IU braves Survivor Challenge

Eating raw onions, diving in a pool of mud and pickled pigs feet and eating live earthworms were just a few of the events during the "IU Survivor Challenge". The event was sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ and included fifty members of Greek houses, residence centers and campus organizations, along with audience members.\nThe organization turned Alumni Hall into a survivor challenge, that tested their bravery. The contestants competed for the chance to win $500, participating in numerous challenges \nRandall Bogard, who competed for Teter Quad, felt it was good for students to branch out. \n"It was an excellent event to get people together and get them out of their comfort zones," he said. \nAlthough Bogard was eliminated after the first round challenge, he still enjoyed his experience.\nRichard Fancher, representing Kappa Sigma, won the competition. \n"It was crazy. Eating the (raw) onion was the worst...it was worse than (eating) the earthworms," he said. "You couldn't drown out the taste."\nFancher and his fraternity decided to donate the $500 he won to charity.\nAfter the challenge, audience members listened to a talk by Mike Skupin, a cast member from "Survivor II: The Outback". Skupin spoke for more than an hour, telling stories of his time in the Outback. While the show was filming, Skupin dealt with dangerous wildlife, ate bugs and learned to survive in the wild. \nWhile filming the show, Skupin also cemented his faith.\n"God speaks to us in many different ways, but we're just too busy to listen," he said. "But in the Outback, we're not busy...I began to have conversations with God."\nSkupin's biggest challenge came when tragedy struck him during filming. While tending to a fire,he passed out and fell in the fire, causing severe burns and killing approximately 35 percent of the nerve endings on his hands. He was rushed to the best burn unit in Australia and was told he would never have full use of his hands again.\nMinutes before the first of several scheduled skin graft surgeries, the surgeons removed Skupin's bandages to reveal his hands had healed.\n"There was about ten seconds of complete silence," Skupin said. "The first words out of the surgeon's mouth were, 'That's impossible.'"\nSkupin enjoyed his time in the Outback, despite his injuries.\n"It was a great experience," he said. "It changed my life."\nHe also pleased with the IU Survivor challenge.\n"I think it's great," he said. "It was designed to show (faith) doesn't have to be so stuffy."\n-- Contact staff writer Jenny Kobiela at jkobiela@indiana.edu