More than 500 people from Bowling Green, around Kentucky and surrounding states gathered at the Bowling Green Athletic Club Tuesday evening to attend an open casting call for the popular CBS television show “Survivor”.

Hosted by Bowling Green’s CBS affiliate WNKY, show hopefuls were able to audition for the show’s 39th and 40th seasons. WKNY has previously hosted casting calls for another CBS show, “Big Brother”, but this is the first time in several years that they have hosted auditions for “Survivor.” 

Doors officially opened for auditions at 4 p.m., but WNKY Digital Producer Atlee McHeffey said people began to line up as early as 6 a.m. 

“It was kind of amazing,” McHeffey said. “People drove and flew here and stayed in hotels the night before, which was good for the local economy. They came early and the line started to wrap all the way around the building before we opened the doors. You can tell how dedicated to the show some people are.”

McHeffey said CBS reached out to the local station, wanting to pull talent from its market and the surrounding areas. Five WKNY cameras taped the audition process, where participants were given one minute to answer questions as creatively as possible.

“They were asked questions about the game, their strategies and tactics,” McHeffey said. “’Survivor’ has a dedicated following and that’s apparent with some auditions.” 

Applicants had to be over 18 years old and bring a valid ID to receive an audition.

Franklin senior James Hill said he was auditioning for “Survivor” following a lifelong love of the show. 

“Even if I don’t get in, it’s still so cool to have this experience and be able to say that I auditioned,” Hill said.

Fayetteville, North Carolina senior Grace Reynolds said she would make a great contestant on the show because other participants might not view her as a potential “threat.” 

“I’ve watched so much “Survivor” that I could definitely strategize and play the game,” she said. “They wouldn’t see me as a threat, but I would use that to my advantage to outlast everyone and win.”

Reporter Emily DeLetter can be reached at 270-745-6011 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @emilydeletter.