A Jackson snowmobile guide was among the handful of Wyomingites who accepted the challenge to find a hidden treasure south of Jackson this past week.
She survived, and now has a chance to witness a part of the historic 50th season of the revolutionary reality show, “Survivor.”
Scarlett Hamrick learned about the Survivor 50 Challenge from her mother in Tennessee. When she heard an immunity idol was hidden in Wyoming, she encouraged her daughter to try and find it.
“My mom’s a ‘Survivor’ fan,” Hamrick said. “She has probably watched every single season and was stoked for me to find the immunity idol and send pictures from my adventure.”
Hamrick found the immunity idol and has the pictures to prove it.
Those pictures could potentially get her a pair of tickets to attend the live finale of the 50th season of “Survivor.”
Survivor Specifics
The Survivor 50 Challenge is a publicity campaign by the “Survivor” production team to build anticipation for the 50th season of CBS’s genre-defining series.
Participants of previous seasons will return to compete for a $1 million prize.
For those who have been living under a rock for the last 25 years, “Survivor” is a reality show where 16-20 people are stranded in a remote location and forced to “survive” the rigors of living off the land while doing challenges to test their strength, speed, and skills.
The centerpiece of “Survivor” is the Tribal Council. At the end of every episode, the “castaways” vote on who should be eliminated, and the person with the most votes gets booted off the show.
“The tribe has spoken,” says series host Jeff Probst, a now-iconic phrase, as he extinguishes the loser’s tiki torch.
One way to avoid elimination on “Survivor” is to possess an immunity idol. They are won in challenges and protect everyone in one of the two tribes of castaways from being eliminated in that episode.
To build the hype for the 50th season, the Survivor 50 Challenge hid an immunity idol in 50 states.
Fans of the show were encouraged to deduce the idol’s location using cryptic clues and show up at a specific time and date to find the immunity idol in their state.
Wyoming’s immunity idol challenge was one of the most exciting, touted as a two- to four-hour adventure that required skis or a snowmobile to complete.
The clues were:
• Near a town named for David Edward.
• You can always ski on by when it’s cold.
• It may be winter, but the springs stay hot.
• At 189, don’t take the opportunity for “granite."
Hamrick was one of the few Wyomingites who decided to see if she could survive the Survivor 50 Challenge.
Scarlett Hamrick, a Jackson snowmobile guide, won the Survivor 50 Challenge this past week, finding a hidden immunity idol to promote the 50th season of "Survivor." She won a chance at tickets to the live season finale in Los Angeles later this year. (Courtesy Scarlett Hamrick) 
Scarlett Hamrick, a Jackson snowmobile guide, won the Survivor 50 Challenge this past week, finding a hidden immunity idol to promote the 50th season of "Survivor." She won a chance at tickets to the live season finale in Los Angeles later this year. (Courtesy Scarlett Hamrick) 
Scarlett Hamrick, a Jackson snowmobile guide, won the Survivor 50 Challenge this past week, finding a hidden immunity idol to promote the 50th season of "Survivor." She won a chance at tickets to the live season finale in Los Angeles later this year. (Courtesy Scarlett Hamrick)
Have Snowmobile, Will Adventure
Hamrick moved to Jackson in 2020 and works as a dirt and snowmobile guide for Scenic Safaris, which offers tours of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
“Jackson's like Neverland,” she said. “You never want to leave, and if you're doing fun stuff, you never really grow up. I love my job and all the people here.”
By the time Hamrick decided to do the Survivor 50 Challenge, the internet had already deduced the location of Wyoming’s immunity idol: Granite Hot Springs, just south of Jackson.
“I don't personally own a snowmobile, but I was able to borrow one,” she said. “The Teton Tour Co. is partnered with Scenic Safaris, and they allowed me to take one down, get a few pictures, and come right back.”
The search for Wyoming’s immunity idol began at 10 a.m. Monday.
The Adventure
Hamrick heard that more than 1,000 people showed up to search for Utah’s immunity idol, which was somewhere in Antelope Island State Park near Salt Lake City.
Wyoming’s immunity idol didn’t have the same drawing power. Hamrick said she was one of about 15 people who showed up.
At the designated starting point, they were greeted by another cryptic clue.
• Ten miles remain — the adventure goes on.
• Leave your car behind; the road is gone.
• Ski, hike, snowshoe, or ride the snow; however you get there, the hot springs glow.
“That led me to think it was definitely going to be at the hot springs,” Hamrick said. “I thought it might be at the waterfall or off a different trail, but the clue made it a little bit easier to go into the experience itself.”
Undeterred, Hamrick and the others mounted their snowmobiles and followed the snow-covered road into the woods. She found her fellow castaways to be an enthusiastic bunch of adventurers.
“It was awesome to meet a lot of like-minded individuals,” she said. “It started snowing, the trail was a little uneven, and we kept going. It was great.”
Then they found it. The immunity idol was placed at the end of a perilous bridge spanning a dangerous gorge near Granite Hot Springs.
Hamrick and the others claimed the idol and documented their successful completion of the journey. They had survived the harrowing search for Wyoming’s immunity idol.
The Reality
Reality shows are known for leaning into drama and even scripting certain events at the expense of “reality.”
In a similar fashion, this account of Hamrick’s journey has been embellished a bit.
For instance, the immunity idol was placed at the end of the bridge, but it’s located at the end of the Granite Hot Springs parking lot, where the road ended, so no chasms had to be crossed to claim it.
“It was right there in the parking lot,” Hamrick said. “Some people had gotten there early, and they were waiting around and a little confused.”
The confusion stemmed from the fact that the people in charge of the Survivor 50 Challenge were running late.
Hamrick got there before they did and actually gave them a five-minute head start before following them.
“The idol was live today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but I don't think the ‘Survivor’ people got there until 10:15 a.m.,” she said. “We let them go before we took off.”
Hamrick claimed the idol, but only long enough for a few photos. Nobody got to protect their tribe with the immunity idol, and nobody kept it.
The challenge was promoted as a two- to four-hour journey into the mountains of Wyoming. Hamrick said she had successfully completed the challenge and the full journey within an hour.
Despite the reality of this reality series challenge, Hamrick had a blast.
“It was great,” she said. “It was a beautiful day and a fun experience.”
Will She Survive?
The three-hour premiere of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” will air on CBS on Feb. 25. By then, Hamrick should know if she truly survived the Survivor 50 Challenge.
Anyone who submitted a photo of themselves with the immunity idol was entered into a drawing for the grand prize: a pair of tickets to the live finale of the season in Los Angeles, California, on May 10.
Hamrick likes her chances. If they selected winners by state, the Wyoming participants have much better odds than those in other states, given that fewer than 20 people accepted the challenge.
“They said we’ll find out within the next two weeks,” she said. “If I win, I’m taking my mom. She’s the super fan.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
