You might have seen their posters around campus, or chatter on FIZZ that there is a new club that has been stirring up some commotion at Fairfield. This past weekend, Survivor For A Cause made its debut at Fairfield as it delivered all the strategy, suspense, and social maneuvering of “Survivor,” condensed into a one day packed event.
The newly formed club invites students to pay $10 to compete in a series of challenges inspired by the long-running reality show, with a $50 prize on the line. But while the cash reward may be modest, the remaining money is sent to the charity “Wine to Water” as the cause.
For club president Dylan Lounsbury, the idea has been years in the making. He explained that what began as a high school passion project quickly evolved into something much larger.
“My senior year in high school it was a school-wide fundraiser. We presented a commercial, it was a whole assembly. I announced this master “Survivor” I was going to do. This was going to be the big thing.”
That event raised $150 for the winner and hundreds more for a local animal shelter.
His passion for philanthropy deepened during his time with Fairfield’s Humanitarian Action Club, where he was introduced to Wine to Water.
“We are in a global water crisis, one in four people are without access to clean water. Women and children travel one average 2.5 miles round trip to collect dirty drinking water. People die from water-related illnesses everyday. It’s terrible.”
Ultimately, Survivor For A Cause was born with one clear mission:
“My goal is to raise as much money for Wine To Water as possible.”
Beyond fundraising, Lounsbury emphasized the social impact of the event.
“‘Survivor’ is something I’m passionate about. It’s awesome to see how this game can forge new relationships. Not only can it create new friendships where people might never interact elsewhere, they’re raising money for a great cause.”
The first event exceeded his expectations.
“I was thankful we were able to get the players for the event. I was extremely surprised at how the game played out. I thought one side was going to dominate, but it was extremely dynamic. Everyone had very equal odds of winning.”
“Despite how cutthroat it is, it’s a game. It’s fun, it’s strategic, and even if you get voted out, it’s still a lot of fun.”
Participants seemed to agree.
“I’ve never watched any challenge shows so I didn’t know what to expect but overall it was so fun!” exclaimed sophomore Sabrin Abbe. Despite going in with no prior knowledge of the format, Abbe said the experience exceeded her expectations and added that she would return to compete again.
The event opened with “Telecommunications,” face-paced memory game where players competed one-on-one to memorise and correctly recite alliterative phrases and racing to ring a bell at the end of the first floor hallway in Bannow. But in true “Survivor” fashion, there was a twist.
Off to the side of the main phrase sheet sat a hidden opportunity, contestants could intentionally lose a point by declaring, “I wish to sabotage my team for my own greedy gain in this game,” earning themselves an advantage for later rounds. The decision forced players to weigh loyalty against personal strategy within minutes of the game’s start, setting the tone for the rest of the competition.
Throughout the day, advantages like Extra Vote added layers of strategy. But unlike the island setting of the original show, this version unfolded across familiar campus landmarks, turning Fairfield into its own competitive field.
What began as a $10 buy-in event quickly evolved into a full social experiment. Alliances formed and fractured with players gambling with sabotage. And in the end, only one contestant could claim the title.
“This was organized really well,” said sophomore Jason Jennings, the winner of Survivor For A Cause on Saturday. “I liked going out for the riddles. I appreciated the immunity, it was a lot of fun.”
With its successful first run, Survivor For A Cause is planning its next run-through on March 28th with 16 participants. Planning to increase the prize pot even more.
