Although the scoreboard didn't reflect it, UB did have a winner at Homecoming.
Sophomore Dan Nilsson won the Division of Athletic's "Survivor" contest between the game's first and second quarters Saturday afternoon, and took home a $1,000 prize. He was followed by second place-winner Daniel Mansfield.
"I did it," said a happy, wet Nilsson from the on-field Jacuzzi. "I slept on an island for three nights and I had a lot of fun, but I'm exhausted."
The contest took place Thursday through Saturday, culminating in a cheering contest at the end of the game's first quarter. During the competition, contestants were not allowed back to their rooms to change or shower unless doing so was part of a challenge. They were escorted to class, given separate times to do homework and sleep, and were forced to carry their sleeping bags and books everywhere.
Contestants caught without their tribal head tie, sleeping or studying during the wrong times, or without their baggage were voted off "Survivor Island," the grassy area within North Campus' Lee Loop where contestants set up camp.
"We have immunity challenges, award challenges and tribal council where some survivor will be voted off, so they need to out-spirit, out-cheer and out-last everybody," said Robert Suglia, student relations coordinator in the Division of Athletics.
Survivor challenges included dance lessons taught by the Dazzlers, UB's dance team; a cheering challenge by the UB cheerleading squad; a game of Twister and the task of holding an egg between one's teeth without breaking it.
The 35 survivors were culled from over 200 interviews, according to Suglia. Selected contestants were then divided into four color-coded tribes for team building.
"A lot of the survivors from last year liked it so much that they volunteered this year for this event, so [I know] it gave a good, lasting impression," Suglia said.
After the winner was announced, the survivors congratulated each other and jumped into a Jacuzzi in the corner of the stadium. Following congratulations, contestants went to collect their belongings and say goodbye.
Group pictures and hugs reflected that the collective activities and events the survivors endured forged a bound among them, though they were all happy to be able to bathe and shower after the game.
Andrew Michaeloff, an intern in Suglia's office and last year's fifth place Survivor contestant, listed "getting along well with others, not being annoying, and who knows a lot of people on campus" as necessary ingredients for victory.
"All the people on Survivor are cool; the majority of us are all going to go hang out tonight, probably," said Nilsson.
When asked what he plans to do with his prize money, Nilsson had "no idea."
