Hi Friends!
We have some big news to share with you! This weekend the BYU Survivalist episode that we were on aired! A casting producer reached out to us on Instagram about a year ago to see if we would be willing to interview with one of their producers to be on the show! At first, I thought it might be a scam, but after a little research, I realized it was a legitimate request and we said yes to the process. We didn’t know if we’d be selected, but within a couple of months, we got the call that they had chosen our family to compete on season 3.
When we were originally selected, we didn’t know where we would be going or when, but we did know a couple of things. We would be doing a new adventure as a family and we’d be unplugging from technology. Both of those ideas excited us!
I’m not an athlete by any means so I knew it would be the hardest physically for me. Most people asked me why I would choose to go on the show. I told them I wanted the kids to see me do hard things. Things that were not pretty, things that were exhausting, and that pushed us all to the limit. So they would learn that they can do hard things in life, too!
So off we went to Baja Mexico! It was 5 days of filming, 4 days in the desert with only what you can carry on your back. That’s right… all the food, clothes, and sleeping gear for 4 days. So that meant we had one outfit, one swim suit, bedding, and military meals. It was SO HOT each day. By the end of the day, I would lay in the tent and wake up in the middle of the night not being able to move my legs at all. Then the next morning, I’d wake up and they would be working again. I’ve never had that happen to me before! The body is an amazing creation I tell you!
One thing I didn’t think about before going on shows was… where do we go to the bathroom? Welp, you go wherever you can. That’s where. No big trees to help hide you. Lots of camera crews. lol That was probably the most awkward part, but by day 3 no one in our family cared.
We had two tents for the 4 of us to sleep in which worked out just fine. We were so tired by the end of the day, we didn’t really move once we were asleep.
John’s hardest challenge was swimming in the ocean with the whale shark. He HATES swimming so it really was a big deal for him. After one failed attempted, he joined us as we plunged into the cold water the morning of day 2. My biggest challenge that day was fitting into the wetsuit. I think it took 4 attempts and me going “Bigger, Bigger” to a sweet woman who only spoke Spanish. I think she was shocked by my need for a larger size. It is what it is sister! 😂
Day 3 was the hardest day for me because of the steep elevations and ground full of pebbles, boulders, and cactus! The last time I was in that high elevations was when I hiked the Grand Canyon and got COVID. I swear I still can’t breathe like I could before COVID. So it felt like deja vu! I wanted to quit on day 3, but the family encouraged me to keep pushing forward no matter how slowly we went. I also split my pants down the center on day 3 and fell into a cactus. Thanks to whichever producer cut that from the show! I’m sure it wouldn’t have been flattering. As proof, notice on day 4, I’m wearing swim shorts.
The kids both did so well! I couldn’t believe how they adjusted and pushed and didn’t care that there wasn’t electronics, AC, or much down time. Even the fact that they were vulnerable about their feelings on camera was so precious to me. I love them to pieces. Every little ounce of them, every comment, and every smile. It’s a true joy to be their mom.
Then the race to the end! You’ll have to watch the episode here to see who wins!
We hope this inspires you to try something you’re not comfortable with. Grow together with the people you love. It was really, really difficult, but we are thankful we did it! So thankful for the opportunity and for all the amazing producers, videographers, sound staff, other competitors, and medics we met. It felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity!
Love,
Sarah and John Trop
(Josh and Harmony, too!)
