On the 27th of January 2024, the Loomis Chaffee community witnessed a teaser of Survive the Island: A Pelican Game in the form of a game of Cupside Down played by the Deans. Survivor is a reality competition series where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location and must outwit, outplay, and outlast each other to win a million-dollar prize. They face physical and mental challenges, form alliances, and vote each other out until only one remains. “Survive the Island captures the essence of Survivor—having a solid strategy (outwit), winning immunity (outplay), and forming strong alliances (outlast)—combined with “the best elements of the Pelican Games: Purple versus Orange versus Yellow versus Green!” as said by Ned Heckman, the organizer and innovator for this event.
The following two months were filled with applications, arrangements, and anticipation. The game officially began on the 28th of March during an all-school meeting, where players, assisted by their friends, had to think quickly and strategically to secure the first of many advantages in the game. The excitement continued that evening with a formal introduction of the five Probsts (the face of Survivor) and the twenty student castaways, followed by the allocation of tribes.
The night started with a classic Survivor challenge: players had to navigate through a series of obstacles to fill a jug with water, after which one team member tackled a sliding puzzle to secure immunity. The Green team earned the first of many visits to the lounge where they enjoyed snacks and the relief of advancing to the next round. Meanwhile, the other tribes had to deliberate and make important decisions, ultimately voting out the first members of their groups.
With the competition down to seventeen players, the tension intensified. The next challenge tested individual skills, and the first team to complete the series of tasks earned immunity, with the Yellow team joining the Green team at the lounge. The joy was short lived as the Yellow team found themselves voting out a member in the next challenge. Senior Siddharth Kilaru attempted to use his advantage by bringing finalist Will Chun to tribal council, but the strategy backfired, leading to Siddharth’s elimination. By the end of the night, only fourteen contestants remained, all equally driven to claim the title of Sole Pelican.
The following morning marked the end of the initial team phase, known as “flocks” and the transition into a merge. As players fought for immunity, junior Will Hall and freshman Manya Garodia won the privilege of lounge access, where they received an advantage and secured spots in the final twelve. The morning’s grueling physical challenges pushed contestants to their limits, leading to the elimination of four more players.
When the game resumed in the evening, only eight competitors remained, while the jury grew with each passing hour. The next few challenges required speed, memory, calculation, and pure determination. Sophomore Anna Sigrist made a strong impression, winning immunity three consecutive times and establishing herself as a formidable opponent. However, despite her streak, Anna was eventually eliminated, leaving just five players in the competition.
With the game almost coming to an end, the final five faced off in an extremely hard game of Sudoku, with yellow, green, purple and orange tiles, and the Deans’ faces. This was the ultimate game to test their patience.
Down to the final four, with a Legacy advantage – which grants immunity at certain points in the game and must be willed to another player if the holder is voted out early, Manya rolled a die to determine whether she would have a secure spot in the final tribal council or be eliminated from the game. Ultimately, luck wasn’t on her side, and she became the final member of the jury.
In the grand finale, the final three presented their cases to the jury, reflecting on their journey and strategic moves throughout the game. The jury’s decision wasn’t easy either, since each finalist had played an awesome game of Survive the Island. After a tense deliberation, the jury cast their votes, and the title of Sole Pelican was awarded to senior Michaela Howe, who best embodied the spirit of the competition: resilient and strategic. The game ended with a celebration of the success of the first ever Survive The Island!
