The 'Survivor 45' contestants walk EW through their process of getting on the show.
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00:00 we got the final or I got the final, yes, you're casted.
00:02 And I was just like, are you fucking kidding me?
00:05 So it started in 2020.
00:11 My best friend was like,
00:12 "D, you should watch this show.
00:13 You're going to like it.
00:14 It's called Survivor."
00:16 I'm like, "All right, cool."
00:17 So I just started like binge watching everything
00:19 from there on out.
00:20 And since then, I was like,
00:22 "Damn, I need to be on this show."
00:24 Like I knew I was going to be on Survivor
00:25 before I knew I was going to be on Survivor.
00:27 I also told myself,
00:28 "Okay, how can I get above the noise?"
00:30 Because there's thousands of people
00:31 that are casting for Survivor,
00:34 well, that are auditioning for Survivor.
00:36 And then I'm like, "You know what?
00:37 I'm just going to post my audition video on Instagram.
00:39 I'm going to use my resources."
00:40 And I've built so many like great relationships
00:42 throughout my life.
00:44 And they're all going to tag in the comments,
00:46 directors in the comments.
00:48 So I did that.
00:49 I posted my audition video on Instagram,
00:51 which I do not suggest
00:52 because I had to like go over a few hurdles there.
00:55 And that's it.
00:56 Like the next day I get a call
00:57 and the casting process has multiple interviews later.
01:01 And here we are in Fiji.
01:03 - I took the biggest risk of my life a couple of years ago
01:05 when I decided to give up admission to Harvard Law School
01:09 in order to be a full-time singer songwriter.
01:11 It was a decision that every single person in my life
01:14 counseled me against and still one that I took
01:17 because I knew that it was the decision
01:18 that was most accurate to who I was as a person.
01:21 And so when I started the Survivor casting process,
01:24 it was something that kind of was in my mind
01:26 in the back of it all
01:27 is like how great of an opportunity this would be
01:29 to test this risk taking approach
01:32 and to have honestly just a big adventure.
01:35 Like I've dreamed of having an adventure
01:37 like this since I was a kid.
01:38 I was the kid who always had like her nose in a book
01:41 and was just dreaming about fantasy and adventure.
01:44 And this is a quest that I think a younger version of me
01:47 would have never believed she got to eventually go on.
01:50 - I've always wanted to play on Survivor,
01:52 but for the longest time in my life,
01:54 I didn't have the confidence in myself
01:56 to actually apply, let alone think I would get cast
01:59 and then actually be able to win.
02:02 So I just remained as a fan of the show.
02:06 And finally, just very recently,
02:09 I realized that I'm now at a point in my life
02:11 where I feel very confident in who I am.
02:14 And I really feel like, you know what?
02:17 I can finally say that I'm ready to live out
02:21 this dream of mine and be on Survivor.
02:24 And so I applied for the first time in 2020
02:28 after watching season 40, "Winners at War."
02:30 And here we are a couple of years later in Fiji.
02:34 - I first applied in like 2020,
02:36 didn't get a call back, didn't hear anything.
02:38 And you know, that to me was like, okay,
02:40 I gotta just level up.
02:41 I gotta do some cool things.
02:42 I gotta just be a better version of myself.
02:44 So, you know, I did like a 230 mile backpacking trip,
02:47 got a world record.
02:48 I like, you know, went to business school
02:50 or I'm in business school now,
02:51 doing a whole bunch of different things,
02:52 lived in different places.
02:53 And like, yeah, just applied again
02:56 and got a call back and it's been awesome.
02:58 - I was watching, I remember season 29
03:01 and got to the end of it.
03:03 And of course, you know, the Jeff is,
03:05 if you think that you could be on Survivor, apply,
03:09 you know, and I don't know why,
03:11 but that day, that particular day,
03:13 it just jumped up and like snatched me from the shirt.
03:18 I did, I submitted a tape right then in my truck.
03:20 When they called me back on,
03:22 I was driving again and about crashed my truck.
03:25 It lined up to be the time for me.
03:27 And I was a one and done, you know,
03:29 this is my first time applying,
03:31 but I've always been a huge fan.
03:33 My family, I remember us growing up watching, you know,
03:36 Sari and Rupert and Sandra,
03:38 those are household names in my house, you know.
03:40 It's amazing to be here,
03:42 to think that I could be one of them,
03:44 is like, it takes the breath out of me.
03:47 - I think I first got the call back November, 2020.
03:51 I spoke with them, they loved me.
03:53 It wasn't the year though,
03:54 and so then we waited another couple of years.
03:56 And then this year I get the call again,
03:57 like they've circled back, they're interested.
04:00 They take me out, I get wined and dined.
04:02 And the next thing you know, here I am.
04:04 - So last year I was like having a rough day
04:06 and I was just kind of like at the office,
04:09 working long hours.
04:11 And I was like, Survivor was on in the background
04:13 as it always is.
04:14 And I was like, you know what, what the (beep) are you doing?
04:17 Like, you should just apply.
04:18 There's literally nothing they're doing
04:20 that you can't do.
04:21 And like, honestly, surviving skills
04:24 is like what I do every day,
04:25 just to like exist in the world.
04:27 I'm gonna just take three minutes
04:28 and record my casting video.
04:30 And that'll be my gift to myself for the day.
04:33 Like, at least I did something for me that day.
04:35 This was a Friday night.
04:36 They emailed me first thing Monday morning.
04:38 I talked to one of the casting people.
04:40 She was like, you haven't applied before?
04:42 And I was like, no.
04:43 And she was like, how do you know so much about the show?
04:45 And I was like, oh, I've binged it for the last two years.
04:47 Like, my Paramount Plus membership really got its use.
04:52 - Right when "Winners at War" was about to finish airing,
04:56 I took that time to make my first application.
04:58 And I didn't hear back for the first year.
05:01 Second year, I got a call in about January
05:03 and they were like, hey, you know, we like you.
05:05 We think you're charming.
05:06 We think you're pretty cool, but not this year.
05:08 So we'll talk to you in a few months.
05:11 And then, I mean, after that, a few months later,
05:14 started going through the process again,
05:15 and now here I am.
05:16 And it's really great to be here.
05:18 - For a little while there, I thought about like,
05:20 wow, I wonder if I would wanna do it.
05:21 You know, and I'd see the episodes
05:22 where they're just sitting in the rain
05:24 or a bug crawls into someone's ear.
05:25 And I'm like, yeah, nope, nope, I would never do that.
05:28 And then I would see episodes where,
05:31 just like the challenges and Jeff,
05:32 I love Jeff so much.
05:34 And Tribal is like a counseling session.
05:36 And I'm just like, I literally just took a 30 second video
05:40 on my phone, just sitting in my home office.
05:42 And was like, I think I should be on Survivor and here's why.
05:45 And I sent it to them.
05:46 And that was in August.
05:48 'Cause I took a screenshot of me wearing my,
05:50 like Jeff Probst t-shirt,
05:52 'cause I have a Jeff Probst t-shirt, 'cause I love him.
05:55 And then in November, someone from casting emailed me
05:59 and I was teaching a college class.
06:01 And I remember seeing that email come up,
06:03 while I'm teaching this course
06:05 on psychological distress and disorders.
06:07 And I'm like, I'm sorry, students, like I need to.
06:10 And I went to the bathroom and responded to the email
06:13 and was like, yes, I'm interested.
06:15 And they told me to send a three minute video.
06:16 And so I got in my car right after class ended
06:18 and just took a three minute video.
06:20 And I realized halfway through I was wearing Invisalign.
06:22 And I was like, sorry, let me take my Invisalign out.
06:24 And the casting person was like,
06:25 that's when I knew you'd be perfect.
06:27 When we got the final, or I got the final,
06:29 yes, you're casted.
06:30 And I was just like, are you fucking kidding me?
06:33 And so now I'm sitting, sweating my ass off in Fiji.
06:36 So that's my story.
06:38 I applied for the first time in my life
06:40 and the beginning of December, 2022.
06:43 Ripped an application video
06:44 because I was really angry that morning
06:46 after watching, I think it was Mike Gabler win.
06:49 And I decided that that was not okay in my book.
06:51 So I was like, I should apply, I can do this.
06:53 So I ripped a quick two minute video,
06:55 sent it in and I heard back the same day.
06:58 Filled out the full application.
06:59 And then I took a month off to go to Malaysia
07:01 to visit my sister.
07:03 Came back to about a dozen phone calls
07:05 from the casting director.
07:08 Ended up here where I am now, it's mid April.
07:10 So a very expedient process on my end.
07:13 - I was supposed to talk to Jeff
07:15 like 15 minutes after the premiere of the season.
07:18 And they found out I was having a gathering
07:20 'cause I thought I was done.
07:21 I thought that was it.
07:22 I had a big party, a bunch of people were there.
07:24 We had a great time.
07:25 But I was supposed to speak to Jeff 15 minutes afterwards.
07:27 And then they found out like Bruce is having a party.
07:29 So they scrapped that and they said,
07:31 nope, nope, we'll talk on Thursday after all my press.
07:34 So I'm like, no, I'll do it.
07:35 It's fine, whatever Jeff wants, I'll do.
07:37 And I still at that point in time, I had no idea.
07:39 And they're like, nope, nope, we'll see you,
07:41 we'll talk to you Thursday.
07:42 And I got the news that night
07:45 while laying in bed with the wife.
07:47 I got the news then.
07:48 Everybody else that listened to the podcast
07:50 knew about it but me.
07:51 - I saw my first episode in 2015
07:54 when it was "Second Chance Cambodia."
07:56 But at that time I just started law school.
07:59 So I was 40 years old, just started law school
08:01 and raising kids.
08:03 So I was a single mom.
08:04 So I couldn't apply yet.
08:07 Needed to take care of some things.
08:08 It was once I felt like my kids were taken care of.
08:10 It was over three years ago.
08:13 And I said, I'm doing this.
08:14 I still remember getting an email saying,
08:17 hey, got your app, forever later.
08:20 And if you're interested, still need some stuff.
08:23 Since then I've just been applying and applying and applying
08:27 because I got nibbled and that was enough for me.
08:30 So that's been my casting process.
08:33 I didn't quit.
08:34 Even when I get a kind of a no,
08:36 I'd be like, uh-uh, this is "Second Chance Julie."
08:39 I started with "Second Chance Survivor."
08:40 I am not quitting.
08:42 So that's kind of how I got here.
08:44 - In the beginning, you put your video out there
08:47 and you get this phone call.
08:49 You know, you're being considered for Survivor.
08:51 We're gonna run you through the process.
08:52 So I'm going through all these, you know,
08:54 sending in pictures and meeting with producers
08:58 and all these people.
08:58 And it was a pleasant process, but it was tough
09:01 because, you know, I had to believe in myself
09:04 and I had to really dig deep and find out more about myself,
09:08 which is, I learned way more about myself
09:11 through this process, like digging down into, you know,
09:13 the emotional stuff and the physical stuff,
09:15 like having to really work out more and starving, you know,
09:18 and like not eating because you're gonna be
09:20 on a fricking island.
09:21 And maybe having to do like different vertical things
09:25 for the physical.
09:25 This whole thing has been mind blowing,
09:27 just to wrap it all up.
09:29 - Basically last June, I came home from work,
09:33 was like, okay, I'm gonna put something on
09:35 to fall asleep to.
09:36 And I was like, oh, Survivor's on Netflix.
09:37 Haven't watched that in a while.
09:39 I'm laying there and I'm like wide awake,
09:43 have watched the entire season.
09:44 It was like, I could win this show.
09:47 The next day, I am like, I'm applying.
09:50 I apply.
09:51 And then I have this trip coming up.
09:54 I'm going to Europe for my 30th birthday.
09:57 I'm gonna walk 300 miles across Spain by myself.
10:00 I'm literally in the middle of nowhere.
10:03 I get wifi and I see that I have an email.
10:07 It's like, hey, give me a call when you get a chance.
10:10 I start freaking out in the storm room.
10:12 Like everyone's sleeping.
10:14 We've been walking all day.
10:16 And I like run outside as far away from the building
10:18 as I can with my cell phone to make this phone call.
10:23 I'm like, hi, it's Kendra.
10:26 Sorry, I'm whispering.
10:27 You called me about Survivor.
10:29 And then proceeded to take interviews
10:32 throughout walking the Camino de Santiago
10:36 while staying at hostels.
10:38 The casting process has been amazing and exciting
10:41 and so crazy.
10:44 It takes a lot of patience to get here.
10:46 - I started off by watching season 41.
10:48 We have a Canadian winner.
10:49 Season 42, we have a Canadian winner.
10:51 And what do they do on season 40?
10:53 They don't even put a Canadian on the cast.
10:55 I was so just morally upset.
10:57 I was like, where's the spirit of sports, right?
11:00 So that's when I knew I wanted to get on.
11:02 First try, threw the video in.
11:04 Next day, got a callback.
11:05 And I knew once I got the callback, I'd be good.
11:07 Did the first finals process in October.
11:10 Hammered through that.
11:11 Basically was like, listen, you guys,
11:13 I'm going to Portugal if you don't tell me all this.
11:15 So tell me what's going on.
11:16 They're like, we can't tell you yet, but looking good.
11:18 Wait until the beginning of the year
11:20 before you book anything.
11:21 Then I came to LA.
11:23 They cut my interview off like 10 minutes.
11:24 They're like, who was the hardest person to interview with?
11:26 I was like, none of you guys.
11:27 This is so much fun.
11:28 And yeah, and then I got on, first try.
11:31 - I sent in a couple of videos when I was in undergrad.
11:34 Then after undergrad, I went straight into law school.
11:36 And when I was in law school, I didn't send anything in.
11:38 Law school is obviously very difficult.
11:40 And over the course of law school,
11:42 I managed to lose 80 pounds,
11:44 developed an entirely healthier lifestyle.
11:47 And this was the first video I sent in after law school.
11:49 And I didn't even start my new job.
11:51 When I got the call from them,
11:51 I made the video and said, yep, I'm an attorney.
11:54 I'm all good.
11:55 I didn't even know if I passed the bar yet.
11:56 I was hoping, I had like my fingers crossed
11:58 just in case, hedging my bets a little bit.
12:00 Yes, I got the call.
12:01 Like before I even started my real job as an attorney,
12:04 I was working as a law clerk.
12:06 When I got the call, I was gonna start my new job
12:07 in like a week.
12:08 And then, you know, I got more calls and now I'm here.
12:12 - I actually started watching the show
12:14 really for the first time during the pandemic.
12:16 And I was working as a COVID nurse in New York City.
12:20 So that was really, you know,
12:23 the most challenging thing I've ever had to do in my life.
12:25 Pretty much since then, I've been obsessed with it.
12:26 And I've been watching,
12:28 I've watched like almost every season
12:29 in the span of two years.
12:30 So it's like, the speed is a little crazy.
12:33 And, you know, after going through something
12:36 so like life-changing and scary,
12:39 I just realized that I have a lot more
12:41 like resilience and grit.
12:43 And, you know, I don't wanna let anything hold me back
12:46 after I've, you know, seen, you know,
12:48 really difficult things.
12:49 Like life is really short and I just wanted to go for it.
12:51 And I had this thought,
12:52 I was watching this show that I love.
12:53 And I was like, well, why don't I just try?
12:55 I tossed my hat in the ring kind of late last year in Jan,
12:59 so January, 2022.
13:01 I got a call from casting and they were like,
13:03 we love you, but you're super late for season 43 and 44.
13:07 And so I had to wait quite a long time,
13:10 but I'm here now.
13:12 So I'm really, really appreciative to be here
13:14 and I'm super excited.
13:15 - I had been sending in videos for "Survivor"
13:17 from the age of, I believe, 11.
13:19 I saw my first episode in September of 2008.
13:22 I watched "Gabon" and I knew instantly
13:24 I needed to do this in some capacity.
13:25 So I started my journey then.
13:27 I went many years without calls, obviously,
13:28 because putting an 11 year old out here
13:30 is probably not the most ideal thing for legal.
13:32 Once I turned 18, I still sent in videos every year,
13:34 didn't hear anything,
13:35 heard something in September of 2021,
13:37 did the whole process,
13:38 was very close to being on "Survivor 44."
13:40 Ultimately that did not work out.
13:42 I was, you know, still very hopeful
13:43 that this would happen for me.
13:44 And in August of 2022,
13:46 I got a phone call from the casting team saying,
13:48 hey, you wanna try this again?
13:49 And I said, I will do this every year
13:50 until I'm dead or you put me on this thing.
13:52 And we're here.
13:53 So it worked out.
13:54 (whooshing)
13:57 [BLANK_AUDIO]