Remember Erik Reichenbach from Survivor Micronesia?  Some long-time fans of the show believe that the 22-year-old Pinckney, Michigan native suffered one of the most memorable blindsides and eliminations on Survivor.

Basically, despite being in the final four, Erik faced tough competition as the other three girls formed a pretty solid alliance.  When he won immunity leading to the tribal council, for some inexplicable reason, the girls were able to convince him to give it up.  The result was the most embarrassing and just downright naïve moments in Survivor's history.

It is ironic, then, how Erik says it is “teamwork” that is the key lesson students need to learn during a day at a summer camp called Camp Super Summer sponsored by Birmingham Public Schools.  That was the last thing he got during his stint on Survivor.

Erik  answered questions about wild animals and gross food, both Survivor trademarks, and signed autographs for excited kids

"I watched the show and I liked him a lot," said Josh, 9, of Southfield, who lined up to get his autograph.  "Now I know what to do if I ever get in a situation where I need to survive."  Meanwhile, Katelyn, 12, or Redford said, “I like how he took a chance and never gave up.”  Sam, 9, of Beverly Hills, put things in perspective. “To see what he went through, it makes it easier for what we do in games like Capture the Flag and Scatterball.”

A big Survivor fan, Erik said he had been really little when it first came out but has gotten hooked nevertheless.

“And I was reading the book Lord of the Flies, and I made the comparisons.  That's like the first time when the light bulb went off in my head, like oh, there's psychology going on.  I was way too young to apply, but I really wanted to.”


-Glenn L. Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: The Detroit News
(Image Courtesy of CBS)