Last weekend, Michael Skupin, the inspirational speaker who was medically evacuated in Season 2 and placed second in Season 25 of the CBS show “Survivor,” spoke to men of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity about God, goal-setting, and following through on commitment.
“It was great to hear his talk. We learned a lot about leadership and what it means to complete goals,” Jeremy Filar, president of ATO said.
Skupin, who now resides in the Detroit metropolitan area, began his lecture circuit after his recovery in 2001 from the burns he received from passing out into a fire with his hands buried beneath 10 days’ buildup of coals.
“When I regained consciousness, I could see that the skin from my hands was hanging several inches below my palms,” Skupin said.
After his miraculous recovery from the third- and fourth-degree burns in only two weeks, Skupin said he felt inspired to speak to students and young adults throughout the country about how important it is to commit to goals, keep faith in God, and not let others change who you are.
“Michael’s a good speaker, and he has some great lessons for this group,” Dean of Men Aaron Petersen told ATO members before their retreat. “You’ll leave as boys and come back as men.”
Skupin used examples from his experiences on “Survivor” throughout his talk. One lesson in commitment came from a challenge while in the Australian Outback for Season 2. Each team sent their strongest member to hold 400-500 pounds of water on a pole across their back, and the first player to drop the water would be eliminated.
“Before we started the competition, my teammates, the other team, and even the cameramen, who weren’t allowed to talk, said that I couldn’t beat Colby Donaldson, who holds the record for the most ‘Survivor’ challenges won,” Skupin said in his speech. “I kept telling myself that I could beat him, but, after two and a half hours of carrying the water and my teammates still telling me I couldn’t beat him, I decided I was going to give up.”
Just before he put the water down and forfeited his chance at the victory, the pole carrying Skupin’s water broke, sending him and Colby into a tiebreaker round.
“The lesson here is that you should never ever compromise on your goals and never ever give up, because a miracle might just happen, and you would never know it,” Skupin said.
Among his lessons about life, Skupin also gave the men insights into how “Survivor” worked behind the scenes. He explained that when he was finally accepted, CBS executives flew him and the other contestants to a camouflaged compound in the Outback, where they spent several weeks learning survival tactics — just enough to keep them alive but not so much that the show would lose its authenticity.
“I didn’t win, but I’m so happy I was on the show,” Skupin said. “It honestly changed my life, and I’m happy to teach people all the lessons I learned while experiencing ‘Survivor.’”
