Meeting Reality Stars from “Survivor” and “Amazing Race” in Celebration, FL

Amy Joy July 31, 2011 16 Comments

Now I knew before moving here to FL that I would experience the cool, the awesome, and the wow. I had no idea that I would ever be able to meet some of my favorite Reality stars- not only once, but TWICE!  Before I head off to my next venture today, I thought I would try to blog about my yesterday since it was SO incredible- enjoy!

It was about 4 weeks ago that I was sitting at a household and a new friend of mine, Dan, mentioned that he heard the Survivors were coming to Celebration for a Charity Event.  I was so excited as I paged through the endless pictures of those coming, and I knew that I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I had mentioned in an earlier blog that I got to meet Tina Wesson on Friday while walking around town- that was exciting in itself. I was not prepared for Saturday AT ALL.

Saturday began at 1:45 entering the line for the autograph session at the local Tavern in Celebration. The signing was to be from 3-6 p.m. with a party following at 10.  Being in the position in line we were in, I thought for sure we would get in with not much wait- yeah, I misthought that one.  Their busses showed up a little after 3, and the VIP’s and Sponsors showed up out of nowhere- they got to go in first. So of course the line that was only 15 people deep became about 70 plus after all of them- bummer.  It wouldn’t have been such a pain to wait, but the kids were with me to meet them, and the heat index was well over 100 degrees.  I was trying to keep it together since I had the kids, their drawings they made for specific stars, my Amazing Race Mat, and a backpack with water bottles so the kids didn’t drop like flies. So imagine me carrying most of this, it’s hot, I’m sweating, and my excitement level just kept building.

By the time we finally got to our first Star, which was coincidentally Tina Wesson, it would be 4:45- 3 hours in line. Again, had you seen where we got in line at, you would have NEVER thought I would have waited that long.  The kids stayed in the shade and got smoothies to help the wait, so they were ready to go once we got in.

They had it set up as an assembly line- you paid $15 to get in, or $10 if you had a scavenger map to turn in, which I did.  They gave us each a free poster with all of the Reality stars pics on it- nice to have for the autographs.   Here is where the first problem lied with how they set this up- the stars were hot, as it was outside in the tavern, so they had their drinks and such on the same table you needed them to sign your poster on.  Add drips, condensation from drinks etc, and you can get where I am going with this. On top of the fact that everyone had the same poster, so one of the Survivors actually wrote my name on the back- the girls too- so we didn’t lose ours with everyone else. Thanks Francesca!!

We met each Star, one by one, as they were defined in their categories of the Season they were on.  The event is for charity, Give Kids the World, which Emily almost qualified for when she had her Cancer years ago.  I told several Stars her story and how excited she was to meet them, of course Kyra too, and they were so sweet to both kids.  The girls gave out their drawings to a couple of them, which they seemed to eat up! Kyra drew “Foghorn Leghorn” for Big Tom and “Esmerelda” for the Queen of Survivor, Sandra.  Emily drew Mickey in a Survivor buff for Russell, while Kyra drew him the whiny lion from Robin Hood who is the King in the movie. The kids really loved Philip, as he seemed to be most gracious and thankful for his drawings, as well as JT and Natalie.  Star after star, it got to be a bit overwhelming after awhile, but so exciting.

We met these Reality Stars:

1. Aras Baskaukas- Winner of Survivor Panama
2. Bob Crowley- Winner of Survivor Gabon
3. Earl Cole- Winner of Survivor Fiji
4. Chris Daughtery- Winner of Survivor Vanuatu
5. Hayden Moss- Winner of Big Brother 12
6. Natalie White- Winner of Survivor Samoa
7. Jordan Pious- Winner of Amazing Race 16
8. James Thomas “JT”- Winner of Survivor Tocantins
9. LeKisha Hoffman- Winner of Amazing Race 18
10. Sandra Diaz-Twine- Queen of Survivor Winner of Pearl Island and Heroes vs Villains
11. Todd Herzog- Winner of Survivor China
12. Tina Wesson- Winner of Survivor Australian Outback
13. James Clement- Survivor China, Micronesia, and Heroes vs Villains
14. Eric Sanchez- Winner of Amazing Race All-Stars
15. AJ Gibson- Expedition Impossible
16. Ryan Allen Carrillo- Expedition Impossible
17. Kari Gibson- Expedition Impossible
18. Philip Sheppard- Survivor Redemption Island
19. Natalie Tenerelli- Survivor Redemption Island
20. Russell Hantz- Survivor Samoa, Heroes vs Villains, and Redemption Island
21. David Murphy- Survivor Redemption Island
22. Ashley Underwood- Survivor Redemption Island
23. Chase Rice- Survivor Nicaragua
24. Andrea Boehlke- Survivor Redemption Island
25. Holly Hoffman- Survivor Nicaragua
26. Matthew Lenahan “Sash”- Survivor Nicaragua
27. Monica Padilla- Survivor Samoa
28. Ben Henry “Benry”- Survivor Nicaragua
29. Yve Rojas- Survivor Nicaragua
30. Jane Bright- Survivor Nicaragua
31. Wendy Jo DeSmidt-Kohloff- Survivor Nicaragua
32. Stephanie Valencia- Survivor Redemption Island
33. Tanya Vane- Survivor Thailand
34. Lane Elenburg- Big Brother 12
35. Eliza Orlins- Survivor Vanuatu, Micronesia
36. Bobby Mason- Survivor Panama
37. Eric Stein- Big Brother 8
38. Stephen Fishbach- Survivor Tocantins
39. Courtney Yates- Survivor China, Heroes vs Villains
40. Bruce Kanegai- Survivor Panama
41. Mark Long- First Road Rules- MTV Host
42. Terry Deitz- Survivor Panama
43. Angie Swindell- Big Brother 10
44. Cristina Coria- Survivor Cook Islands
45. Billy Garcia- Survivor Cook Islands
46. Gillian Larson- Survivor Gabon
47. Denise Martin- Survivor China
48. Jessie Godderz- Big Brother 10 & 11
49. Teri and Ian- Amazing Race 3 and All-Stars
50. Cao Boi- Survivor Cook Islands
51. Spencer Duhm- Survivor Tocantins
52. Dr. Carl Bilancione- Survivor Africa
53. Lea Masters “Sarge”- Survivor Vanuatu
54. Eric Reichenbach- Survivor Micronesia
55. Cara  Rosenthal- Amazing Race 14 and 18
56. Leslie Nease- Survivor China
57. Bobby Jon Drinkard- Survivor Palau and Guatemala
58. Big Tom- Survivor Africa and All-Stars
59. Ace Gordon- Survivor Gabon
60. Mindy Hall- Rock of Love and I Love Money
61. Jodi Wincheski- The Amazing Race 14
62. Ashley Trainer- Survivor Samoa
63. Julie Berry- Survivor Vanuatu
64. Ken and Tina Greene- The Amazing Race 13
65. Brian Corridan- Survivor Guatemala
66. Carolina Eastwood- Survivor Tocantins
67. Chris Nordhorn “The Phantom”- The Bacherlorette 6
68. Catie Upton- The Amazing Race 16
69. Krista Klumpp- Survivor Redemption Island
70. Michael Bortone- Survivor Micronesia
71. Travis “Bubba” Sampson- Survivor Vanuatu
72. David and Mary Conley- The Amazing Race 10 and All-Stars
73. Jessie Camacho- Survivor Africa
74. Francesca Hogi- Survivor Redemption Island
75. Nick Peterson- Current on the Bachelor
76. Marissa May- The Bachelor 16
77. Trent Garrett- All My Children
78. Jareb Dauplaise- Entourage, My Life in Ruins
79. Liz Lee- My Life as Liz on MTV
80. Kyle Kaplan- 10 Things I Hate About You, Hannah Montana, Drilbit Taylor
81. Maiara Walsh- Mean Girls 2, Desperate Housewives, Corey in the House

The reason I listed them was for my sake as much as yours- I like to remember who I met and who was there. They did this event last year as well, so hopefully they will again next and I will know who I met so I can look forward to meeting new ones.

After the Meet, which we left well after 6 p.m, we headed home for much RNR until the rest of our evening was to start.  Craig took the kids out to dinner and I got ready to go to the Survivor Party.  For $25 you got 2 drink tickets, finger food, and basically the chance to really get to talk to the stars.  I went alone thinking “What the heck, why not?” You have to take those life opportunities that God gives you and enjoy them- and I have learned that he will reward you ten-fold with an experience you never dreamed possible.

I entered the party, dressed up and ready to go, but they hadn’t arrived yet. I was forced to sit alone with my drink while I waited for the crew to show up. I had a moment of “What was I thinking coming here alone- will I be able to talk to them alone?” Well they came moments later and I was excited again.

I went from star to star, introducing myself- which to my surprise they all remembered me from the signing that day, along with my girls.  I had meaningful conversations of faith with Leslie, Sash, Benry, Holly, and JT.  I talked to Eric about his Amazing Race win and about how the game is played. I got hugs from Big Tom and Russell. I ate up hearing about the behind-the-scenes stuff for Survivor and Amazing Race- they were kind enough to answers countless questions I had about the shows. From one to another, I got pic after pic, and felt satisfied that I got to really know some of them.  You all know this already, but they are people just like us- they just have done some pretty amazing things in the public eye.  I found most of them incredibly kind, generous, and easy to talk to. I actually made some real friends that swapped info with me, I mean, how cool is that?

I hope you all had an amazing weekend- after such a fun and crazy day yesterday, I still managed to get my tired butt out of bed to open Blizzard Beach this morning. I will be blogging on that adventure this week, so look for that if you are interested in the water parks. Have a wonderful Sunday night, and enjoy the plethora of Reality Star pics!

Thank you for the support!

I LOVE sharing the joy of Disney, Adventure, and Travel! Every dollar you support me with goes right back into my brand for equipment, gas, and essentials. But most importantly, when you support me financially it tells me you BELIEVE in me, and that means more to me than ANYTHING! So THANK YOU for YOU!!

$1.00

Published by Amy Joy

Inspiring adventure and joy, one day at a time. View all posts by Amy Joy

Florida

2020 Road Trips, Amazing Race, Amazing Race Meets, Big Brother, Celebration, Celebration FL, covid trips, Disney parks life, Ghost Hunters Britt, Give Kids the World, Give Kids the World and Survivors Event, Hearts of Reality, Hearts of Reality Weekend, Living in Celebration, Living in Central Florida, Living in FLorida, Living in Orlando, Living near Disney, Living near Disney World, Meeting people from Amazing Race, Meeting people from Big Brother, Meeting Survivors, Moving near Disney World, Moving to Central Florida, Moving to Florida, Reality Stars in Celebration FL, Relocated to Florida Tourist, Relocated Tourist, Relocated Tourist blog, RelocatedTourist.com, Relocating to FL, Relocating to FL blog, Relocating to Florida Blog, Relocation to Florida blog, Relocation to Orlando, Road tripping in 2020, road trips during Covid, staying safe on the road during covid, the reality of living in FL, the reality of living near the magic, The Relocated Tourist, The Relocated Tourist blog, The Undercover Tourist, theme park life, Tina Wesson, TRT, TRT Blog, Undercover Tourist, Whats it like to live in FL, Whats it like to live in Florida, Whats safe to travel to during Covid, Where should I live in FL, Where to live near Disney World

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Email Address:

Follow

Search for... Search

Categories

Thank you for your support!!!

In Giving, We Create Art.

Going from “What If? to “Why Not” is my life motto and I work hard at living that every day. I share everything from moving to Florida to live near Disney World to road trips across the States. I love the cool, quirky, and crazy stuff that I can find on my Adventures, and every dollar you donate helps support my efforts and hard work. Thank you to ALL who support me!

$1.00