As the clock ticked closer to 8 p.m., restaurant pagers beeping for people to get their food punctuated the sound of wood sliding on wood. Two people stood at the front of a marquee under a tent, heads down as they frantically shuffled pieces around to put together a block puzzle. It wasn’t uncommon for a piece or two, or three to fly off the table. 

One of them stopped, quickly scanning their work before throwing their hands up to indicate completion of the puzzle that made up the logo of the reality TV show “Survivor.” The emcee confirmed their win, and the puzzle was reset for the next pair of competitors.

Welcome to “Survivor” watch parties at PublicHouse.

Not familiar with “Survivor?” Twenty-something people are put into tribes and dropped in a remote location, where they must survive both literally and figuratively. While fending for themselves, contestants participate in challenges for immunity from elimination. At the end of each episode, those who lose immunity go to Tribal Council, where the remaining contestants vote someone out of the game. 

“We’ve watched every season of ‘Survivor,’” Kim Wood, an attendee, said. “It feels like it really kicked off reality TV as we know it.”

PublicHouse, while they serve food, isn’t quite a restaurant — more like a complex for connection. Located in what used to be First Christian Church in Springfield, PublicHouse has four different pods for food trucks to operate out of, a beer hall, a whiskey bar and an outdoor area. 

“I think it’s a fun concept to be in an old church. We have people who come all the time and tell us they got married here or they used to attend this church,” Geo Carcamo, the general manager of PublicHouse and emcee of “Survivor” nights, said. “The space has been used for a lot of things, and it’s always to bring the community together and hang out.”

One of the ways PublicHouse brings the community together is through the many, oftentimes nightly, events they host. For the next few months, that includes a weekly watch party of the 50th season of “Survivor.”

“Survivor 50” is an all returning player season, each one chosen to represent and celebrate the show’s 25-year history. They are, in theory, the best of the best. 

“When it’s your first time playing, there’s a little bit of caution, but when people come back, it’s a whole other game. There’s a level of confidence with moves and trying things, and that’s how the game evolves,” Carcamo said. 

As PublicHouse’s very own Jeff Probst, not to be mistaken with the cardboard cutout they have of the actual show host, Carcamo came up with the idea for the watch parties in 2024, when “Survivor 47” was airing.

“(The watch parties) have been a way to experiment with what works in a big space like this,” Carcamo said. “What’s something that gets people in here? How can we try different events that are brand new and fun?”

When a 100-inch TV on the back lawn, initially meant to watch Duck football games on, sat stagnant during the offseason, ideas began flowing of what else to use it for.

Carcamo found himself inspired from online reaction videos to shows like “Game of Thrones,” and brainstormed shows that could evoke similar reactions. From his own experience and input from regulars, “Survivor” was the frontrunner. 

PublicHouse started with “Survivor: Micronesia,” an older season considered to be one of the best in the show’s run, to test the waters. As they finished watching that season, they rolled right into the premiere of “Survivor 48,” and then again with “Survivor 49.” As the episode count of the series grew, so did the crowd at PublicHouse.

Now at the premiere of “Survivor 50,” come 8 p.m., the pre-episode games go away and everyone settles in for the show.

Carcamo is in his element: finding chairs for people, talking strategy and answering questions as needed — whether it’s a niche bit of  “Survivor” trivia or simply where the bathroom is. 

Maybe it’s all the “Survivor” he watches or maybe it’s his charm, but Carcamo is an excellent host, and gives off a convincing impression that he can read minds the way he anticipates people’s thoughts and needs. He certainly knows his audience well — both how to bring them together and how they’ll respond to the changes season 50 brings.

“At the beginning of the season, everyone’s just there because they like the show, but the game is slow,” Carcamo said. “I can only imagine that with all returning players, people will automatically have feelings at the beginning. There’ll be a little bit more of that excitement and booing.”

And excitement there was. Reactions rose above the picnic tables, responding to everything from challenge twists to emotions that were deemed dramatic by viewers.

When players got duped by Probst on the reveal of whether they would be given rice or not (they weren’t), we got duped right alongside them, and you could tell, given the resounding groans after the reveal.

“We come here normally for trivia — well, we skipped it this week to come to this, and it now sounds like we’re going skip it every week so we can come to this,” Molly Adair, an attendee who came with Wood, said. 

During commercial breaks the room came to life: servers darted between benches to drop off dinners from the food trucks, and viewers stood to talk to the other tables about the episode so far. 

Once the show returned, people sat back down and adhered to an unspoken etiquette as they continued to quietly murmur to each other about predictions. As the end of the episode neared and guesses of the first elimination began to grow, names of contestants broke through the otherwise quiet conversations.

PublicHouse manages to bottle the unique effect reality TV has in convincing viewers of their expertise on the game: why so-and-so’s decision is a bad one, what they should do instead, et cetera. 

While watching the show at home could leave you feeling left out, PublicHouse’s watch parties bring you in on the fun as you politick your way through the episode with other viewers and feel the high highs and low lows of the show.

It’s easy to talk a big game when you’re sitting at a picnic table drinking amber colored ale and eating dinner from your choice of food truck. It’s even easier to talk game with other people who are just as invested as you are, talk that could evolve into lasting friendships. 

“Let yourself be a part of the fun. You’re already out watching a show with a bunch of people. Talk to the table next to you, comment on the show, create that community. It makes it way more fun if everyone’s a little bit more bought in,” Carcamo said.

PublicHouse is aptly named, as it’s a space that encourages community and camaraderie from every corner of the complex. When the episode starts, however, that same camaraderie doesn’t extend to the contestants. 

“I hope Coach is first out. He causes problems,” Adair said. “But I guess drama sells.”