Ryan Trahan and Haley Pham are not necessarily household names, especially in the Survivor community. The two are social media influencers, with millions of followers on Instagram alone. While they previously were pretty unknown in the Survivor universe, that all changed when Jeff Probst shouted them out personally on his social media as well as the Survivor official media.
Why would Jeff be shouting out two social media influencers, though, if they have no direct connection to the show? Well, it is all about the journey the couple has decided to undergo, all in the name of charity. Along the way, they have become new Survivor fans as well and have become massive supporters of the host.
So what are Ryan and Haley doing that has caught the world's attention? A road trip like no other, all in support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Ryan and Haley embark on 50-day adventure
Ryan and Haley began their adventure on June 10, 2025, in Aubrey, Texas. From there, the duo set off to visit all 50 states in 50 days, which will be chronicled daily on Instagram and YouTube. On the first day in Texas, Ryan posted not only the image on Instagram but a short caption about the undertaking as well.
"The journey of visiting all 50 states in 50 days has begun in Texas! 🇺🇸 This has been a bucket list dream for so long, and I’m so excited to be fundraising for @stjude for this project — you can even donate $0.01 just by following me here! I’ll be posting daily on YouTube and IG for all 50 days! There’s a lot of explaining to do, so go watch episode 1 on YouTube 🥳 see u tomorrow."
On YouTube, where Ryan has over 21 million subscribers, he has much more detail about the adventure. Essentially, Ryan is utilizing the platform as a short Vlog, around 22 to 30 minutes per day, showing off his experience in each state. He also breaks down the exact rules of the tour in more detail on his first post as well, including that they must stay overnight in each state.
Haley is also posting about the adventure on her Instagram, although her posts are not as consistent. To date, on Day 44 (at the time of this writing), the couple has met and exceeded their $7,000,000 goal, having changed it to $9,000,000. Currently, they have raised $8,524,034 and hope to not only break their new goal, but push it to $10,000,000. Having left off in Montana, only 6 states remain on their travels: Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, and Alaska.
Donations are coming not just from individual followers, but also major companies as well. The leaderboard is flooded with big name and house hold name brands as well.
Survivor and Jeff Probst joined the mix
Apparently, Jeff Probst has been following Ryan and Haley's adventure and is a fan of what they are doing. As new Survivor fans, the pair were thrilled to receive a personal video from Jeff himself, directly from Fiji, where he had finished filming Survivor 49 and Survivor 50. Some fans may know that St Jude's is a vital organization for Jeff, one he has visited many times before. Therefore, seeing him, CBS, and Paramount+ get involved in the fundraising makes sense.
While the exact details are not yet clear, we do know that a donation is coming once Jeff returns from Fiji and works out the details with the team. Given the Survivor connection with new fans and the ability of the television companies to donate large sums of money, it would not be shocking to see them catapult to the top donor spot. Time will tell the exact details, of course.
If you would like to support the couple on their journey, you can follow them on Instagram or YouTube for all the details on donating to the cause, or simply to follow the journey as they finish it out. Thank you, Ryan and Haley, for the amazing work you are doing for the families of St. Jude!