A “Survivor” Season 27 Hopeful’s Audition Experience

The following is an account of the Survivor audition experience for one of our readers.  Reality show hopefuls may find his information helpful. 

Tim:  I have auditioned for Survivor on two prior occasions, both of which were via the three-minute video. I knew that I wanted to partake in a live audition for my third.  I saw on Chelsea Meissner’s Facebook page that she and her fellow Survivor: One Worlder (and winner), Kim Spradlin, would be in attendance for a live casting call at the Hard Rock Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Chelsea Messner (CBS)

I had no idea what to expect. I heard that it would be similar to a video in the sense that I would have three minutes to talk about myself. I am friends with several former Survivor contestants on Facebook and was fortunate enough to receive a response from Pearl Islands’ Jonny Fairplay. The advice he gave me was, “just be yourself ×11.” So, that is exactly what I planned to do.

I have worked in the hospitality industry for the past ten years, so I naturally have an outgoing and vibrant personality. However, I knew that I wanted to have a leg up on the competition, so I may or may not have had a Monster and a Mountain Dew right before going in.

I acted like the audition had started as soon as I stepped out of my truck.

I was smiling the entire time, even as I walked across the parking lot to the entrance. I immediately started talking to one of the waitresses as soon as I walked in. Some how she knew I was there for the audition and directed me to where I needed to go.

I entered the lounge where other Survivor hopefuls were. My buddy and I waited in line for a very short amount of time. All we had to do was fill out a form with basic personal information, then we were given a number that would be called at a later time.

As aforementioned, I acted like the entire situation was staged. I was constantly smiling and laughing while everyone else in the room was just standing by themselves. I was the most outgoing person there, without a doubt. On certain occasions, I even noticed that people were just sitting back and watching all of us. It made me assume that it was people from the casting crew judging us, but I do not know that for sure.

I took it upon myself to talk to Chelsea and Kim on three separate occasions. We talked about random things: the Heroes vs. Villains buff I was sporting, Parvati Shallow, their season, and what to expect as soon as I walk into the auditorium. Kim warned me that I would only have one minute to say what I needed to say.

Kim Spradlin, Survivor One World Winner

Prior to coming, I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but in my mind it was a three-minute speech. I probably had about 15 minutes to figure out what I thought was most important.

The moment I finally got nervous was when my number was called. My hands began to sweat, but I maintained my smile the entire time.

I am not going to tell you what I said, but I did say everything I wanted to say. Before I left the casino I had the girls sign my buff, had a couple pictures taken with them, and even asked for hugs– which they allowed. And for those wondering, no, I did not win any money at the casino. Haha.

The CBS website says that calls will be made between January and March 29, 2013. Keep your fingers crossed!

  Twitter: @the_timgilmore

Tags: auditioning, audtion, buff, casting call, CBS, Chelsea Meissner, Facebook, Heroes Vs Villains, Jeff Probst, Jonny Fairplay, Kim Spradlin, One World, Parvati Shallow, Survivor, Survivor 26, Survivor 27, Survivor 28, survivor casting, Survivor One World, Survivor phillipines, Suvivor Audtion