Contestant from “Survivor” visits the Survivor Club
Sunday Burquest, a competitor on the current season of “Survivor,” knows dean Mr. Seborn Yancy and was invited to meet the Survivor Club. During her visit, the club members asked questions about what it was like to be in the show.
Due to an active student body, BSM is home to many interesting, unorthodox clubs started by students pursuing their passions. Although some of these clubs amount to casual gatherings of students with common interests, some can become more.
The Survivor Club, based on the television show “Survivor“, had a monumental occurrence when a competitor from the show came to visit on Friday, October 14.
Contestant Sunday Burquest from the Gen-X Tribe competes in the current season of the show. Burquest is a youth pastor in Otsego, Minnesota; the club was able to contact her through senior high dean Mr. Seborn Yancy, who knows Burquest personally. “I learned that Mr. Yancy knew Sunday personally, and I reached out to him and asked him if he’d talk to her [about] coming to one of our club meetings, [and] he did that day,” senior and Survivor Club founder Carson Knoer said.
At the meeting, Burquest brought t-shirts to the club members and discussed the events of the episodes that had aired up to that point with them. In particular, she was open to the club members asking about her experiences on the island. However, since the filming for the current season already occurred, she wasn’t allowed to speak about anything that hadn’t been aired.
Burquest was able to speak a little about the casting process and how it felt in general to be on the show. Burquest also talked about how being on the show is different due to her limited knowledge as a contestant. “Playing the game is so much different than watching it… In the show, I’m only seeing part of the puzzle, but the viewers see the entire puzzle,” Burquest said.
Watching the show after participating in it, Burquest is able to appreciate how the viewers’ ability to see events from the perspectives of multiple contestants a ects their opinions of the show and cast. Burquest shared with the Survivor Club how the confessionals on the show convey thoughts and motives unknown to the rest of the cast.
“It’s super interesting and sometimes nerve wracking [to] watch the confessionals in the episodes. First of all, you don’t know what your tribemates actually thought about you until you are watching the season and you realize they are going to now see what you have said about them,” Burquest said.
This opportunity was met with great reception by the club since they were able to meet a celebrity from the show that brings them together. “Having a real Survivor contestant come to you for free, and spend time with you, is a great experience. It’s something I never expected we were going to be able to do,” Knoer said.
The club members were not the only ones that were excited about this visit; Burquest enjoyed it as well since she is also a fan of the show. “It’s fun to talk about [Survivor] to others,” Burquest said.
After having a success with this major event, the Survivor Club looks forward to continue expanding and encourages students interested in the show to join their meetings Friday mornings. “Anybody is open to come to the club meetings,” Knoer said.
