandma’s name.
It never felt forced on me. It was just life. God made us, God loves us — simple as that. Growing up, I was more of a part-time church kid. I went enough to know of God, but not enough to truly know God. In 3rd grade, I set out to read the entire Bible… but I stopped at page 16. By high school, I was going consistently, but it was still just an hour a week of listening to a message without much involvement beyond that.
Back then, I saw Christianity more as a guideline for living and a relief about death. I took it seriously enough not to curse, drink, or smoke. Really, I was just following the rules because it felt like “the right thing to do.” Honestly, that felt pretty common in the Midwest where I grew up.
It wasn’t until college that someone asked me a question: “Why are you a Christian?” I thought about it and said, “Because I want to go to heaven.” Fair enough… but that question made me start processing my faith for real.
For the first time since 3rd grade, I opened the Bible and actually read it — not pulling verses out of context or relying on someone else to tell me what it meant. Over the next 10 years, I wrestled with the tough parts, built my own understanding, and fell in love with God in a way I never knew possible.
By God’s grace, I can now confidently say I have a real relationship with Him. In 2024, I was baptized into His kingdom. Hallelujah — Jesus is King!
COVID GIFTED ME WITH WEIGHT GAIN
I HAD TO DO SOMETHING
ABOUT THAT
WEIGHT WAS NEVER SOMETHING I STRUGGLED WITH; AS AN ATHLETE, I COULD EAT WHATEVER SNACKS, SUGAR, CANDY, AND TRASH THAT I WANTED. UNTIL COVID, WHERE I BLEW UP. AFTER A LONG JOURNEY/STORY, INTERMITTENT FASTING CHANGED MY LIFE. AT THIS POINT, I FAST FOR 22 HOURS A DAY, I'M DOWN OVER 50 POUNDS AND TRANSFORMED MY LIFE. WITH OVER 1300 DAYS OF DEDICATION, I' VE NEVER STRAYED FROM MY DIET. DESPITE THE CHALLENGES, THROUGH GOD'S GRACE I' VE MASTERED THE ART OF THRIVING ON MINIMAL FOOD, LIVING MAINLY ON FRUITS AND NUTS. THIS COMMITMENT HAS NOT ONLY HELPED ME LOSE WEIGHT BUT ALSO PREPARED ME FOR THE CHALLENGES AND ENVIRONMENT OF SURVIVOR!
YOU CAN DO IT, DUDE!
HAYES, AGE 6
INDIANA
LOVE WHAT YOU'VE DONE WITH THE SITE, FUTURE WINNER OF SURVIVOR! I WILL MISS YOU WHEN YOU'RE OUT THERE MAKING THAT MONAAAYYYY!
DOMINIQUE, AGE 27
FLORIDA
YOU'RE TOUGH
DRO, AGE 28
FLORIDA
ENABLE ME TO MAKE THESE PEOPLE (AND MANY MORE) PROUD
THIS IS JUST A TEENY-TINY GLIMPSE OF THE BALDNESS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED
©2025 by CALEB FROM SURVIVOR