Five Lessons Learned From An Unsuccessful Survivor Audition
How ready are you for your own personal tribal council?
Before we get into the detail, I was not selected for the show, but the process was interesting.
Survivor – the greatest reality TV show of all time. We all know how it goes…
Outwit. Outlast. Outplay.
10’s of 1000's of hopefuls send in their applications to be selected for the next season. I was one of them.
And in the true tradition of the show I was blindsided. Literally.
No advice whatsoever that my application was not considered. Just silence and the passing of time confirming the inevitable.
Not selected.
But I’m not here to write about that. After all, if you are serious about becoming a Survivor contestant you had better have a high dose of resilience and humility.
What I will share is the what the application process taught me.
1. How well do you really know yourself?
The application process leads you on a self-reflective path that most of us would not venture. There are of course the predictable questions;
- What would your friends say about you?
- What is something most people do not know about you?
- What are some happy memories from you childhood? Why?
- What’s the bravest thing you have ever done?
When you actually have to write down an engaging answer to these, it makes you think hard about yourself and the message you are crafting.
You need to reach deep into your personal experiences to find something in your life that is relevant to the question, authentic and interesting.
And in doing so you will learn more about yourself in 30 minutes than you probably have in the preceding 30 months.
Key takeaway – sit down and write about yourself as if you are writing to a complete stranger. It is the ultimate self-reflection exercise.
2. Can you handle the truth?
Some of the questions are confronting;
- What is something you have done that you are not proud of?
- What don’t you like about your partner?
- Have you ever cheated on anyone?
- Do you have any skeletons in your closet ie: jilted lovers, sex tapes, criminal record, an alternate life?
- What is your saddest life memory?
Again, these questions force a level of honest introspection that you are normally not presented with.
Exercise — grab some pen and paper or your laptop and start typing your own answers to these questions.
The true value is answering as honestly as you can and then reflecting on these responses.
- Have I learnt anything from these past experiences?
- Would I have done anything differently?
- Is this reflective of who I am today?
- Have I grown or stagnated?
And for the record my answers were generally mainstream and probably not controversial enough to pique the interests of the application reviewers.
3. How creative can you be (without going overboard)?
The application process forces you to think differently. Answer honestly, but to do it in an interesting way.
But don’t overdo it as it may come across as being too over the top.
But be interesting. Be memorable.
Effectively, sell yourself whilst retaining your authenticity. This is actually an incredibly important life skill.
For many this comes naturally, but for me this meant trying to find the right “middle ground”.
To support the written application you must also shoot a 2 minute video clip about yourself.
Do I just talk or do I show what an action hero I could be? Do I weave in people who are close to me, play the “cute kids” card or the personal tragedy backstory card?
How do I weave some humour into the message? Can I speak to the camera whilst remaining natural?
How much production value do I put into the video? Does it actually matter?
There were so many questions running through my head on how to approach the 2 min video clip.
But truthfully I was loving it. It was forcing me to think creatively, and to not conform to any predefined standards or boundaries because none were set (apart from the time limit).
At the end of the day you just need do what you think is best, back yourself, and just do it!
Just like in life.
Think without overthinking, and then do.
Again, for the record, I did a point and shoot video, me talking authentically, the odd super-imposed photo to support my dialogue, and definitely not polished.
Key message – try shooting a 2 minute “you should interview me” video about yourself. What would you say? How would you say it? What else would you weave into the clip to convey who and what you are all about?
4. Can you step outside of your comfort zone?
When you tell people close to you that you have applied for Survivor be prepared for the reactions.
The responses were a mixture of “you’re crazy” to “why” to “that’s awesome” to “you would not last a day”.
(Just quietly, some were probably looking forward to seeing me trying to eat a live tarantula, or a BBQ’d rat, or some other native island creature that should never be considered food).
But underneath it all there was a genuine sense of “well done for giving it a go”.
They were bemused and supportive at the same time. Many quietly doubting my ability to actually survive if I were selected for the show (me included!), yet supportive for having the balls to actually apply.
It was feedback that I was indeed brave (or stupid). People I spoke to commented how applying for Survivor was so far removed from their own line of sight.
Survivor was for someone else. For others of either peak physical and mental state, or those who have completely lost the plot.
I am neither of those, but in applying for Survivor I was now an outlier in their eyes.
And that is actually a good thing.
5. Do you have the conviction?
Committing to a Survivor application is testing your conviction to actually go through with it.
Had I actually received a call-up I probably would have 💩 myself. But understanding the slim odds of actually being shortlisted, I felt like I was “all-in” from the moment I sent the online application.
I was committed, regardless of the outcome.
I admit the application process is no doubt an infinitely simpler step to actually being on the island for 5,10,20 or 30+ days, but the application process means committing yourself to some serious introspection, truths and vulnerability.
Just by being an applicant I have taken another 1% step forward in my personal development journey.
So in a small way I have outwitted and outplayed myself.
By submitting an application I have subjected myself to my own personal tribal council, inadvertently voting myself into a process of self-reflection that would not have occurred otherwise.
I guess I really did win after all.
Dene Ward shares leadership and life-hacks for those of you who don’t want to be a hack. Serious advice with the odd dose of non-politically correct reality. Here’s an example;
If you want to see what sort of leader you might be then take the (serious but not-so-serious) 3 Minute “Ugly Truth” Leadership Quiz here.
