After competing on “Survivor” Season 47 last year in Fiji, Sue Smey is now facing an entirely different kind of “Beast.”
Smey, 60, is currently competing on Season 2 of “Beast Games,” the Amazon Prime reality competition hosted by YouTube star MrBeast. Filming wrapped in August, and the season premiered Jan. 7. As of this week, Smey remains among the top 20 contestants.
Last Wednesday, her family cheered her on from Oceanside as the latest episode showed Smey returning to Fiji — this time for a special crossover challenge that merged the worlds of “Beast Games” and “Survivor.”
Before stepping into the reality TV spotlight, Smey spent years working in health care. She lived in Baldwin for a year and later in Oceanside from 1990 to 2010, where she worked as a scrub tech at Mercy Medical Center.
Long before reality television entered the picture, she said she felt a pull toward something more thrilling.
That pivot led Smey to aviation. She learned to fly helicopters and airplanes and, in 2020, opened her own flight school, Whisky Foxtrot Aviation, in Lagrangeville.
‘Survivor’ to ‘Beast Games’
About four years after launching her flight school, Smey took on one of the most physically and mentally demanding challenges of her life: spending 26 days competing on “Survivor” for a $1 million prize. She ultimately finished as second runner-up.
A year later, she applied for “Beast Games” Season 2, where contestants compete in physical, mental and social challenges for a chance to win $5 million, along with surprise cash prizes along the way.
“My 7 year old grandson only watches MrBeast, and my daughter Chelsea called me and she’s like, ‘mom, can you apply for this show?’” Smey said.
She applied late in the casting process, but said producers quickly reached out. Because of her “Survivor” background — and with a crossover already planned — Smey said casting directors believed she would be a strong fit.
Worlds collide in Fiji
Those two reality television worlds officially collided during last Wednesday’s episode.
Smey was traveling by boat to a challenge island when she began feeling an unexpected sense of déjà vu.
“I kept looking for my castaway island, which is where I spent last summer filming ‘Survivor.’ I didn’t see it, but I kept thinking this is really similar,” Smey said.
As production unfolded, she noticed the filming style mirrored “Survivor” closely — something that struck her as odd until the reveal.
“When we pulled up on the island, we saw Jeff Probst and we all felt a wave of emotions,” Smey said. “You’re confused, you’re shocked, you’re excited, and for me, it was almost a case of familiarity, which felt good because I’ve been away from home for a long time.”
Smey said she was greeted with hugs from members of the “Survivor” crew she hadn’t seen since filming the previous year.
Moments later, she slipped right back into game mode, donning the iconic “Survivor” buff and preparing for the challenge.
When Probst asked for team captains, Smey stepped forward without hesitation. She advised her team to stay focused on the final puzzle portion of the challenge — often the most important deciding factor.
Although her team narrowly lost, Smey said the experience was exhilarating, noting that the additional “Beast Games” cameras brought even more energy to the competition.
The winning team advanced to a second challenge that required contestants to cling to a tall wooden pole for as long as possible. The last two remaining would move on.
“I trained for that. Before I went on ‘Survivor,’ I would go to the gym and I would hug punching bags and just try to stay up as long as possible,” Smey said. “That was the one challenge I really wanted to do.”
The episode ended with a tribal council, where contestants voted to award a $1.8 million private island to one of the two pole-challenge winners. Smey voted for contestant Ian Webber, who won unanimously.
Different lives
After the crossover challenge, Smey and her fellow contestants returned to the “Beast Games” set in Las Vegas — a stark contrast to the harsh outdoor conditions of “Survivor.”
“‘Survivor,’ hands down, was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Smey said. “There was no food, no sleeping, you were uncomfortable.”
She said the physical conditions, combined with constant strategizing and fear of being voted out, took a lasting mental toll.
“‘Beast Games’ was the total opposite,” Smey said. “Everyone got along really well.”
While she noted that the intense suffering on “Survivor” created especially strong bonds, she said “Beast Games” still fostered meaningful connections among contestants.
Strategy, staying competitive
On “Survivor,” Smey said one of her key strategies was keeping her age private. At 59 during filming, she told other players she was 45.
“I knew I was going to be with 20 and 30 year olds and me telling them that I’m 59, even if I were physically fit and did everything so perfectly, because of my age, they would automatically have me out, dead, and buried,” Smey said.
She hoped to fly under the radar on “Beast Games” as well, initially planning not to mention her “Survivor” background. That plan quickly fell apart when fellow contestants recognized her as soon as she arrived.
Instead, she leaned into it.
“I’m an athlete and I like to compete so because I have the experience on ‘Survivor,’ it (Beast Games) wasn’t overwhelming to me,” Smey said.
Looking ahead
Smey entered “Beast Games” as one of 200 contestants and now sits among the final 20.
She recalled a moment before leaving for “Survivor” that stayed with her throughout both competitions.
“I remember being afraid that I was going to be the first one voted out, and I remember right before I had to hand my phone in, my daughter sent me a text and she said, ‘mom, even if you’re the first person voted out, we’re so proud of you’,” Smey said.
If she wins, Smey said she hopes to use the money to secure long-term financial stability, invest wisely and help her loved ones.
She also hopes her journey inspires others.
“I’m hoping that I can be that person that can show people who are 50, 60, 70, you don’t have to just roll over and wait for death,” Smey said. “We have options. We can live life to the fullest.”
Though she expects to step away from the aviation industry within the next year, Smey said her reality TV journey has opened new doors — and there’s more ahead.
You can watch Smey compete on “Beast Games” every Wednesday on Amazon Prime.
Top: After competing on “Survivor” Season 47 last year in Fiji, Sue Smey is now facing an entirely different kind of “Beast.” (Credit: Amazon Studios/courtesy)
