- A lifelong Survivor fan is hoping to change into a contestant on the present
- After many modifications in her life in recent times, Jeni Schmidt has needed to compete on the truth sequence, however hasn’t heard again after submitting three software movies
- Schmidt tells PEOPLE how she bought the thought to make the newest software video part of her marriage ceremony day
A girl deeply related to Survivor included her want to get on the present into her marriage ceremony day.
Jeni Schmidt of Austin, Texas, tied the knot in November 2024. When she was planning her big day, she discovered time to incorporate a recreation — a DIY creation she made along with her husband. The puzzle recreation is much like the kind one may encounter on the truth competitors sequence.
“I’ve been watching Survivor my complete life. It began in childhood. I actually hated taking baths after I was a child and so one of many solely methods my mother and father may get me to do [it] was to place Survivor on slightly TV,” Schmidt tells PEOPLE.
“The best way some individuals would sit down and watch a sport with their mother and father, watching Survivor is my exercise with my mother and father,” she continues. “As I grew up slightly, I wasn’t watching it each season or each week. Then I rekindled it a couple of years in the past, throughout COVID. Like loads of superfans, I had all this free time and the seasons have been all on-line. So I went again and watched from season 1 all the way in which as much as the current. We began a gaggle chat and it simply turned our favourite factor to speak about.”
Other than her work at TikTok, Schmidt can also be a serial entrepreneur alongside her husband. The 2 determined to recreate the Survivor puzzle as considered one of their many tasks. It was additionally good follow for Schmidt, who had began making use of to be on the present a couple of years again.
By no means miss a narrative — join PEOPLE’s free day by day e-newsletter to remain up-to-date on one of the best of what PEOPLE has to supply, from celeb information to forcing human curiosity tales.
“We’re very artful. We like to construct and design and so we made our personal cornhole boards. We made our personal ladder ball. We selected the puzzle and after we did it, we’re like, ‘I’ve to have this at our marriage ceremony. This could possibly be my precise second to catch their eye, as a result of if I am in my marriage ceremony costume with everybody round me, it will be one thing completely different,’ ” Schmidt shares.
“Up till this level, my software movies have been simply me filming myself privately, nobody round or listening. They do say you may embody a few of your loved ones and pals to point out what you are like once you’re round them. So this was an epic solution to attempt to seize consideration.”
Schmdit auditioned 3 times previous to her newest try. The tries got here after she went by a serious shift in her life.
“A few years in the past, I went by a fairly large breakup amid COVID and took the time to actually do the work on myself. I educated and did a half marathon, all of the remedy on this planet. I used to be residing in Portland on a regular basis, so I used to be out mountain climbing in nature and connecting with myself. I wanted to do one thing for myself and I thought of Survivor,” she says.
“It is placing your self to the last word take a look at. I’ve finished a lot work and Survivor was a solution to put myself to my roots, strip away every thing. It will be an superior religious expertise. It simply felt like the fitting subsequent step,” she provides.
“I am not one to sit down in entrance of the digital camera and discuss myself. The primary time I auditioned, I made my video whereas I had roommates, so I used to be slightly nervous. I did not need individuals to listen to me so I used to be fairly quiet on my cellphone. It did not come off robust or mirror my full self as a result of I used to be making an attempt to maintain it quiet,” she recollects.
“I keep in mind speaking about my function at TikTok, what I do for work and the way that interprets to Survivor. My slogan was, ‘I assist manufacturers spend hundreds of thousands of {dollars} each day. Now it is my flip to determine find out how to spend one million {dollars}.’ I additionally talked about bringing my canine as my family members for a household go to.”
She continues, “My second video, I did much more storytelling about my life. I picked my 5 most impactful life moments, each optimistic and tremendous difficult, and I filmed that as a method of introducing myself.”
“My third video, I really filmed throughout a psychological well being go away from my job at TikTok,” she shares. “It is fairly demanding so I needed to take a step again. I wrote a ebook and launched a cell bar enterprise that yr and regardless of all these huge successes, I felt misplaced. I did that software video, which was like, ‘I am completely having a quarter-life disaster about what I need to do for work and my profession.’ ”
However this time was completely different. On Nov. 23, Schmidt was surrounded by family members cheering her on as she accomplished the selfmade puzzle at her marriage ceremony.
“A few of my pals who’re in our Survivor superfan chat knew about it, however most individuals that have been going to be a part of our marriage ceremony did not know. It was undoubtedly probably the most memorable factor that occurred at our marriage ceremony,” she says.
“Folks went wild, they thought it was so cool. Lots of people have not watched Survivor shortly and since then, they’re going to textual content me like, ‘Okay, I am two seasons in.’ It bought them into the present.”
The response was so nice that Schmidt determined to share the second on her TikTok. Since then, it is gotten greater than 1.5 million views.
“I believe anytime individuals share their passions with different individuals, it will be properly obtained. As somebody who works at TikTok, I actually do consider there’s a lot pleasure available. Sharing my video with the broader world outdoors my family and friends has simply been wonderful. So many individuals really feel that pleasure for my ardour and are enthusiastic about it,” she says.
“Quite a lot of the feedback on my video have been like, ‘I’ve by no means watched Survivor, however rooting for you and cheering for you.’ There’s a lot group that may be had round Survivor.”
Robert Voets/CBS/Getty
Noting some Survivor candidates do not get calls to maneuver on within the audition course of for years, she’s feeling higher about her probabilities than ever.
“It could possibly be one yr, two years, three years, 4 years. The timeline is to be decided,” she says. “However it’s meant every thing to me, really, to listen to all of my family and friends within the background, chanting my title when most of them have not even seen the present, simply because they know the way particular it’s to me. They need to cheer me on and be part of it,” she says.
“Survivor is difficult. You do not get good sleep, you do not eat. The climate might be unhealthy, however I simply know I would have the sound of them cheering me on behind my head to get me by these moments,” Schmidt continues.
“I take into consideration the expertise that initially drove me to use to Survivor, and I did not consider in myself for a really lengthy interval of my life. Now I lastly really feel like I consider in myself to do that present and that I can conquer something. I can do exhausting issues.”
After rising up with monetary struggles, Schmidt is hopeful she’ll make her means on the present, win the million — and be capable to make life slightly simpler for those she loves.
“I consider the explanations Survivor is particular to me is as a result of rising up, my household did not have some huge cash. It was all the time enjoyable for us to daydream about what we might do with one million {dollars}. Once I was 16, my mother was identified with a coronary heart situation and it fully modified the trajectory of my household. She misplaced her job after which we had all these medical payments as a result of she could not work. After which, it was across the similar time because the recession. My dad was an actual property agent and that was unhealthy. We ended up having to promote our home and downsize our life and it was undoubtedly one thing that affected my psychological well being, having to take care of a monetary shortage mindset,” she says.
“I believe the fun of Survivor and the concept I may win one million {dollars} and alter the overall trajectory of my mother and father’ life with a present I watched with them … It is a lovely thought to have the ability to care for them into their retirement and care for my circle of relatives. I believe that is why lots of people love the present … it fully modifications your life and experiences past that.”
