Over the last 25 years, “Survivor” has been renowned for casting everyday civilians to take part in the “ultimate game of survival” for a chance to take home the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million dollar prize that comes with it.
That being said, plenty of celebrities, from Billie Eilish and Jimmy Fallon to Neil Patrick Harris and Keke Palmer, have also expressed their interest in leaving behind the creature comforts of fame to prove that they’ve got what it takes to outwit, outplay and outlast on the Emmy-winning reality competition series.
GettyNow, the list of stars vying for a spot on a future season of “Survivor” has grown even longer as A-list actor Glen Powell, known for his roles in projects like “Twisters” and “Chad Powers,” revealed that he’s been harboring a secret obsession with the series for decades.
Glen Powell Opens Up About His Love for ‘Survivor’
While promoting his latest film project, a reboot adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Running Man” – set to hit theaters on Friday, November 14 – Powell opened up about his longstanding love for “Survivor.”
“As a huge fan of ‘Survivor,’ I always wondered how I’d play that game,” said the 37-year-old actor in the CBS crossover promo. “In ‘The Running Man,’ I found out.”
Though there are some stark differences between the family-friendly competition fans see on an average season of “Survivor” and the deadly game of survival that Powell’s character Ben Richards faces in “The Running Man,” the basic concept is the same: To survive for 30 days on a top-rated reality show without being “eliminated.”
The “Top Gun: Maverick” star had rarely commented on his status as a “Survivor” superfan before Parade debuted the crossover promo, which featured scenes from both “The Running Man” and the currently-airing “Survivor 49” with the tagline: “Survival is the Name of the Game.”
That being said, Powell’s history with the series actually spans back more than 20 years.
Powell Competed on a ‘Teen Survivor’ Spin-Off Before Acting Fame
In 2003, when the actor was just 13 years old, he appeared on Season 2 of the Discovery Kids reality competition series “Endurance.” Branded as a “teen ‘Survivor,’” the series saw kids from ages 12 to 15 compete in challenges that tested their physical strength, their mental fortitude, and their social savvy for the chance to win an all-expenses paid vacation package to exotic locations around the world.
Unfortunately for Powell, he was eliminated in the first episode of the 2003 season, bringing his “Survivor”-adjacent journey to a close more than 20 years before the actor opened up about his love for the CBS flagship series. Later the same year, Powell made his acting debut, playing an unnamed role in “Spy Kids 3: Game Over.”
Though Powell was unable to endure his “Endurance” experience, the series – which aired its final season in 2007 – did produce a number of players who would go on to find success in the reality TV circuit.
The list includes MTV star Jonna Mannion, who has since appeared on both “The Real World” and multiple seasons of “The Challenge,” as well as “Survivor” alum Jonathan Young.
Young, who made his CBS debut on the cast of “Survivor 42,” and who will return next February on the cast of the show’s milestone 50th season, similarly competed on “Endurance” in 2007, finishing the teenage competition in a respectable third place.
While fans likely can’t expect to see Powell join the “Survivor” family any time soon, they can catch the A-lister when “The Running Man” hits cinemas nationwide on Friday, November 14.
