Portrait of Erik Reichenbach

Erik Reichenbach

I want to give individual immunity to Natalie. Survivor 16, E13

Played on

72 days played

Game record

Vote alignment67%of 21 ballots

43rd percentile of 423 castaways

Immunity record4career immunity wins

97th percentile of 751 castaways

Days played92%of 78 possible days

Share of days available, not a rank

Occupation at casting Ice Cream Scooper, Comic Book Artist Hometown Santa Clarita, California

Played with 38 castaways across 2 seasons See every connection ↓

Reichenbach has shared a beach with thirty-eight castaways, inside the most-connected tenth of everyone who has played.

Biography

Erik Reichenbach is forever tied to what many call the dumbest move in Survivor history. On Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites (Season 16), holding individual immunity in the final five, the trusting ice-cream scooper was sweet-talked by the "black widow" alliance into giving his immunity necklace away, and was promptly voted out.

The blunder became instant Survivor legend, but Erik returned to rehabilitate his reputation on Survivor: Caramoan (Season 26) with a more self-aware, competitive game.

Good-natured and gracious even about his infamous mistake, Erik Reichenbach remains one of the most memorable fan-favorite characters of the modern era, proof that a single moment of misplaced trust can echo through Survivor history.

Get to know Erik Reichenbach

Erik Reichenbach's own answers from the pre-game cast profile CBS published before the season aired.

Claim to fame
Survivor: Micronesia.
Hobbies
Drawing, running and traveling.
Pet peeves
Quiet or opinion-less people.
Inspiration
My Dad and my girlfriend, Dana.
Castaway they say they are most like
Ozzy – I am great at challenges too!
Why they wanted to play
To show everyone that I am really not dumb, and in actuality I am a smart, funny guy who just does things in a different way.

Birthplace, pre-game profile and alliance facts adapted from Survivor Fandom and Wikipedia, retrieved 2026-07-21. Licensed CC BY-SA.

Fan poll Players

Survivor Hall of Fame: is Erik Reichenbach in or out?

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Seasons

Season Result Days Tribes Votes against Confessionals
Micronesia Season 16, 2008 13th voted out Airai Malakal Dabu 7 39
Caramoan Season 26, 2013 Medically evacuated Bikal Gota Enil Edam 2 15

The vote that ended Erik Reichenbach's best run

Four of the five ballots named Erik Reichenbach on day 36 of Survivor 16: Micronesia, a 4-1 vote.

Parvati Shallow, Amanda Kimmel, Cirie Fields and Natalie Bolton

Erik Reichenbach voted for Parvati Shallow.

Castaway network

Erik Reichenbach’s connections

The strongest overlaps are surfaced first; every castmate is organized by season below.

38
castaway connections
25
tribemates
2
winners
19
returning players

Connections worth exploring

Repeat pairings, other-show overlaps, tribe overlap, winners and Survivor veterans rise to the top.

Survivor 26

John Cochran

2 Survivor seasons

Shared a tribe Winner

Every castaway, by season

Open a season for the complete cast list and the context behind each connection.

Micronesia Season 16, 2008 19 castaways 1 winner 10 returning players View cast

Explore the full Micronesia cast →

Caramoan Season 26, 2013 19 castaways 1 winner 9 returning players View cast

Explore the full Caramoan cast →

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