RHAP: We Know Survivor - 50+ Stories About How Survivor’s Changed Lives | Pod Friends

Episode Date: February 22, 2026

50+ Stories About How Survivor’s Changed Lives | Pod Friends In celebration of Survivor 50, Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) set an audacious goal: collect 50 stories from Survivor community members answering one simple question: How has Survivor changed your life for the better? This special season finale features 50+ powerful, funny, and deeply human stories from across the Survivor universe, from superfans and RHAP patrons to journalists, podcasters, live reality game creators, and former reality TV players. This episode includes stories from: Nick Iadanza (Australian Survivor, Talking Tribal) Dwight Moore, Teeny Chirichillo, Brice Izyah, and Owen Knight (Survivor) Hannah Riggs (Beast Games) August Schroeder and Eric Eldridge (Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2) Dru Tevis (Food Network Holiday Baking Champion) Annabel Fidler (The Traitors Australia Season 2) Dalton Ross (Entertainment Weekly) Terry Terrones (The Hollywood Reporter) RHAP podcasters Gia Worthy and Chappell Across these stories, you’ll hear about grief, sobriety, weight loss, cancer, divorce, identity, chosen family, creative breakthroughs, career pivots, live reality games, and literal survival. You’ll hear about watch parties that turned into lifelong friendships and fandom that became purpose. Matt also reflects on discovering RHAP in 2017 during one of the hardest times of his life, joining the Class of 2020 to diversify Survivor coverage, and building Pod Friends into a space that shines a light on the humanity behind the fandom. This episode is about more than a television show. It’s about moving from parasocial to deeply social. It’s about why community matters, especially now. Get your Pod Friends shirt now on the Rob Has A Podcast store: https://rhap-shop.fourthwall.com/en-aud/products/pod-friends Suggest a future guest: bit.ly/podfriendsnom Leave a voicemail: speakpipe.com/podfriends Email: [e-mail] Follow on social media: Twitter: @HeyPodFriends & @MattScottGW Instagram: @MattScottGW Bluesky: MattScottGW.bsky.social Never miss an episode of Pod Friends: LISTEN:  Subscribe to the Pod Friends podcast feed WATCH:  Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube SUPPORT:  Become a RHAP Patron for bonus content, access to Facebook and Discord groups plus more great perks!

Survivors, let's go! How has Survivor changed my life for the better? I've met some people that I've been watching all my life. I've met the Great of the Greats. I met the old school survivors that came through and did what needed to be done for us. How has the supporters, the community, changed my life for the better. If it wasn't for y'all, there would be no survivors. Y'all are the best.

I love y'all. I appreciate y'all. Thank y'all for showing love. Thank y'all for coming through for the best show ever. I swear we have the best community. Survivor has the best community. Because we always come through. We are a Survivor family.

And that's what we're here to do. Survive together, watch Survivor and repeat, repeat, repeat. This is Star for Survivor Season 48, telling you how thankful and grateful I am for bringing me in with nothing below, show me the support. And once importantly, loving Survivor as much as I love Survivor. Thank y'all. Love y'all.

Let's keep it up. 25 years of Survivor! Let's go. Making their way to the podcast, hailing from the global community built on over 25 plus years about winning, outplaying, and outlasting. They are gym managers, WW commentators, journalists, illustrators, documentary filmmakers,

podcasters, non-profit leaders, educators, students, reality TV players and future players, game designers, summer camp creators, nurses, servers, retirees, and stay-at-home parents, the fans who turned a television show, into something much bigger. Please welcome The Survivor!

Welcome to PodFriends. My name is Matt Scott. I'm your host. The song that you heard is PodFriends by Will from America. And this is the season finale of PodFriends. We're in our fifth year. We've done 50 plus episode of PodFriends. And for the first time ever,

I'm doing a solo episode with all of you and with 50 plus of our closest friends. There's no traditional interview in this episode, and I have something that feels even more special, especially with Survivor 50 coming up and with Survivor 50 being framed as a celebration. So often when it comes to leading up to a season, but especially when it comes to leading up

to this massive milestone season of Survivor 50, we hear from the players, we hear their stories, We hear from folks like Sharon Tharp and Mike Bloom and so many others with their coverage. But I decided, why not turn the mic back around onto the fans and ask the question of how Survivor has changed your lives for the better? I announced it a couple weeks ago. My goal was to collect 50 stories from 50 members of the Survivor community.

And I'm so freaking proud and excited and amazed to not only hit that goal, but to exceed that goal. And you will hear all of those stories today. They include stories from former survivor players. They include stories from journalists who have covered the shows, from podcasters, from superfans, from creators, and from those who are genuinely survivors through this experience. One thing I know from this community is that so often,

whether it's friends or family members or just random people, they'll scoff at reality TV. They'll scoff at Survivor. They don't see the meaning and the importance. And what this podcast episode proves and what these stories proved is that this show Survivor and the community around it

actually has a lot of freaking meaning to it. And so in this episode, you're going to hear a lot of deep stories. You're going to hear about grief. You're going to hear about chosen family. You're going to hear about coming out. You're going to hear about overcoming illness. You're going to hear about weight loss journeys.

You're going to hear about sobriety. about divorce, about autism, about intersectional identities, about coming together with family, about career pivots, and again, about literal survival. And so without further ado, first and foremost, let's hear from some of the people who've helped shape the dialogue around Survivor, not only here in the U.S., but worldwide. First up, Nick Aidanza from Australian Survivor and the show Talking Tribal, Dotten Ross from Entertainment Weekly, and Terry Taronis from the Hollywood Reporter. let's hear how survivors change their lives for the better.

All right, Nick I, Danza here from Australian Survivor Season 1 and All Stars. This is a perfect question for me. How has Survivor or its community to change their life for the better? Well, I always say that I absolutely dreamed of one day playing Survivor being part of the online community that I adored so much. And then when I, but I'd never thought it could be possible because I was from Australia. We didn't have Survivor. And then all of a sudden, I got the chance to do it? And do you know what it did?

It changed my perception of what I can actually achieve in life. And it sounds so trite and cheesy, but the people listening to this, what I understand? It made me realize that if I can do this one goal, what else can I do? And it just kind of opened up my life in a way that felt like much more hopeful. So, yeah, now I feel like I chase those dreams. I'm writing my book. I've got a family.

And it just, yeah, Survivor gave it. that to me. Hey, this is Dalton Ross. Thanks so much for asking me to contribute to this. Very cool. Yeah, Survivor definitely changed my life. I started Entertainment Weekly a few months before the show debuted. Little did I realize when I wrote about that very first episode that I would still be writing about the show 26 years later and doing these weekly novels about every episode and traveling all across the world and stuff. It's a little sad, actually. I mean, I could have devoted all that time and energy to curing cancer as opposed to obsessing about players named Ward Dog and Papa Smurf competing for a million dollars, but everyone has their own journey,

I suppose. So yeah, Survivor definitely changed my life. Whether it's been for the better or for the worse is probably open to an interpretation. Hi, my name is Terry Toronis, and I cover Survivor for the Hollywood Reporter. Survivor in his community has changed my life quite a bit, actually. long before I was writing about it for First for Pace magazine and now for THR, I was a fan. I was a super fan and still am.

And I just loved the people in the community and I love the players and I love the thrill and excitement of the game. I even applied several times, never got anywhere. But I applied. And now having, especially this last year where I got to cover it for THR, Got to go out to 50, and I made incredible friends, lifelong friends, the press members, who are lifelong friends now. And it's opened up a lot of doors for me as a freelance writer because I am a freelancer. And it's been an incredible experience that I cherish.

And I'll never forget for the rest of my life. Just a massive shout out to everyone who covers Survivor, but especially those covering Survivor 50, bringing us all of the great takes. Shout to Sharon Tharp and also to Rob as a podcast's own Mike Bloom. And speaking of Mike Bloom, he was one of the people in this community involved in the We Stand with Minnesota auction, which raised nearly $30,000 in support of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota in a time when it's absolutely needed. And what I love about that, and also of other fundraisers we've seen, shout to Evie, Dr. Evie Jagoda. My co-hosts on The Pride has spoken, who has helped raise more than that. than $10,000, I think, at this point, including through some of our work on the Pride is spoken for LGBTQ plus and trans-focused charities in particular.

All these auctions and fundraisers and the like are great examples of the real ways survivors making a positive impact in the world. And actually, because of that auction, I got my hands on a prize that I'm now able to offer to someone in the Pod Friends community. As mentioned last week, each story submitted for this podcast episode, results in one entry, and each person who bought a pod friend shirt,

which you could find at robbis website.com slash store, resulted in three entries. And the prize? A preseason interview with Mike Bloom. Mike Bloom sitting down and interviewing you as if you're going out there on the island into Fiji

or going into whatever show that you want. Mike will interview you, and you'll have that experience of feeling like one of the players who's out there going to compete. And so, last night I drew the winner. I spun a wheel and well let's see how that went.

Let's pick a winner for the drawing for a preseason interview with Mike Bloom. All right. Let's spin that wheel. Congratulations, Kenzie, for winning the preseason interview with Mike Bloom. Thank you so much, Kenzie, for submitting your story for buying a pod for shirt, the extra entries, I'd say definitely pay it off. And congratulations on winning your pre-season interview with Mike Bloom.

I can't wait to hear how it goes. And as we continue celebrating how survivors changed lives for the better, let's get into hearing more stories. First up, hearing from Kenzie and from Minnesota Survivor fans, Laura L. and Logan

Bits, as well as the person who helped organize the We Stand with Minnesota fundraiser and someone who we and love. Survivor 43's own Owen Knight. Hi, I'm Kenzie. I had to write something down because I get a little frustrated when I start talking. I've been a reality fan since I was a teenager and the real world came out. My interest has ebbed and flow as life does, but Beebe and Survivor have been in my life to some degree for 25 years. Being able to find such a big fandom online, especially in recent years with RHAP has been such a blessing.

I've made incredible friends, some that extend beyond our fandom and are just my friends in life now. I'm almost 50. I have a kid that just turned 13, and I'm so grateful that this community has given me a way to just share some joy about something that I love. Thanks. Hello, I'm Laura.

I live in. Minnesota and I just wanted to say thanks for Pod friends for existing. The Survivor and RHP community has changed my life for the better by letting me meet new friends, whether that's through Minnesota or in Nebraska or in Houston or in Chicago, go to really fun live shows that have really made me more excited about the seasons and reminded me that there are a lot of good things happening in the world, even when it feels a little scary out there. So I've been really grateful to be a part of the community and really grateful for everyone at RHAP and Todd friends and all the community.

Hey, Matt, Logan, here. Survivorness community has not just changed my life, but has actively shaped it in many, many ways. If I had not ever taken Max Dawson's class in college, I would not have refound my love for Survivor. would not have found the corner of Twitter occupied by RHAP, which is eventually what got me through COVID lockdown, brought me one of the best friends in my life, is the reason that there's a final two deal in my vows with my husband, brought my husband and I to the world of allergies,

which is what brought us even more of our best friends. But all of that is like on the micro to me right now, But even just as a Minnesotan, the macro level, the stand with Minnesota thing that just happened was incredible to see a community come together in an even bigger way than just the thing that we all love, you know? Hey, y'all, Owen Knight here from Season 43, happy to celebrate Season 50 and just this milestone for Survivor, which definitely has changed my life for the better multiple times. I mean, as a little boy watching the show, sparking my sense of adventure, loving watching it with my family. just pure entertainment to then starting to analyze the show when I was in my 20s, finding RHAP, becoming a patron, joining the online community, and then, of course, competing on season 43 in 2022,

and really just growing up, becoming a better version of myself, getting to challenge myself, making lifelong friends, just thinking about some of the people that I never would have met. I have the show to thank for some of these friendships that have really stood the test of time. It's really been beautiful just hearing from other adoptees, other patrons, other people who love the show as much as I do. And it's just been a wonderful journey of the past few years. And here's too many, many more to come.

It is the best. And I'm just so grateful to have been a part of it. I relate so much to what Owen just shared. And the gratitude that comes with being part of this community. But one of the things I really love is that you don't need to be a player on the show to make a positive impact. And to have this community be a positive. impact on you. You could be a listener. You could be a fan. You could be a podcaster. And I've been really

proud over the last almost six years to have that role as part of RHAP. Because back in 2020, RHAP put out the call for the class of 2020 to diversify the voices who are covering these shows and talking about them, providing representation and conversations about it in new ways. And a couple of the people who were part of that alongside me were Gia Worthy, who you might know from the Survivor Diversity Campaign, and Chappelle, who you know from Recap Kickback, The Slap, Nothing But Netflix, Club Condo, and much, much more, which absolutely changed the coverage and brought so many great voices and people and friends as part of the class of 2020 into my life. So without further ado, let's hear from Gia and Chappelle, as well as from Reagan, who talks about

how Chappelle and meeting Chappelle was part of their story in the community and the one knownly Michael Horn of the Let's Chat Reality podcast. Hi everyone. It's Gio Worthy and I am honored to be a part of the Pod Friends finale. The survivor community means so

much to me. I feel like I have been so blessed to be a part of this wonderful fandom, this wonderful community for so many years now. And while I've always watched the show growing up, I don't remember a time in my life where Survivor wasn't a part of it. The thing that has really elevated my experience was the show are all of the wonderful friends and the wonderful players that I have

met over the years. Being able to build a community and talk about social issues through a reality TV lens and getting to see all of the wonderful creative energy that comes from the Survivor fandom has been wonderful to see. I will always be grateful for the friends that I have made. in this experience and I can't wait to see what Matt Scott and Pod Friends does next. Hey, hey, hey, I'm Chappelle and I am a Survivor fan from season

one and I will tell you that it has been a journey trying to find people to talk to me about this show. When I was a kid, I didn't know anybody my age, you know, black that was talking about the show like that. And so I really felt like I was in my own head about this secret little show that I love

so much, even though it was a massive phenomenon. Fast forward to when I found RHAP, I finally found a community of people who love Survivor, but they loved other reality TV shows. And these are my people. It felt like I was listening to podcasts with Survivor players on it, and it felt like they were my friends, or at least at very much arm's length. Like, this was a show that I love so much, and now it feels like I could reach out and touch the people who were on the show. I never thought it could get any better than that until 2020 happened, and I was given an opportunity to podcast on RHAP about Survivor and Big Brother in these other shows. And since then, I can honestly

say I've never had trouble or any issues finding somebody to talk to about this show and Survivor gave me that community and more. Hi, my name is Reagan. I live in North Carolina. The Survivor community, specifically the REJP community,

has made my life better by letting me know there were others out there like me. I've watched since season one of Survivor, but until I had this community of like-minded people that I could geek out about all things Survivor with, there was just something missing.

I went to the Raleigh Show and had a great time meeting Chappelle and come to find out a very good friend of mine was a closeted survivor. fan. And now we went to the San Francisco live show together, had so much fun. Can't wait to meet more of you this year. Thanks, Matt. Bye. Hey, PodFriends. It's Michael Horn. Survivor has been a huge part of my life since I was nine years old. I'm 31 now and Milo for it has only grown year after year. I have always been fascinated by

unscripted TV and seeing real people being put in situations that they wouldn't normally be in with strangers from all walks of life and seeing what happens. And Survivor is really the pinnacle of that. Growing up, reality TV has always been a passion of mine, but it was sometimes lonely since very few of my friends actually shared that love of it with me. But once I became active in the RHAP community, I knew I found my people. And there is nothing better than finding friends who you can share and celebrate and vent with while we all watch these crazy shows together. So I can't wait to keep doing that for 50 more seasons of Survivor and all of these other shows to come. I, for one, am also very excited to see whatever the next 50 seasons of Survivor have in store.

And I think about my own Survivor Journey, which started with Survivor Cook Islands, which famously was known as the quote-unquote race war season. But I think one thing that's so powerful about Cook Islands, about Survivor Fiji the next season about Survivor China is that it brought in so much representation and so many faces and voices and stories that we hadn't heard or seen either on Survivor or in reality TV otherwise to that point.

And TV overall to that point. I also know that as part of The Pride has spoken, a huge piece of that representation has been seeing queer players out there. I've definitely felt the need for representation as a black bisexual person. And as the co-host of the Pride has spoken, along with Dr. Evie Jagoda of Survivor 41,

and the one only grace leader who could hear a read on Parade magazine, that these stories matter and mean the world. And so now I want to hear from a bunch of people who are sharing what that queer representation, that LGBTQ plus representation, and their experiences with LGBTQ plus identity, have meant within this community. Let's hear from Ashley,

Food Network holiday baking champion and pastry chef, Drew Tevis, Ray, who hosts a local queer Survivor Watch Party here in D.C., Annabel Fiddler, who you may know from the Traders Australia Season 2, Thundercats, and the baby boy himself, the host of the Purple Pants podcast, the co-creator of Bryce and When Presents, and Survivor Kagayan's own, Bryce Isaiah. I've watched Survivor since season one,

but I became a super fan in 2020 during the whole COVID situation. One of the hardest times of my life. I started playing online reality games in the Survivor community just looking for connection. And what I found was so much more. Through these games,

I built close relationships with queer people for the first time. Those connections ultimately helped me to realize I was a transgender woman. The first person I came out to was someone I had met playing that online reality game. It just felt safer coming out to an online friend who was queer and would understand. Later, I went on to play an All-Stars version of that same game, this time

presenting authentically. I was terrified I wouldn't be accepted. But instead, people listened to my story. They tried to understand, and I did really well, not in spite of being myself, but because I finally was myself. The survivor community gave me a safe space to explore who I was. It didn't just change my life. It made it possible for me to actually live as myself. Hi, I'm Drew, and Survivor has been in my life since I was in seventh grade, and it started in the summer of 2000. And it has always been a place where I can escape, a constant that I've had on a weekly basis that I look forward to. When I was a kid and being a closeted, middle schooler, high schooler, there weren't too many, things that I loved or that I was comfortable sharing. And Survivor was the first thing that came

along that I loved to celebrate how much I enjoyed it and loved sharing it. I loved sharing it with my friends, with new people I would meet. I picked my college roommates based on watching Survivor. I found my husband and many of my adult friends based on watching Survivor. And it's something that we still, every Wednesday night, we go over our best friend's house and have dinner and watch the show. It's the thing I look forward to every single week. Hey, my name is Ray, and I love Survivor. I've loved this show from the moment I first saw it back in the fall of 2020. I loved it ever since I saw Jitia take that bag of rice and dump it in the fire.

You know, from there, I was hooked. I couldn't get enough. I watched all the seasons, the international seasons, dove into the podcast, and eventually I moved from being a fan on my couch to getting off the couch and into the bars. you know, today I am so lucky to be able to host a queer survivor watch party at a local bar called As You Are here in D.C. Not only is it so fulfilling to be able to foster a space for the survivor fan community, all fans, you know, we have allies there as well. But to be able to give back to the queer survivor community and the queer and trans survivor community and to do that in a way that supports a local queer business, it's truly the dream.

and I love the community that Survivor has given me and I love that I get to get back to that community every time a new season starts. I absolutely love living in a world of hyper-neesh bubbles. I love that there are thousands and thousands of other queer people absolutely obsessed with Survivor, that I'm not the only person hyperfixating, on Kathy Vavrake O'Brien,

that I'm not the only person who's like, where is Amanda Kimmel? What is she doing? I feel so much, I don't know, more comfortable moving around the world knowing, yes, I'm a massive freak, but there's thousands of freaks who are exactly the same brand as me.

Hey, this is Sundercats. Survivor changed my life because it gave me hope in people. As a queer brown person, growing up CBS was not the chance, I turned on to see myself. But when Survivor debuted, it grabbed me as a social strategy game because life as a queer person is basically a lifetime of assessing our circumstances to figure out how to survive social constructs. And queer people are experts at searching for hope and not giving up.

Richard Hatch, a gay man, one season one, and we're like, hope. And then you watch the next, I don't know, 27 seasons and you're like, maybe not so much. Sadly, we've seen some of the worst behaviors from players over the years, some by production even. And we have to face and accept the truth of those parts of Survivor history. And yet that history shows that everyone can grow. The players, Jeff, the show, and I was surprisingly able to see myself in Puerto Rican players like Sandra, Jam Jam,

and record-breaking Heidi, and in almost every queer player. And the Rhab communities changed my life because it's allowed me to connect with so many allies. And together, we surpass that Survivor Microcosm Edge and bring to life not just a mirror of what society is, but what society could be. Hey, it's Bryce Isaiah from Survivor, Cacion, Bryson Wynn and the Purple Pants podcast of R-H-A-P. And the survivor community has changed my life for the better because it really has reaffirmed me of who I am

and to continue to live my life authentically the way I want to live it. To be able to be who I want to be, it really has empowered me to live my life like Bryce, to be myself, and to be able to inspire so many other black and queer people. to just live their life has really been the thing that has changed my life. There is so much power and being yourself. And oftentimes when we're younger, we're figuring out who we are, we're hiding ourselves. And no, it's to live loud, live live, live, and in color.

And also being able to connect with amazing people like Matt Scott on Pod Friends. Thank you so much, everyone, for sharing your stories. And, you know, it's this reminder that one of the things I love most, about Survivor is that we get to show up as ourselves. Like, we don't have to agree on our opinions, our favorite season, or on our winner picks, but we get to fully show up as ourselves and feel belonging. And two people who really spoke to that incredibly well in asking the question of how survivors change your life for the better are my dear friend Jay and Survivor 47's own

Teeny Cherichillo. Let's hear from them about how Survivor has changed their lives for the better. Hi, I'm Jay. And one of the best things that I love about the Survivor community is that when I'm here with y'all, I get to be just that. Jay. Yes, I'm Jewish. Yes, I'm trans. I'm non-binary.

I'm queer. I'm a survivor fan. But at the end of the day, when I'm with my Rob has a podcast family and with my friends who watch Survivor, I just get to be me. There are so few places in this world where we get to see other people for who they are, and they also encourage us to be fully seen ourselves. It's that pure spiritual human connection that so many of us crave that gets uplifted in these spaces. And it's thanks to people like Matt Scott, Mike Bloom, and Rob, Sesternerino, and all of the Rob has a podcast podcasters and the community and the patrons that we get something so magical.

So thank you for doing what you do and thank you for being my family. From the first second, I watched Survivor, I was absolutely in love. But it wasn't until I tuned into my first ever Rob has a podcast recap

that I got to experience the elation of knowing that I was not alone in my passion. and to have RHAP as a very private special thing in my life throughout every stage of my life growing up becomes such an important part of my physical world since being on the show and getting to meet Rob

and getting to appear in interviews and podcasts. It is truly a dream come true and that doesn't even really cut it to say. I just, I'm so grateful. I love Rob Sester Nino. I love Survivor. One of the biggest things that really comes through in hearing these 50 plus stories is that Survivor's been there in good times for people and it's also been there at some of the

roughest points in their lives. I've shared this before that I discovered Rob as a podcast in March 2020, the same month that my dad passed away. And I really found Rob as a podcast to be this comforting place for me. me to find like quote unquote friends in my head to borrow from the one only Bryce Isaiah who helped me feel less alone, who helped me like just get my mind off things sometimes when I was processing losing my dad, my best friend in the world. And what's so striking is this memory I have from going from my grief group straight to meeting up with friends

and watching Survivor for the first time. Like those are my first people that I ever watched and talked about Survivor with. And to have that coincide with this time where grief was really just this struggle and this slog for me was huge. But the thing I've loved since becoming part of this community, the thing I've appreciated is that I know I'm not alone. I know many of you and many of the people

that we heard from in this episode and we'll hear from next are people who've experienced really, really hard shit. and who found Survivor would be really helpful for them at that point. And so let's hear from Jessica Frey, Shaw Ashley, Lulu, Lu, Stan C., Randy Garcia, and Tyler. Hi, it's so crazy. I don't know how I'm going to put into words, like, how Survivor changed my life, how RHAP changed my life in under a minute.

Like I literally found RHAP when I was like going through cancer treatment and I had literally had to like take a quarter off of school and college to get to go home and like get treatment. And I was literally on iTunes looking for podcasts because I was so bored. And I found RHAP the YAL man podcast from way back when and the rest is history. Now I have literal friends that are just regular friends but they just happen to like survive. I never would have thought watching as a kid that I would watch with anyone about myself and my family. And even then, my family got so tired of it. And now I have friends. And like it literally got me through the darkest times of my life.

So crazy. Hey there. Loaded question and I love it. How has Survivor or its community changed your life for the better? So in 2018, I was in middle school and I was sick, very sick. sick at home with black mold poisoning. And I was flipping through the channels and an episode of David versus Goliath, season 37 was on. And I fell in love with the show. So I went back and watched the rest of 37. And then I watched all of the first 36 seasons. And since I've seen every season

four times, when I was a freshman in high school, because of my love for Survivor and working with kids. I'm in college now. I'm studying education. I created a kid's summer camp based off of the show. And so everything Survivor's done for me has been amazing. I was able to run my summer camp for four years. And it's just been amazing. I'm so happy to be involved with this community because it's given so much to me. Survivor and the wider survivor community has changed my life in so many ways. I'm autistic and I'm dyspractic and as such growing up I struggle to find my place in society. It felt like whenever I was in a group of people, I was only there as a matter of convenience. And it wasn't until lockdown where I started getting more involved in the reality gaming

community and the reality TV show community as a whole. And I finally felt like I found a found a family found a community for myself where people saw the value in me for me. And that meant so much to me. I'm now flying to the States, to Canada, all across the world where I'm meeting these amazing people who have friends for life who I never thought I meet them growing up I always had anxiety to travel the world but now I'm actually going out and seeing these lifelong friends and it will mean so much to me also recently I hit a bit of an anxiety depression phase and survivor was my way of getting out of that I'm stancy and i do commentary for the w.mg in tagalog here in the first

Survivor changed my life because looking at high school drama and the politics and the relationships as if it were a game of Survivor really helped me navigate that very complicated time. Growing up with anxiety, it was hard to make friends and to figure out who was being genuine and who wasn't. And thinking about my life then as if it were a game of Survivor just made things easier for my teenage brain. Now, as an adult, the community really changed my life for the better because it helped me find my friends who would match my freak and be equally obsessed with the greatest show and the greatest game on God's Green Earth, and that is Survivor. Hi, I'm Brandy from Oklahoma. My Survivor story and my Rob has a podcast story sort of happens at the same time. I found Big Brother first in like 2018, discovered that I really love. the show, bench watched it, found an online org, played a Big Brother online org, and then through

that, I had someone introduced me to Rob has a podcast. I did not listen to their Survivor content probably for like the first year. And then someone had asked me to play in their online Survivor org. And that's when I started watching the content. I had no idea for like two or three years that Rob even played on Survivor. But in 2019 and 2020, I had a really rough time. My father had died, and I really just, I sought out a community who liked to talk about the same things that I liked without feeling ashamed. Hello, my name is Tyler and Derry.

I'm 35 years old. I'm based in Austin, Texas. I'm making this video to celebrate Pod Friends and the RHAP community and to share how Survivor has changed my life for the better. I fell in love with Survivor at a very hard time in my life. My mom got sick in 2020 and sadly passed away at the beginning of 2022. One of my best friends, Eric, also sadly passed away the year before that in 2021. And it is hard for me to describe just how much Survivor and RJP have been a lifeline for me in my grief journey. It has been an escape.

It's been a place to find joy, to find laughter, to find other people who have all struggled with grief and their stories. And you don't know if I would be here without it. So all my love to RJP and the survivor community. First and foremost, my heart truly goes out to everyone who has really been through it. And just want to thank you all again for sharing your stories, being so open, being so vulnerable, being so human. And I'm sure that there are people who are listening in who could relate. And I'm sure are thankful that you shared those stories, stories that they didn't know that anyone else had or anyone else shared.

But one of the things I think is so powerful about those stories of survival is that they also hint at transformation, which is something that I know survivors fueled for a lot of people, myself included. Survivor motivated me to learn to swim. Survivor motivated me to get back in the gym, to lose weight, to embrace my fitness. And Survivor's done a lot of really powerful things for so many of us, as we know, as we've heard already in this episode. But now let's hear about some stories of transformation from a number of folks, including Stephen Fox, Dan Stan Sannski, August Schroeder from Squid Game the Challenge season two, Jeremy, and musician and creator Eric James Barber.

I can honestly say I would not be who I am today without Survivor. I stumbled across Survivor and I thought this is a really cool show but the more I got into it the more I fell in love with it and I've connected with so many people that I never would have connected with people from Canada and Australia and California

and all over the world and the community of Survivor has really embraced with open arms and I feel seen for the first time. I can't really say I felt seen before by people in my immediate area. So they've supported me on my weight loss journeys. They've called me on my crap when I needed to. They've helped me push myself to lose 170 pounds. And I'm more satisfied. I'm in a happier, better place today

because of Survivor. Thank you, Survivor. Community. Love you all. Hi Matt, hi pod friends. This is Dan Sinenski. The biggest thing Survivor and really RHAP has given me is friends that have gotten me through some tough times. Another way Survivor and RHAP improved my life, it really opened my eyes to different perspectives that I was closed off to before and made me more empathetic, which is kind of ironic considering that Survivor is really a cold. old-hearted and self-interested game. Last way, Survivor and RHAP improved my life. Really, RHAP and Rob. It showed me that it's possible to be successful at things maybe you wouldn't have ever imagined. Survivor has completely changed the fabric of who I am as a fundamental being.

I found Survivor during COVID when I was in a really dark place, and my dad came down. And for the first time in my life, I had a positive bonding experience with my dad, where he bends watched all Survivor. And then it made me believe that I could be on Survivor. I could do something as amazing as Survivor. And it convinced me to start working out. I started lifting weights.

I started running. I started rock climbing. And I fell in love and found this passion for fitness. And now six years later, I'm a manager of a gym. One of the fittest people I've known. And fitness is my passion all because of Survivor. Survivor has shown me countless times that no matter. how backed up against the wall you may be, you can always fight back and make a better outcome.

So whenever the going gets tough in my life, I remember that there is always a way to fight out of it. Survivor has completely changed my life for the better, and I'm forever thankful for all the people I've met through Survivor and all the confidence it has given me. Hello, Matt Scott. Jeremy here. I've been a viewer of Survivor since day one, episode one, and I've seen all seasons at least twice. How has this show changed me, it introduced me to many types of people that I would not have ever known growing up in my small town. I've learned how to be a better person. I've learned how to be more strategic in life and in work. The fan community has made me more open to new things and pushed me out of my isolated world after my divorce. Life isn't always fun,

but there is a group of people out here who can love things as much as I do. Also, thanks to the podcasters and players who in part encouraged me, it helped me lose 80 pounds from April to November in 2025. Thanks again for the lengthy talk in San Francisco and for taking my feedback in stride. And oh yeah, for another great season of PodFriends. What's going on? PodFriends. This is Eric James Barter. You may know me from various wandoffs on the R-H-EP Instagram, which is one way that Survivors changed my life because Rob gave me the opportunity to put some of my creative work out there on his platform

and I'm so appreciative of him for it. I've been in L.A. for a long time and it's hard to get people to notice your creative value and he saw that in me and so I'm really appreciative of Rob for that. And also in 2023, I was having a little struggle with, I was drinking a little too much and I was really banding about with like,

oh, do I have the strength to like give up alcohol? And then Survivor 44 came on, and Carolyn came on my screen and talked about her story. And it showed me that I do have the strength to give up alcohol. And because of her, I haven't had a drink since April 2023. So thanks, Carolyn. I love these stories so much, because they're this reminder that even when people think

that reality TV is a waste of time, or that survivors are a waste of time, or it's dumb, or it's frivolous that, like, there are actually good things, measurable, good things that we see in our lives because of it. And for me personally, it's pushed me to take my health and everything else more seriously, as I mentioned, but it's also pushed me to get involved in these games out here, including Survivor Philadelphia, a live reality game, which I was really proud to play in which you can check out on YouTube. But I bring this up because, again, there are so many ways that we can engage and get involved,

whether it's being an LRG, playing an online game, so on and so forth. Games, naturally, because we are fans of the Game of Survivor, are this great way for fans to come together. So now let's hear from Melody Bartlett, who's the creator of the new website, Live RealityGames.com, which includes an interactive map to help you find a game near you and get involved, as well as Hannah Riggs, who you can currently see on season two of Beast Games on Amazon Prime. And we'll hear from Blake, we'll hear from Survivor 43's own Dwight Moore, and from Survivor fans, Mike, James Hayden, and Sunshine. Here's how Survivor and the World of Games has changed their lives for the better.

I'm Melanie, and I joined a local Facebook group for patrons and found out about a live reality game or LRG happening Survivor Philly. I ended up getting voted out almost immediately, but I stayed and I hang out all day at the park, and we had a blast. And after the game, we had a Facebook chat and watch parties, both the CBS Survivor and also for YouTube episodes of our game. I was going through a divorce at the time.

So this social group became my first friends who were unconnected to my past married life. They didn't know my ex, so it was just a fresh start. The pandemic happened, and our group became supports for each other during that really dark time. We played Zoom games every week when we played test to Black Widow Brigade for Out. XG. And we just got so close. We talked about relationships, marriages, babies, everything. Six years

later, we still have that group chat. And I went on to play so many more LRGs, you know, working on the LRG documentary, the website and the LRG casting page on Instagram. And it's all just from liking the silly show and a funny podcast. Hey, my name is Hannah Riggs. And the love and friendship I found through the survivor community has been life-changing. For example, I met my now boyfriend playing in a fan-made version of Survivor, though he did not vote for me in the final two, and I lost by one jury vote, so not cool. And now we run our own fan-made version of Survivor called Survivor Boston. We have all our Survivor-obsessed friends helping us on the production team thinking of challenges

and twists and challenges and filming, and that is so fun. And then I just have to add that probably my favorite and least favorite moment of Survivor has probably been on the island where Jeff yelled at me and was yelling, Hannah, losing it for her tribe while I was wearing this buff while I was on the Beast Games Survivor crossover. And thank you. Rob is a podcast. I love you.

Thank you for everything that you do. I'm Blake Borzik from Milwaukee, a day one fan who became a tribe of one at 15. I'm a chameleon who disinterested adapt to the game. I flow with it. Finding my chosen family and a lot. LRG community and real foot communities while leaving my enemies in the dark. I'm the player who will smile to your face and then walk out with the tribe's rice and flashlights.

Jeff, thanks for 50 seasons of showing this underdog how to become the king of shadows you'll never see coming. What's up? You know, I was part of survivor about three to four years ago. When I left, I didn't know how long I'd be a part of community or to what extent I would be. and I'm grateful to say that, you know, three or four years later, still very active in the community, and it's because of the amazing people that are part of it. Whether it's part of the alum, the podcasters, the community members in general,

I've met it like events or watch parties, or through Clock Tower, a true survivor as well. You all been such positive lights in my life. I cannot stress enough how much of a positive impact y'all have had. Y'all are just amazing, amazing people. This community is full of the most interesting, most engaging individuals, and I'm so grateful to have been a part of it for as long as I have been, and hopefully I can continue to be a part of it for as long as you'll have me. But y'all are so, so amazing, and I'm forever grateful to be a part of this,

and y'all just make everything great. Y'all are such an amazing community, and I'm forever grateful to be a part of that. Hi, this is Mike Skull from Long Island, New York, and what do I love about the RHAP slash survivor community? I just think the community's incredible, and it's been such a great thing to be able to meet so many people from different areas that I never would have had the opportunity to interact with otherwise. And while we may have came together for certain TV shows, the things that I love

about this community are the game nights, the virtual watch parties, the Discord and Facebook chats, and all these other online events that allow us to socialize and connect with even when we're not in the same area. And also the live events, and not just the live events, and not just the big things, but being able to be in these smaller groups and really getting to know people on one-to-one basis or small group basis. So these are the things that I love about this community and I love to continue to interact with everyone. What's up y'all? My name is James Hayden and Survivor and its community have changed my life for the better in so many ways. I've been watching since Survivor Palau 20 years. During that time, I've met so many incredible people

through this fandom, I had an opportunity to play in an LRG, which allowed me the opportunity to learn so many incredible life lessons. I don't think I would have learned any other way. And the most important way that I've changed my life and made my life better is it's the first thing that my, that my, that my fiance and I bonded over over, bonded over over two years ago. Hey folks. My name is Sunshine from Rhode Island and a survivor and its community has changed my life for the better because years ago when I was just sitting down on the couch watching the show

with my mother, I didn't realize how much of an impact this show would have on my life. I've tried out for it. I've had callbacks from CBS. From there, it's led into playing these online reality games where my network's just expanded

so much. From there, it rolled over into playing live reality games. where I actually got to hang out with Bryson Wendell for the day. Like, these are opportunities that I would never have, and these are opportunities that, like, I cherish for a lifetime. Like, if it wasn't for Survivor, I honestly don't know where I would be up,

and I don't know how strong of a connection I would have with my mother if it wasn't for this show. At MedCan, we know that life's greatest moments are built on a foundation of good health, from the big milestones to the quiet winds. That's why our annual health assessment offers a physician-led, full-body checkup that provides a clear picture of your health today and may uncover early signs of conditions

like heart disease and cancer. The healthier you means more moments to cherish. Take control of your well-being and book an assessment today. Medcan. Live well for life. Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started. As you could hear, there's so much that people have created because of Survivor and the community. I mentioned Live Reality Games.com, created by Melanie Bartlett.

I mentioned Survivor Boston, created by Hannah Riggs. I mentioned James Hayden and how he even mentioned creating and building his relationship and his life because of Survivor. And that's just scratching the surface. Now, let's get into stories of some other creators, including illustrators, Sammy Kappa, who draws stunning portraits of Survivor players, which you could find on Instagram and otherwise. musical genius Aaron Robertson, whose parody songs, you could hear on past episodes

of the WAND off on RHAP and otherwise. Felipe Shimon, who might know from the Brazilian Dragon podcast, Eric Eldridge, who competed on Squid Game in the Challenge season two, and who actually studied

competition reality design, and James Kane, who's the creator of Fishing for Complements, the game design with kind in mind. Let's hear how survivors changed their lives for the better. Survivor has truly changed my life just from being a fan of it.

I started watching in college during Philippines because a friend of mine was holding weekly watch parties. And that led me to going back and watching from the beginning from Borneo and going onwards. And to make quote of quote, like use of that time, I decided to start a project to draw every single contestant. And that project took off in ways that I could never imagine, gave me opportunities in my career as an illustrator. It led me to finding RHAP, going to events, meeting people, making really good friends, and beyond. Survivor has had its ups and downs over the years, but it will always be so important to me and have a place in my heart. Thanks, Matt.

Survivor has been a huge, huge impact on my life. Growing up, finding the show in 2005 to getting the DVDs and Bars A Noble and obsessing over the DVD commentary and learning how to be a better person and how to relate to others and just learning about life through all of these people that have gotten to play this beautiful, beautiful game, not to mention the music aspect. I'm a huge ancient voices fanatic. It's my most listened to song of all time. Every time a new one came out, I would obsessively listen to it.

And creating WANDOS with people in the community and more songs about Survivor music as a whole has been so fun to do over the last 20-plus years. And I will never forget the people and the memories that I've gotten to make because of this show. It's been such an impactful show. And I cannot wait to see what Survivor continues to do in the coming decades. I don't know if I could get everything across in one single day of nonstop chatter about what Survivor and the community around it has done for me as an individual, like, let alone 60 seconds. But it's been a very formative part of my life. I discovered the show when I was a wee lad, a young lad even. I was 14 years old and discovered RHEP immediately after it.

So not only Survivor, but Rob as a podcast has absolutely shaped who I am today. It is formative in not only my comedy and interests, but also in my identity, just getting closer to the Survivor community. I've been able to step into my confidence of the best version of myself through meeting incredible people from the patron community, from Rob as a podcast. And just like Survivor is foundational to who I am. It's a massive part of my identity. and I'm so grateful that I found it. Hey, this is Eric Eldridge, Player 415 from Squid Game the Challenge season two. And Survivor has actually caused two complete career changes for me.

First, I fell in love with the combination of the gameplay and storytelling in a way that made me want to make videos myself. And in fact, the first video I ever made in Adobe Premiere, it was a video called Survivor Tribute Season 1 through 36, and you can find that on YouTube if you are curious. And then, if you fast forward a few years, I got my master's degree in game design, not to make video games, but to study reality competition shows. And fun fact, again, as part of my thesis, I recruited people for a survey from the RHAP patron group,

and hundreds of you helped me out and made that happen. And I just want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who did so. Hey, I'm James Kane. I'm a lifetime survivor fan and a one-time Twitch champion. And here are three reasons why Survivor means so much to me. honorable mention to the fact that I wrote my college admissions essay about Survivor that got me into Chicago. Reason one is the community members, whether it's fellow New Jersey and Matt Scott or watch party host extraordinaire Jordan Kalis or countless others. I have many compliments to give to many members of the

survivor community. This is a game I created. Reason two is the conversations that the community yields, whether it's strategic conversations about player decisions or conversations about important societal trends. I appreciate the input that folks have to these meaningful discussions that are related to Survivor. And reason number three is the creativity of the community, especially Rob has a podcast, whether it be know-it-alls, Twitch, pod friends, etc. So many great shows and so many great pieces of content that come out of Survivor, and I love every second of it. Thanks, community. I love this so much. And one thing I love is that beyond all the things that people create, people have also built.

People have also built really powerful relationships, including with people in their lives already, because of or through Survivor. And of course, we've heard about chosen family in so many ways, but there's also the bonds with family members, like grandparents, like kids, like, you know, all these generations that come together around Survivor. I know for many folks, they first discovered Survivor as a family ritual. and those stories matter and really powerful because Survivor, hopefully, for many years to come, will be a great place for families to come together to bond and have memories that will last a lifetime. Let's hear from Erica. Let's hear from John. Let's hear from Nathan Furrer who runs R.HP's San Diego chapter.

And let's hear from Victoria about how family and survivor come together. Hi, my name's Erica. And I am an OG Survivor. fan. In 2000, I had just finished graduate school in New York, and I traveled back home to visit family, and wouldn't you know it? When I went to see my grandmother, we started watching Survivor, that first episode, and we were hooked. And for 11 years, until she passed away, I was living my big city life, pursuing my dreams, and she was back in Maryland, but we had those phone calls to talk about all those players we loved, we hated, we love to hate, the Bobby Jones. The Bobby

John, hotness that was. But I've carried on with that, knowing that Survivor is so much more than just the show. It's the connection. It is the feeling that we get to be part of this wonderful community and sharing something that we just get so much joy from. It's like that warm blanket. I've been a member of the RHAP community for about 15 years. a patron for about 10. And it's also helped

bring me together with my daughters. We've bonded over Survivor and on a weekly basis we watch Survivor together via FaceTime. And it's become a whole family thing and they joined me in the

fantasy pools that the RHAP community has developed. And it's really been a bonding moment. I remember when my daughter was a senior and we were struggling in our relationship. And she and her friends started watching Survivor.

And there was an RHAP event in Philadelphia and we brought her and her friends. And it was just, they were just so awed by the whole thing. And I love the RHAP community and I truly love Survivor. Thanks. Hey, Pod Friends. This is Nathan Fuhr from San Diego.

And when I first found out that I was going to be a dad was when I started watching Survivor again back in December of 2016. After years of not watching it, having grown up watching the first few seasons and being a huge fan with Survivor stuff on my wall, my childhood home. And now here I was in another point in my life totally different and almost in a role reversal. Now I was going to be a dad. And I just, my life changed forever in that moment, watching Survivor and finding out that I was going to be a dad.

And now you fast forward again from 2016, 10 years later. I have a son who's turning 9 and 7 and 5 this year. They watch Survivor with me. I lead a community here in San Diego of RHAP and Survivor fans. And it's just been the gift that keeps on giving. And I'm so, so grateful. My life has unequivocally changed forever. Survivor has been an outlet for me for decades.

When I was in elementary school, my family and I watched all the single-digit seasons and all the massive media coverage the early 2000s had to offer. My family stopped watching, but I stuck it out, having watched every season live since Samoa. I was able to watch former seasons on YouTube or the iTunes store, where I watched them on my iPod Nano. I found RHAP in 2014 when I was in college. I had no friends and no life. RHAPE was my outlet, my happy space, my place where it seemed like I had friends, friends who got my sense of humor. It gave me comfort during the hard times.

As the years went on and the times got easier, I'm able to talk strategy with my husband, whom I introduced the show to. Now I have a daughter of my own. I hope that the Survivor gods allow the show to be on long enough for her to watch it with me one day. It would bring me such great joy knowing I can share something so special to me with her.

I love this so much. And I think what all this points to is that Survivor hasn't just been a show for people, it's been a family and it's been a community. And things like Rob as a podcast have really bolstered that community in the process. For me, over the last five, almost six years doing this podcast, it's brought in so many friends, it's bought in so many relationships, it's brought in so many moments.

It's led me to meeting people like Surrey, like Sandra, interviewing people like Carolyn, like Parvety. And, you know, something that constantly comes to mind for me is how, much this community leads the parisocial to become the deeply social to lead from like

watching and admiring people to actually having them as part of your lives and that's what's so special about this community and one of the things that I love. So while Survivor 50 often means that the players

are getting the spotlight, I really think that the fandom, the fan stories, the relationships, the friendships, the belonging, the things created, the career transitions,

like the, The things that people have survived really deserve so much more airtime. So as we near the end of this episode, let's hear from folks who talk about the friendships, the relationships, the beautiful connections that they've built otherwise as part of this survivor community. Let's hear from Laura O and Laura J. who found each other through Survivor. Let's hear from Sarah Cupcakes and Lisa Kay, Survivor Joshua, Adrian, Josh Green, Ariel, Margo, and the one and only, what up Tim.

Survivor hasn't just entertained me for the last 25 or so years. It's shown me 49 times how people can come together to work as a functioning team or crash and burn while trying. I have loved watching Survivor ever since Season 1 Borneo, where I watched Richard Hatch trying to plot his game and build his alliances. I was working at dot coms at the time where pretty much every day felt like a survivor challenge so it really resonated with me.

I found Rhab in 2019 through my nostalgia for Rob Sester Nino's run on Survivor Amazon listened to a few podcasts and was hooked. Eventually I went to a live show in 2023 thinking, okay, let's see what the fuss is about and I found my people loved hanging out with folks with the shared love of this show.

And I actually also found my new bestie, Laura Jones. Hey, it's Laura Jay. And, you know, there's so much I could say, but admit it's not very long. I've loved Survivor from the start. And I don't know if I'd say the show has changed my life, but the community definitely has. I love being part of something like this. and the RHAP community is just such a special place.

I've been in other survivor groups, and it's just not quite the same. RHAP is a special group, and I have found my people, and that is such a precious and wonderful thing. And it's so nice to be around people who speak your language and share your interests, and we'll speak about the minutia of it all with you.

But I've also been lucky enough to find just a wonderful close friend in the other Laura, Laura O. And, you know, it's just a special gift. So thank you, Survivor. Survivor the show is about relationships among the players. And Survivor the fandom is about relationships in the community.

I'm Sarah, and the reason I watch Survivor is because of the community. Survivor fandom has given me some of my closest friends. friendships with people across the world and an outlet to evaluate, analyze, and discuss social dynamics. The adventure is what made survivor intriguing, but the community is what keeps survivor enduring. Hey Matt, it's your friend Lisa, just checking in to let you know how this community has made my life better. Well, it's an easy answer. It's just brought so many wonderful people into my life.

never thought that I'd be going to Arkansas one day to visit Sarah Cupcakes, who's become one of my closest friends here. Just want to give a shout out to Tommy Guam and What Up Tim. And, you know, it's just this community has brought so many wonderful people into my life. The podcasters have been amazing. Rob's been amazing. I just never thought I would be in a world where I would meet people from across the country. who just have a love and a passion for Survivor and for all these reality game shows like I do.

And I just wanted to say thank you to everyone. I just love being a part of this community so much. Hi, guys. My name is Jeff. I've been watching Survivor since the Borneo finale and has always been my favorite show. But no one in my family or really any of my friends growing up or going through school, kept up with the show like I did.

And so I was kind of in my fandom and isolation until I found RHAP in 2019. And I just knew that, well, these are my people, people that love the show and is excited about it as I am. However, I was a nurse working during COVID, and that was kind of crazy time starting in 2020, so I didn't really get involved in the community as much. but I stayed up to date on all the podcast and listened, but kind of lurked as a member of the community.

I went to my first live show last year, had the time of my life, and want to get more involved in the community now. My name is Joshua, and Survivor has changed my life for the better. I've watched the show my entire life, and throughout that life, I have sought out every opportunity to be as close and tightened it to the Survivor community as I possibly can, whether it's online, in person, whatever it may be. There is something so special about finding a group of people that love the same things that you love and hate the same things that you hate. And people that are willing to challenge you on your opinions, your takes, your perspectives on a silly show, right? Survivor has brought that and bountifuls more. I have made lifelong friends because of a silly show like this.

I can't express how thankful I am for something like Survivor to bring the best out of me, to bring me into a light that I never thought was possible. So I'm beyond thankful. I can't put it in any other words than beyond thankful. Hi, Matt. This is Adriane. I'm so happy that you're doing this. Survivor, I started watching during the pandemic, and it was really my pandemic escape, and I became obsessed. And it's been so wonderful over the past six years in my case to learn so much about this world, to have been able to attend viewing parties and meet some of the contestants, to have met people like you through this network, to every now and then be able to engage

with some of the previous contestants on social media. And just seeing how people rile up for their favorites, you know, there is a really big sense of community with all the things that come with community. So yeah, so that's one of the things that I'm grateful and that survivor has given me. So thank you again and take care. Survivor has changed my life for, I'm going to say the better, because it's given me a whole new community to be friends with, have healthy debates with, about players, game mechanisms, etc.

And I'm just so thrilled to have the community. I took a few seasons off, came back, watched Survivor Game Changers, and I'm just so thrilled to have the community. I took a few seasons off, came back, watched Survivor Game Changers, and continued to binge so much of Survivor, watch the international versions and LRGs and all that fun stuff. And where I live, Philadelphia has had an incredible survivor community, and it's been something that I've gained. so many friends from, and I'm grateful for that. Matt, congratulations on a wonderful season. What's up, pod friends? Ari here to talk about IRL friends and how Survivor has changed my life for the better. So there is no other sport activity or hobby where you have people inviting me

into their homes to celebrate premier parties, merge feasts, finale parties, Christmas parties, housewarming parties, viewing parties. So just major shout out to Jessica Frey, Max Dawson, Andrea, Laura, Cherief. Who else? Maureen, Luke, and the rest of the Beer and Barbecue Alliance. I appreciate y'all. Love y'all. Hi, I'm Margo.

I've been part of RHAP since 2020, and RCHP has enriched my life in ways I didn't expect. I love that Rob has taken the time to get to know us and build this amazing community and continue to make it a special place. The live events are so valuable because you can connect in person and develop genuine friendships. I never would have made friends with fabulous people like Dr. Jay or one of the Loras without attending a live show. So thanks to Sam for that great organization and to Derek for being such a fantastic community building ambassador, for taking the best group picks and for facilitating the connections. And to all the podcasters, editors, everyone behind the scenes, I don't have the words to express how much joy you bring to my life daily. RHAP is giving me a community where I feel like I belong, where I can be enthusiastically myself, and where I've learned that the shows we watch together are just the excuse.

It's a people and shared experience that matter. So thanks. I'm going to go order my pod friends merch now. Hey, Matt. Hey, pod friends. It's Tim, aka What Up Tim, Tim, here to let you know. How much Survivor has meant to me. I've been watching for years.

It's just been about a year and a half when I really started coming to the live events, met some absolutely tremendous people, filled my heart with joy to be a part of this, meeting everybody, especially because, you know, we're kind of an odd group. And this community not only accepts us, but actually celebrates all. all of our quirkiness. It's meant the world to me. It's filled my heart with joy. And I cannot wait to meet as many patrons and pod friends as possible.

Love you, Matt. Bye. Thank you so much, everyone, for tuning into this week's episode of Podfriends. And even more for being part of this week's episode of PodFriends. So grateful to everyone who submitted their stories. Everyone who got your Podfriend shirts over at Robhisweb website.com slash store. And for everyone who just, part of this beautiful, lovely community.

I want to thank you all for sharing of yourselves and especially thank the folks behind the scenes at RHAP, the team, for bringing pod friends to all of you. I love pod friends, I love this community, and I love being part of it with all of you. I hope I get to see you this spring at watch parties in Atlanta and in New York City, even here in D.C. There's so much more I could say,

but again, reach out to me, Matt Scott, GW., on all platforms, and without further ado, as we conclude this season finale, I want to thank you for being a pod friend. Bye, everybody.