Survivor TBT: Tyson Apostol’s Audition Tape Remains Iconic

Survivor Throwback Thursday would be nothing without looking back on the epic audition video of Tyson Apostol

Survivor fans were first treated to the glorious and arrogant stylings of Tyson Apostol during the 18th season of the show, Toncantins. Since then, Tyson has appeared on two other season, most recently on Season 27, Blood vs. Water. Apostol walked away the winner from that, mastering the game and maneuvering through a shoulder injury to win.

For Tyson, it all had to start somewhere. We all come from some people, some place. There is a stop before we go out on this journey. The same is true for Survivor castaways within the construct of the game. Apostol’s game began with one of the greatest audition tapes in the show’s and reality TV’s history.

Filmed outside of a 7-11 convenient store assumedly in Apostol’s home state of Utah, here is the gloriousness that landed him in Toncantins and two subsequent seasons of Survivor:

First off, let’s start by saying what an obvious pick this had to be for the Survivor casting directors. For producers that are looking to sell a television show to a network, you’re going to need characters. No matter what, it’s 100 percent apparent in this video that Tyson is indeed a character.

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However, there’s a deeper appreciation that should be had for this video. Not only is it perfectly Tyson in regards to his character, but it’s also just delightfully weird in so many ways.

As far as describing Tyson, it’s pretty apparent how that’s the case if you’ve ever watched any of his three season. For those that haven’t or don’t recall, Apostol is a blend of confidence, weirdness, cockiness, and more weirdness that makes him almost impossible to get a read on. You can tell that he’s entertaining, but it’s impossible to predict his next move—both in the game and in the moment. An audition video featuring him licking a girl’s face then become a strong indicator of what was to come. Well, that and just about every other thing that somehow made the final, intentionally poorly done, edit of his audition tape.

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More than that, though, it’s simply just a fun video to watch. From the 80s arcade music, to asking Raj the gas station attendant about him and getting denied, to perfectly ending the video with the phrase “survive the s- – -,” it’s all expertly done. Thankfully, this video is in our lives—and thus led us to three great seasons with Tyson.