How Survivor Winner Tyson Apostol Is Exploring The Show’s Casting Process

Survivor champ Tyson Apostol is helping fans to understand how the show’s casting process works, and how it has changed over the years.

Survivor legend Tyson Apostol is well-known for playing on four seasons (he won Blood vs. Water), and now, he’s shedding light on the show’s secretive casting process. Tyson first competed on Survivor in the show’s 18th installment, Tocantins, in 2009. The former professional cyclist and Division I swimmer showcased biting wit and snarky confessionals, but got voted out for being a physical threat. He was brought back for Heroes vs. Villains in 2010. However, an early error cost him the game. He lived up to his potential on Blood vs. Water in 2013, when he became the Sole Survivor, earning him a spot on Winners at War in 2020.

Tyson co-hosts several podcasts, including the Major League Pickleball Podcast (with Michelle McMahon and Casey Patterson), Life with Boston Rob and Tyson Apostol (with Survivor icon “Boston” Rob Mariano), and News AF (with Survivor All-Star Rob Cesternino and Danny Bryson). Additionally, Survivor‘s Tyson Apostol launched his own Survivor podcast, The Pod Has Spoken, on The Ringer network in 2021. He hosts the show along with NFL writer Riley McAtee, and the duo analyze current Survivor seasons. They also interview former players and notable fans about the show.

Related: Why Survivor Season 44 Will Be Better Than Season 43

Tyson Apostol Is Clearing Up Survivor’s Casting Methods

As part of his off-season Survivor coverage on The Pod Has Spoken, Tyson has been conducting a series of interviews with former players, where they discuss what the casting process for the show was like. Calling the series “Casting Throughout the Eras,” the podcast serves as a deep dive into how the Survivor casting process works, and how it has changed over the 20-plus years that the show has been on the air.

The first episode featured Tyson interviewing season 1 contestant Gervase Peterson about how he became a part of Survivor‘s historic first season, which was a cultural phenomenon in 2000. Tyson followed that interview up with chats with former winners Tina Wesson and J.T. Thomas, whose casting journeys illustrated how the show had evolved throughout the years. Tyson shares his own recollections during the conversations.

Tyson Apostol’s Podcast Is A Peek Behind The Scenes Of Survivor

Tyson’s Casting Throughout the Eras podcast series is a treasure trove of informative and entertaining stories about Survivor casting. It provides many details about the show’s fairly secretive casting process, including what the final round of casting in Los Angeles is like for prospective contestants, as well as how the show’s producers and Jeff Probst conduct interviews to decide who will make the cast or not. It also tracks the evolution of Survivor‘s casting from the days of videotapes and snail mail to the digital age, giving listeners a detailed inside look into the behind-the-scenes action that goes into crafting a Survivor season.

Tyson’s podcast series is an invaluable resource for anyone who is interested in applying to be on Survivor, or for those who are curious about how the show comes up with its compelling casts of players, season after season. Of course, Tyson injects humor and levity into every interview, so the podcast is both comprehensive and light-hearted. All in all, the podcast serves as a reminder that reality TV casting can be a grueling process, and it usually takes a lot more than a quick audition video for a person to end up on a show like Survivor.

More: Why Firefighter Danny Massa Is A Major Threat To Win Survivor 44

Survivor 44 premieres Wednesday, March 1, at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.

Sources: The Pod Has Spoken, Tyson Apostol/Instagram