Sacramento firefighter becomes fan favorite on Survivor

More than 200 people packed into Drake’s Barn in West Sacramento to cheer on one of their own: Sacramento Fire Captain Joe Hunter, who’s competing on the long-running CBS reality show Survivor.

The show drops 18 contestants in a remote region of Fiji. There, they compete in physical and strategic challenges. The last one standing wins a million dollars. Hunter lives in West Sac and is more than halfway through the season, and his local fan base keeps growing each week.

“Honestly, just having West Sac specifically and the community of Sacramento come out here and try to be a good representative means more to me than I can even explain,” Hunter told CapRadio at the event. “They're such good people.”

The 45-year-old has worked as a firefighter for two decades. He’s now a captain with the Sacramento Fire Department. Since the start of the season, he’s attended weekly public watch parties, something fans say makes the experience more personal.

“The support is overwhelming and I haven't been around this solid and positive and just wonderful group in such a long time,” Hunter said. “It’s refreshing to my soul to be a part of something that's bigger than me — and West Sac is that.”

Hunter said the attention has been humbling, especially seeing his city rally behind him.

“I'm honored to say that I live in West Sac. I rep West Sac. And the people that are here mean the world to me,” he said.

A reason for playing

In past interviews, Hunter has said his reason for joining Survivor goes far beyond the prize. He’s competing to be a positive example for his children and to honor his late sister. 

Hunter called the experience “life-changing,” not just because of the physical challenges but also because of the emotional work involved.

“It is by far the most life-changing event I've ever been through outside of my kids,” he said. “It’s so impactful because you get to try to impact other people.”

He admitted the size of the crowd at his first watch party surprised him.

“When I walked in it was a little overwhelming because I thought there was going to be maybe 20, 30 people,” Hunter said. “And to have, you know, a pretty good crowd and just the vibe was so good. There’s no place like Sacramento. So if you don’t know, now you know.”

‘He’s clearly a frontrunner’

Fans at the party said they were impressed not just by Hunter’s gameplay, but by the fact that he continues to show up in person.

Sonia Leca, a longtime fan of the show from Sacramento, said seeing someone like Hunter compete on the show makes her proud.

“It’s great to see someone especially like Joe representing our hometown so well,” Leca said. “He’s clearly a frontrunner. He’s a firefighter. He’s got a great background and he seems like someone great to be representing the city of Sacramento.”

She said his willingness to engage with the public stood out at the event while he took pictures with hundreds of fans.

“He could be at home… super humble of him,” Leca said. “I think it really shows a lot of support and respect for his community.”

She added, “We love to see [a] hometown hero, you know, really showing out and coming through and supporting the community.”

Leca said if Hunter wins, Sacramento should go all out.

“Oh, we got to do a parade,” she said. “Come on, we got to put him up on a float. We got to send him through the city. We got to take him to a Kings game or something.”

‘You're instantly becoming my favorite’

Evan Bayless sits with his wife and daughters at a Survivor watch party at Drake’s Barn in West Sacramento on April 9, 2025.Tony Rodriguez/CapRadio

The connection to Hunter was immediate for Evan Bayless, who came to the watch party with his wife and daughters.

“It’s so cool to see that somebody from Sacramento is on there,” Bayless said. “As soon as we heard that, we’re like, alright, like we’re going to start rooting for him. But then he became a fan favorite.”

Bayless said one scene in particular stuck with him.

“Just in this episode that we saw tonight, like talking about like doing it for his kids, like that’s how I relate to him,” he said. “You're instantly becoming my favorite.”

Bayless added that seeing the crowd's energy in person was something special.

“I’m really hoping that Joe wins this season,” he said.

What happens if he does?

Fans gather near a cardboard cutout of Survivor host Jeff Probst during a watch party for Sacramento contestant Joe Hunter at Drake’s Barn on April 9, 2025.Tony Rodriguez/CapRadio

Several fans offered ideas for how to celebrate Hunter if he comes home with the million-dollar prize.

“There should be like cannons spraying water everywhere,” Bayless said. “It should be like a big celebration.”

Brian McGriff is Hunter’s next-door neighbor. He described him as someone who’s already made an impact in his community.

“He's just a really good guy,” McGriff said. “Great father. He'd give you the shirt off the back... just a great community man, loves his family, loves his wife, his parents.”

For now, fans will have to wait to learn Hunter’s fate. But if he’s still standing at the season finale on May 21, Hunter said he’ll keep showing up.

“Sacramento’s where it’s at,” he said. “If they’ll have me, I’ll keep doing more watch parties.”

New episodes of Survivor air Wednesday nights on CBS and stream online.