Phalen’s dream to compete on ‘Survivor’ leads him to Fiji

Kim Chaudoin  |  03/03/2025

For a young Sam Phalen (’22), there was one night a week that was sacred in the Phalen household. 

Like clockwork, Phalen gathered with his parents and brother around the television to watch Survivor, the CBS reality competition show where contestants compete against each other in a battle of endurance, strategy and social maneuvering on an island with the prize of a million dollars if they're the last one standing.

Phalen, who grew up in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois, dreamed of one day hearing Survivor host Jeff Probst utter the words, “The tribe has spoken” — but never imagined that one day, he’d be sitting at the Final Tribal Council himself.

When he was 18, Phalen submitted an application for the show but he was not selected to compete. Five years later at age 23 and a sports journalist covering the Tennessee Titans for A to Z Sports, he felt “better prepared” to try again. And so, his path to Survivor Season 47 started in an unexpected place — Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. 

"I was in the north end zone of Nissan Stadium, just walking on the field after the game against the Bengals in 2023," Phalen told The Tennessean. "And I had remembered watching an episode of Survivor 45 and seeing Jeff (Probst) do this call to those watching at home to apply for the show. Like, 'If you think you can do this, do it.'"

Phalen pulled out his phone and started recording himself talking about his life and recorded his audition video right there in the stadium. That impromptu moment set in motion a journey that would take him to the beaches of Fiji, where he would outlast 17 other castaways for 26 days, becoming the season’s runner-up.
But before Survivor and before his career in sports media, Phalen’s journey took him to Lipscomb University — a place he credits with shaping both his personal and professional life.

Finding his path to Lipscomb

From the time Phalen was very young, he knew he wanted to work in sports in some capacity. 

“When I was a kid I thought I would be a professional athlete,” he recalled. “As I got older I realized I wouldn't be a professional athlete. Then I started asking myself, ‘What is it that I'm good at?’ and ‘What is it that I have a lot of passion for?’ I started realizing that some of the gifts the Lord had blessed me with were the ability to speak, to write and to be good with my words.”

He blended his passion for professional sports with his talents when deciding on a career pursuit.

“I found myself texting friends nonstop and sports. I would go to my high school and talk about sports there,” he said. “I like talking about sports, and I'm good at it. So I knew really from the time I was in high school that I was going to apply myself toward finding a career in sports media, whether that was broadcasting or journalism. From that I was going to try and figure out what was the best path for me.”

After high school, Phalen began his college career at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, where he studied sports communication. While he found himself in a strong academic program, Phalen found himself longing for a smaller community and more personal environment. More importantly, he was looking for a faith-centered institution that aligned with his values.

“I was sitting in my dorm room one night, scrolling through the internet looking for schools that had sports media programs, and I came across Lipscomb,” Phalen said. “At the same time, I had the Lipscomb-Liberty ASUN championship game playing on my TV, and I thought, ‘I’ve never heard of this school, so I looked it up.”

“I saw that Lipscomb was a Christian school. I saw it was in Nashville, and light bulbs started to go off about all of the opportunities that could be awaiting me at Lipscomb and for somebody who wanted to go work in sports,” he explained. “I thought ‘this looks like an amazing place.’”

A few months later, he transferred to Lipscomb, immersing himself in the university’s student media program. Phalen quickly became involved with Lumination (later rebranded as Herd Media), hosting his own sports radio show and providing play-by-play commentary for Lipscomb men’s and women’s basketball for both radio and the ESPN+ booth for basketball games.

“It was my favorite thing about Lipscomb,” Phalen recalled. “I was in Nashville, surrounded by sports, and because the school was smaller, I had so many hands-on opportunities right away. That experience was invaluable as I tried to build a diverse skill set that I thought would help me get into the workforce.”

That involvement opened the door to his first job. When representatives from A to Z Sports visited a business class at Lipscomb to speak about their growing sports media venture, Phalen was in the audience — by chance. A roommate had invited him to attend for extra credit. Intrigued by their digital-first approach to sports coverage, Phalen introduced himself after the lecture and began sending them writing samples and video clips. Before long, he had secured a part-time job with A to Z, which turned into a full-time role upon graduation from Lipscomb in 2022 with a degree in sports media.

The Survivor Experience

Despite launching his career in sports journalism, Phalen never let go of his Survivor dream. He had originally applied to be on the show at 18, but by 23, he felt he had a stronger sense of who he was — and a better shot at making the cut. After a rigorous selection process, he landed one of 17 spots on Season 47, filmed in Fiji. 

What followed was a grueling test of endurance, strategy, and mental fortitude. Phalen navigated the game with a mix of charm, resilience and strategic play, executing one of the season’s most memorable blindsides — dubbed “Operation Italy.” He also secured a dramatic victory in a fire-making challenge, mounting a comeback that Survivor fans would call one of the best in the show’s history.

As the season progressed, Phalen’s confidence grew. He was confident of his abilities going into the game and he believed he would be able to make it pretty deep into the adventure. But once he got into it he said, “There were so many times throughout the season where I felt like I was running out of rope, where I thought that my luck had finally run out. Then it always seemed like something else would happen that would give me another day or give me another round so that I could advance and make it past another vote off. I had to prove to myself over and over that I could keep going.”

In the end, Phalen outlasted other contestants for 26 days and made it to the final three but fell short in the jury vote, finishing as the season’s runner-up. While he walked away without the $1 million grand prize, he did receive a $100,000 second-place prize — along with a transformative experience that reshaped his outlook on life.
“I still have mixed emotions about finishing as runner-up. I'm so proud of making it that far. I'm so proud of how I handled myself in the game and represented my family during the game and how hard I played,” he admitted. “But I also had a lot of confidence that I could win. So there is also this feeling of wondering what I could have done differently to change the outcome since I got this close.” 

Phalen said that during the game many of the other contestants became like family. Rachel Lamont, who won Season 47, became like a big sister. 

“We were on the same starting tribe together. We spent every day of the game together, and we had a really strong relationship,” he said. “I'm so happy for her, and I know what a dream it is for her to have won. I know how it's going to change her and her husband's life.”

Reentering real life

Competing on Survivor was like stepping into an alternate reality — completely removed from everyday life — with no computers, cell phones and no way to contact family and friends or to get news. The show filmed in May and June. Then when the show was over, he was suddenly dropped back into the real world as if nothing had changed. 
But for Phalen, everything had changed. While he was immersed in the intense, physically and mentally demanding game, his friends and family continued on without him. When he returned, he faced the disorienting challenge of reintegrating into a life that felt the same to everyone else but vastly different to him.

Beyond the physical toll — like losing 30 pounds — Phalen also grappled with the emotional and psychological aftermath. Unlike many contestants who had time to decompress at a resort with fellow castaways after being voted off while waiting for the game to end, Phalen was on a plane back to the United States less than 24 hours after the final tribal council. One moment, he believed he had a real shot at winning; the next, the votes were read, and his journey was over. Without the chance to debrief with the jury or fully process the outcome (he could not discuss the show or his experience until after the season aired last September), Phalen was thrust back into normal life, carrying unanswered questions and lingering emotions.

Lessons from the island

Reflecting on his Survivor journey, Phalen says the experience strengthened his faith and self-belief.

“Through this experience I learned that I'm capable of so much more than I give myself credit for. I always knew I was a relatively resilient and competitive person,” said Phalen. “But Survivor is a game that's designed to push you to levels that are super uncomfortable. It's designed to make you doubt yourself pretty consistently, and I came away feeling like there was nothing I couldn't do if I wanted it enough.”

“I dealt with a lot of imposter syndrome after college. I think a lot of it had to do with being relatively successful at such a young age when many of those around me professionally were 20-30 years older than me,” he admitted. “I thought, I’m just a regular guy. Why would they choose me? So to get selected and to go out there and to do very well for me was like a real reminder that God made me capable. God gave me gifts, and He made me extraordinary for a reason.” 

So now if I am successful at things in life or if I am chosen for cool opportunities or I just get to go and achieve things, I don’t feel like an imposter any more,” continued Phalen. “Now I embrace the knowledge that God made me that way. God made me to do those things. That’s one of the biggest takeaways from this experience.”

One of the most spiritual moments of the experience came during the fire-making challenge. Phalen, doubting his ability to win, spent time alone on the beach praying and reflecting. Before the challenge, he had a fellow contestant paint Bible verses on his face — though producers later made him remove them as the rules of the game disallowed face painting.

“I looked at the beautiful creation around me that I had called home for a month and I had this peace about me that night,” he said. “I found a sense of peace that this was an example of God's will for me. I just told myself to do my very best and never quit, and whatever happens is meant to be. Once I was able to accept that and get into that headspace, I just had a that sense of peace over me that freed me up to go practice more fire and gave me an extra measure of motivation.” 

“I was never nervous and I didn’t panic the entire night because I knew that God’s got it. I just knew that whatever happened, it was going to be okay,” continued Phalen. “And then, in this surreal moment, a gust of wind knocked my opponent’s fire down while pushing mine toward the rope. It was one of the coolest moments of my life. I get emotional thinking about it. It was a really spiritual day for me, where I felt that I was right where God wanted me to be.”

What’s next?

Now back in Nashville, Phalen has returned to his role as a Titans reporter and co-host of A to Z Sports’ morning show. But his Survivor story has given him an even bigger platform. He regularly engages with fans, sharing insights on sports and reality TV, and embraces the opportunity to inspire others.
Looking back, he sees Lipscomb as the launching pad for everything he has accomplished. 

“Lipscomb was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It was never on my radar until, God, put it there. It's one of those experiences in my life now that I look back on and realize all of the good that came into my life because of Lipscomb. It’s where I found my career, my faith community, and my fiancée, Hannah (Brothers),” said Phalen who is getting married this month. 

“I got my job because of Lipscomb, and I gained such an incredible network of friends and colleagues because of it,” he continued. “It’s a university that has a great, small feel to it while having branches and roots attached all throughout the city of Nashville. For those who want a community of people who care about each other and a university that is plugged in enough to put you in a position to succeed, Lipscomb is the place to do that. It’s a special place, and I’m so grateful for it.”

As for whether he’d ever return to Survivor, the answer is a resounding yes. 

“As hard as it was, it was also the most fun I've ever had in my life and the most fulfilling thing I've ever done,” he said. “If they call me again, I’ll be ready.”

Photos: Survivor photos, Nissan Stadium photo - Sam Phalen Instagram; Singarama photo - Kristi Jones