Pacific Northwest Survival Games: Survival Skills Competition Turned Reality TV Show | E 178

The CRUX: True Survival Stories

Bleav + Kaycee McIntosh + Julie Henningsen

Society & Culture, Halloween, Nature, Documentary, True Crime, National, Crime, Wilderness

4.0 • 609 Ratings

🗓️ 11 August 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Tony Peniche shares how his casual backyard BBQ idea accidentally went viral and became the Pacific Northwest Survival Games - a survival competition that now attracts TV celebrities and has a reality show in development. As a serial entrepreneur turned survival event organizer, Tony discusses creating competitions that use pressure and anxiety to simulate real emergencies, where surprisingly amateurs often outperform seasoned survivalists. The episode covers event logistics, survival skills training, and Tony's journey from marketing consultant to survival community leader.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, survivalists. This is the Crux True Survival Story podcast. I'm Casey McIntosh. And I'm Julie
0:14.4	Hennyson. And we are medical professionals with a passion for wilderness survival. Join us as we
0:19.6	explore real lifelife survival stories
0:21.7	and the critical moments that determine their outcomes.
0:24.7	Buckle up.
0:25.4	Adventure awaits.
0:26.5	Let's dive into this week's story.
0:30.0	Today on the crux, we have guest Tony Piniichi,
0:33.5	founder of the Pacific Northwest Survival Games,
0:36.4	a unique survival competition that's part education,
0:39.8	part reality TV spectacle. What started as a backyard barbecue between friends has exploded
0:45.4	into a viral event attracting survival celebrities from shows like Naked and Afraid,
0:50.5	alone, and even Mythbusters, with a reality TV series currently in development for major streaming
0:56.5	platforms. In this episode, Tony shares his unconventional journey from serial entrepreneur and
1:02.3	marketing consultant to survival event creator, sparked by the desire to build something meaningful.
1:08.3	From testing waterproof shelters with fire hoses to cold water immersion
1:11.8	before fire challenges, Tony's events blur the line between education and entertainment.
1:17.8	With potential deals brewing with Amazon Prime and Netflix, plus partnerships with Scouting America,
1:23.8	the survival games are poised to expand nationwide. Thanks for coming on the show, Tony.
1:29.4	So Tony, tell us a little bit about what brought you to our podcast and tell us a bit about yourself and your project, the Pacific Northwest Survival Games.
1:38.8	Yeah, so we found it about two and a half years ago.
1:41.7	Sort of on accident, if I'm being completely honest, my buddy Phil and I were really into bushcraft and survival
	...

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