Fans Will Try to Survive Reality TV Night In February

Wichita, KS (Jan. 28th) - The Wichita Thunder, proud member of the ECHL and powered by Toyota, are excited to announce that the team, along KWCH 12, will be hosting a casting call for the hit TV show, Survivor, before its game on Saturday, February 13th during Reality TV Night. Fans will have a chance to meet several winners from the show who will be in attendance that night including Season One winner, Richard Hatch. Six former contestants will be on hand to sign autographs and meet the fans at the game. Also attending will be Sandra Diaz-Twine, the only two-time winner in show history, Bob Crowley from Season 17, Natalie Anderson from Season 29, Mike Holloway from Season 30 and Terry Dietz from Season 12 and 31.

"Survivor has always had a strong connection to Kansas," commented Dominic Gauna, Marketing and Creative Services Director for Sunflower Broadcasting. "Jeff Probst is a Kansas guy, we've had a few Kansans compete on the show, and a winner. Danni Boatwright won the million dollars during Survivor: Guatemala. You add the fact that former Jayhawk Scot Pollard is competing this season and it kind of feels like Survivor is a Kansas thing. It would be great if we could continue this Kansas connection and have another KWCH 12 viewer on the show."

Applicants will have one minute to explain why they could be sole Survivor. Staff from KWCH 12 will ask them several questions from how they plan on winning Survivor to what past Survivors they relate to most.

Potential Survivor contestants must be 18 years or older at the time of application, United States citizens and living in the United States, in excellent physical and mental health, and must authorize producers to conduct a background check. For a full list of eligibility requirements please visit kwch.com.

The prize for winning Survivor is $1,000,000, but this prize money will not come easily. Survivor competitors must be willing to commit to traveling and living in a remote location for approximately seven weeks. Contestants will be filmed up to 24 hours a day. Survivor is a reality television show. Contestants will actually be living in a remote location, and they will be responsible for building their own shelter and finding their own food.

Fans will also have a chance to win a tribe flag from the set of last season's Survivor: Cambodia with the proceeds helping the Danny Strong Fund benefiting the Boston Children's Hospital.

"Danny is now back to school, driving, working out and doing things a normal teenager does," commented Terry Dietz, Danny's father. "He's made a strong start on a long journey, and we are totally psyched to watch the Thunder kick butt!"

The Danny Strong Fund honors the strength of Danny Dietz, whose father was a part of Survivor: Cambodia. There will be a 50/50 raffle during the game to help raise money for this great cause. To learn more, click here.

The casting call goes from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and is free to audition. Anyone interested must enter through Entrance A to get into the pre-function room. KWCH 12 Eyewitness News this Morning anchor, Jenn Bates, will be at the casting call and take part in one of the puck drops before the game.

The Thunder heads to Independence, MO for a pair of games against the Mavericks starting Friday night at 7:05 p.m.

Individual tickets for all games are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the INTRUST Arena Box office, by calling 855-755-SEAT or go online at www.selectaseat.com.

Follow along with us on our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter (@wichita_thunder), Snapchat (wichthunder), Instagram (Wichita_Thunder) and LinkedIn, presented by Wichita Brewing Company.

About the ECHLThe ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 28 teams in 20 states and one Canadian province for its 27th season in 2014-15. There have been 541 players who have started their career in the ECHL have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 29 who made their NHL debuts in the 2013-14 season. The ECHL had affiliations with 26 of the 30 NHL teams in 2013-14, marking the 17th consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.

-Thunder-