After spending years avidly watching "Survivor", Eastern Michigan University junior Erik Reichenbach finally got his own shot at surviving the elements — both mental and physical — on the reality show.
"I've been a fan of the show for a long time, since I was a little kid," Reichenbach said. "I followed the first season. I was just interested in it, the psychology and competition of it. Then, I turned 21 and remembered that was the age when you can do this."
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I WILL SURVIVE: Erik Reichenbach, an Eastern
Michigan University junior, competes in the current
version of "Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites."
The first episode aired Feb. 7 on CBS and Reichenbach,
a diehard fan of the show, is still in the game. |
Following his own hunch to put together a video, Reichenbach impressed the "Survivor" casters.
"They called me back and said, 'You were hilarious. We want to see another,'" Reichenbach said. "The second one (video) was well-put together. That was how I got on."
His video used to play on You-Tube, but has since been pulled because CBS owns the rights to it. Reichenbach showed what type of person he is in the video, from working at a local ice cream parlor to running and being outdoors. An Ypsilanti landmark, the infamous water tower, even made the video cut.
The 16th season of the successful "Survivor" franchise aired its first episode Feb. 7. Micronesia is the exotic locale for this installment, pitting fans of the show against the people they are used to watching. "Fans vs. Favorites" is the theme of this go-around, as 10 newcomers compete against 10 former castaways.
Reichenbach, who is pursuing a degree in graphic art and design, is referred to as the "Ice Cream Scooper from Hell" on the show, an homage to his summer job at an ice cream parlor in Hell, Mich.
Before heading to Micronesia, an area containing hundreds of small islands in the Pacific Ocean, Reichenbach wanted to sharpen his skills.
"I tried to make fire a couple of times with just regular everyday things. Every time I tried to make fire, all I could make was smoke," Reichenbach said. "I basically just worked out the same with running, (because) running keeps you in great shape."
Reichenbach is a member of EMU's cross country and track teams, and has earned two letters competing for the Eagles.
The Reich-O-Meter
Erik Reichenbach survived the first episode of "Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites." He is a member of the Airai tribe. Each week, FOCUS EMU will update readers on the status of Reichenbach on "Survivor." The show airs at 8 p.m. Thursday on CBS. |
More importantly, Reichenbach prepared himself for the most daunting task of "Survivor": the mental aspect.
"I tried to talk to the people that I normally don't talk to, because it's more of a social game than anything. Everyone thinks it's some kind of competition and a physical thing. It's totally a social game," Reichenbach explained.
Even though he put some thought into what he could do while he was over there, Reichenbach ultimately went with an open mind.
"Before I went, my mind was just open, open for whatever happened. I'm not an aggressive person. I'm not going to be your alpha male, but I know there's going to be other alpha males to take that place," the junior from Pinckney said. "So, before the show, I was more prepared to just look at my options, rather than 'this is what I need to do right away.'"
Despite having an open mind and having watched numerous episodes in the past, the social aspect of the game (lying, cheating, stealing) was something that caught Reichenbach off-guard.
"The whole aspect is different for me. In my everyday life, I don't lie to people; I don't cheat people; I don't steal from people. I'm not a thief; I'm an ice cream man. Most of the time, I'm a student, an art student. And I never really come in contact with that kind of moral dilemma in my life."
Reichenbach might have been able to use that to his advantage, as the host of Survivor, Jeff Probst, thought that Reichenbach was underestimated.
"I think the initial take on Erik was, he's a little silly. He runs everywhere. When we were meeting with the Survivors right before the game started just to see how things were going, everybody commented about the kid in the green shorts who runs everywhere. I think that was the take going in," Probst said in a teleconference previewing the show. "To Erik's credit, he is much sharper than I think people give him credit for, initially. He's much more of an athlete than I think anybody knew. You look at him and he's thin and obviously in shape, but he's strong. He has a determination to do what it takes and that can get you a long way in "Survivor." Just that willingness to dig deep and go for it, not think about it, can go a long way."
Reichenbach's coach, John Goodridge, also believes he will show some fortitude.
"In recruiting Erik, I was immediately impressed with his competitiveness," Goodridge said. "In getting to know him, I have learned that he has a great zest for life and that he also has a great sense of individualism while, at the same time, is a very loyal team player. "
Wearing something to stand out was definitely in Reichenbach's mind when packing for the show.
"I was pretty sure I wanted to wear something bright and wear some Eastern colors as well, just to say 'hey, I don't want to lie about who I am.' I want to be the nice guy, the familiar face," Reichenbach said. "And about those short shorts...I wore short shorts on purpose, because I am a runner. I've been getting a lot of gunk for that, but short shorts are coming back."
Before heading off to the other side of the globe, Reichenbach had to come up with a reason for being away.
"I had to make up that I was going on an internship for everything and, luckily, people were willing to believe that. You can't tell anyone where you're going or what you're doing," Reichenbach explained. "And then, once you're gone, you can't contact any of your family or friends. That was pretty tough because you're missing a lot of your life."
Like holidays, for example.
Reichenbach left the comfort of his Ypsilanti apartment for the wilds of Micronesia right before Halloween. He didn't return until mid-December, missing Thanksgiving with his family and his own birthday. Upon his return, he told his family and roommates where he had really been. Beyond that, he has let everyone else find out for themselves.
Getting back into the swing of things has proven hard, after basically disappearing into the jungle for a few months.
"It's interesting, because you're out of the loop. A lot has changed, and I'm trying to integrate back in with my friends and family and everything. My family has been really good about it," he said. "With friends, I'm trying to reconnect with everybody and, at the same time, I have all these new friends that are like 'you're a celebrity'. It's just strange and out of the norm for me."
"Erik's 'once in a lifetime' selection as a Survivor finalist, while not only being a great source of pride for himself and his family, also creates a great sense of spirit for the Pinckney and Eastern Michigan University communities," Goodridge said.
As for who wins, Reichenbach can't say. When asked the most popular question, Reichenbach just tells everyone the same thing: "It was a tough experience and you're going to have to watch the show to find out."
Reichenbach plans on watching the show with his family initially, before watching it with other people.
"I want to see their (family) reaction to it. I'm probably going to go to a couple different places. I won't stay in one place to watch any one show."
What everyone will see is one lucky kid living out a dream on national television. — Ward Mullens contributed to this report.
