Chimborazo Park in Church Hill played host to the bulk of the challenges during Survivor: RVA’s second season in June.
“You’ve got to dig deep!” a voice bellows across a grassy field in Chimborazo Park. It’s a sunny June morning; temperatures will eventually reach the 90s, and at 10 a.m., things are already feeling hot and sticky. But you wouldn’t know it from the way the 20-member cast of Survivor: RVA (aka SuRVAvor) sprints into action, working in tribes to solve puzzles and win challenges, each competitor striving to become Richmond’s own “sole survivor.”
Based on the popular CBS reality TV show that first aired more than 25 years ago, Survivor: RVA takes the social and physical elements that require players to outwit, outplay and outlast each other and ports them to a scaled-down, but nonetheless intense, local live reality game.
“I think it’s the perfect mix of longevity, but also brevity,” cofounder and host Greg Friedberg says. “I see our game as rapid fire, but also as immersive. That was my goal from the very beginning. I didn’t want people to play and have it feel random.”
Live games have been modeled after several well-loved reality shows, including “Big Brother” and “The Amazing Race,” but the “Survivor” blend of physical feats and mental fortitude makes it uniquely popular with fans looking to run their own versions. Games have taken place everywhere from urban environments and college campuses to wooded retreats and true desert islands.
Host and Survivor: RVA cofounder Greg Friedberg (at right) preps competitors for their next challenge.
Friedberg and his fiancee, Emily McCauley, had the idea for Survivor: RVA soon after moving to Richmond from Columbus, Ohio, for residency at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Friedberg had launched a live “Survivor” game while attending The Ohio State University as an undergrad and sought to build a similar community-minded game among fans here.
“We didn’t have that ‘Survivor’ community when we got here, so we built it,” Friedberg says. “I wanted the community here. I wanted people to watch with, I wanted the people to talk about it with, and also, I just love hosting these games. ... There’s a lot of people here that will apply and apply and never get on [the television show], but I want to provide that experience for other people.”
Survivor: RVA’s games are referred to as “seasons” since the game’s run mimics the show’s episodic format, with tribal councils and challenges livestreamed on YouTube and chronicled on Facebook and Instagram. Condensing the normally monthlong television version into a 48-hour experience, complete with idols, tribal councils and other surprises, required a bit of know-how from other live reality games he’s both managed and played in, Friedberg says.
“I want [the players] to feel like this is real ‘Survivor,’ but real ‘Survivor’ challenges take a lot of time. There’s endurance challenges that have lasted up to 11 hours in ‘Survivor,’ and we don’t have that luxury, so we’ve had to adapt a lot of the resources we have to make it feel immersive, but also still kind of respect the timeline.”
Immunity challenges test teamwork, physical ability and logic.
The first season of Survivor: RVA kicked off in June 2025. Contestants took over a portion of Chimborazo Park for two days, spending the night at a private residence. The session culminated in a tribal council that voted local marketer Olivia McGrath the “sole survivor.”
After last year’s successful run, fans and participants kept the community alive by meeting at Starr Hill Brewery in Scott’s Addition for weekly watch parties of “Survivor” seasons 49 and 50. These local gatherings, which drew visits from former contestants and the winner of the TV show’s first season, Richard Hatch, helped garner participant interest in the second season, held June 6 and 7.
“We had so many people from the cast and last year that came back as crew members, which really upped the experience this year,” Friedberg says. “They wanted to give that same experience that they had to the next group. I think that’s what brings a lot of people back, just that excitement of being able to watch their favorite show right in front of their eyes.”
For the second season, 20 contestants competed in back-to-back immunity challenges at the beginning of the first day. They were divided into tribes that would eventually dwindle as contestants were voted out based on their gameplay, strategy and alliances. Challenges, managed by a flock of crewmembers flanking the field, included blindfolded group races, word puzzles and a “Survivor” classic: fire making.
Competitors, divided into tribes, race to win one of the first immunity challenges of Survivor: RVA’s second season.
“This year, we did have people who were willing to put in a lot more to make our supplies and our challenges feel bigger and more legitimate,” Friedberg says. “While still on a budget, our challenges this year are much more elevated and feel more like what you see on the show.”
The second season concluded late on June 7 with a win by media professional Spencer Dukoff. But for Friedberg, playing the game is about more than just getting to the end.
“I think a lot of people have learned they’re capable of doing something that they never believed that they could do, and that’s really empowering,” he says. “We encourage [players], no matter what you put into this experience, you’re going to get something out of it. Whether you just love playing the challenges, you love running around the park and finding idols, you like meeting people who love ‘Survivor,’ there is something in it for you, regardless of whether you win or not.”
Watch both seasons of Survivor: RVA at youtube.com/@survivorrva.
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