Surviving with "Survivor"

By: Olivia Aragon      

Every Wednesday night at 7 p.m, members of the psychology club meet in the Roberts Center lobby and watch the reality TV show "Survivor." “'Survivor' Night” began approximately 10 years ago, with George Fox University psychology professor, Sue O’Donnell.

“One day, in Psych 314, Adolescent Development, I was making a point and used something from the show as an example. Then I laughed and said ‘y’all should watch it—it’s full of examples of castaways acting like adolescents!’ That led to the thought of offering extra credit for finding examples from the show of castaways demonstrating . . . course content.” O’Donnell stated, “Since I’m watching it anyway, I invited them to watch at my house with my husband and me and my very friendly cat. It’s grown from then, where some students would come once to watch it for the extra credit and others have been coming weekly for years.”

After O’Donnell’s husband passed away she kept up the tradition as “a way to connect with folks,” she said. “These were people who knew him and it made us happy to continue something he loved.” Normally during these meetings, there will be food and drinks provided to those who come to watch the show.

Typically during and after watching the show members will discuss the behavior of the contestants on the show. One of the most common forms of behavior that is seen on the show according to Junior Skylar Schwalb is the herd effect.

“My personal favorite part is the opportunity to bond with Sue [and other students]” said Schwalb about these meetings, “I think it offers really good bonding time.”

O’Donnell also enjoys “Survivor Night” for a similar reason, as “it allows [her] to get to know students on a different level than in the classroom. [They] get to laugh and eat snacks together—what could be better than that?”

Although “Survivor Night” stopped during the pandemic, it was thankfully able to resume at its usual time on Wednesdays. All majors are welcome to join; Psychology Club membership is not a prerequisite. Just show up, eat snacks, and watch reality T.V. in good company.

Note: Wednesday, Nov. 24, there will be no “Survivor Night” due to Thanksgiving break.

Photo courtesy: Wikipedia