There are many reality competitions on television, from “The Voice” to “Master Chef,” each of which is watched by millions of viewers. However, what are the odds of being able to compete on one?
In August, one Mississippi State University student got to not only compete in, but win a reality competition show for the grand prize of $100,000.
Russell Pair, a senior from Southside, Alabama, who is majoring in secondary education with an English concentration, auditioned for Amazon Prime Video reality competition “Estate of Survival” earlier this year.
“In January of this year, my mom saw an Instagram ad for a reality TV show,” Pair said. “She sent it to me. I applied for it. And after around 10 rounds of interviews, I finally got on a TV show.”
Launched by LG Electronics and running for six episodes, “Estate of Survival” involved eight contestants competing in a variety of challenges inside an empty estate to earn commodities and avoid elimination. The last contestant standing would win a prize of $100,000 and be featured in a series of commercials for the company to promote LG appliances and products.
Pair credited his mother for his love of reality competitions.
“Our tradition every summer was watching reality TV shows like Big Brother or Survivor,” Pair said. “I just always grew up around it, always talked about what I would do if I was on a show like that.”
Pair found out that he was to start filming during final exam week in may, which brought about a minor challenge for him.
“I had to rush and take all of my finals early to make sure I was on the TV show, and that was a huge risk I took. I had to go to some of my teachers, explain, and ask to take my finals early,” Pair said. “It paid off, but it was a risk and I am very glad that I did.”
Pair said that being on the “Estate of Survival” was a rewarding experience in more ways than a monetary meaning.
“You are just learning how to navigate intense social and physical situations,” Pair said. “You are sleep-deprived. You are hungry. So learning how to overcome adversity that way, is a great part of the experience.”
Pair mentioned that an additional benefit was that he got to meet a diverse group of people.
“You are just interacting with a lot of great people from all over the country and the world,” Pair said. “Tippy, for example, was from the United Kingdom.”
Besides the absence of a comfy couch to watch on, Pair said that there was a major difference in being on television that changed how he viewed reality competition shows.
“The only difference was just that it was a lot more uncomfortable physically being on the show,” said Pair. “I thought that going on the show would ruin reality TV for me, but it did the opposite,” Pair said. “We were 100% ourselves the whole time. None of it was scripted. It was just us and things played out how they played out.”
Pair has seen his season of the show and was satisfied with how he was portrayed.
“I was happy with how they portrayed us because it was us being who we are,” Pair said. “I have nothing but love for my fellow cast mates and still keep in contact with the majority of them today. They are great people and I am very happy and blessed to have met them.”
When asked if there was anything he would do differently if he was given a redo, Pair said he was satisfied with his performance on a personal level.
Of course, Pair kept his family tradition of watching reality TV competitions with his parents over the summer.
“I could not tell my parents that I had won,” Pair said. “So watching them watch me win was incredible. There were a lot of happy tears from my mom. She was screaming, she was excited. That is a special moment I will have for the rest of my life, so I am very thankful for it.”
Pair said that his experience in college aided his performance in the competition.
“My experience at Mississippi State prepared me for it,” Pair said. “It helped bring me out of my shell. I would not have made it where I am today without State.”
