As temperatures cool and skies grow gray for another Boston autumn, a tropical getaway may not be as far away as you think. The Greatest Bar in Boston’s West End has transformed into a faux-Fiji haven for fans of the hit competition show “Survivor.”
Just in time for the start of season 49, which began last Wednesday, fans can now immerse themselves in the world of “Survivor” right here in New England. Walking up to the third and fourth floors, customers are immediately greeted by lush foliage and a life-size cardboard cutout of the show’s host, Jeff Probst. It’s as if he is saying, “come on in, guys,” his famous catchphrase, to the many patrons walking through the door.
Grass-green LED lights illuminate the underside of the bar, and raffia straw encircles the ceiling. Wherever you are in the room, a TV playing Survivor episodes can be seen in your periphery. A jumbo, floor-to-ceiling screen is the focal point of the fourth floor where, every Wednesday, crowds will gather to watch new episodes from the latest season.
Boston local Shannon Fairweather is a contestant on Survivor 49. Fairweather’s family are the owners of The Greatest Bar. For them, sharing this moment ahead of her “Survivor” debut has been especially meaningful.
“To be here, not only with my family but in our sports bar, which has been through a lot in its own right…is a really celebratory moment,” Fairweather said.
Fairweather shared how before appearing on the show, “Survivor” was a source of comfort for her and her mother, who bonded over it.
“[Survivor] was there for me in moments that were dark,” Fairweather said. “My mom would come pick me up from Bentley University, we’d drive home on a Wednesday, and we watched Survivor.”
Fairweather said she found herself reimmersed in the world of “Survivor” just being in the newly decorated cafe and reflected in the feeling of her worlds colliding.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t having a bit of a flashback moment to actually being in Fiji,” she said in an interview with The Beacon. “That ‘Survivor’ excitement and jitters [are] coming back a little bit just being here. It’s also where I took my first tequila shot, so it’s a little wild to have the two combining.”
Julie Fairweather, Shannon’s mother, graduated class of ‘88 from Emerson College. One of the bar’s event managers, Kayla Harrity ‘15, is also an Emerson alumnus. The Emerson pride was felt in the room, and Fairweather and Harrity shared their enthusiasm.
“We’re thinking maybe we need to form an [Emerson] alliance,” Julie Fairweather joked, playing off the dynamics of the show, which centers around forming treaties to unify against other players.
Guests at the Survivor cafe can treat themselves to food and drink curated by the Master Chef finalist and Chopped champion Chef Becky Brown. Themed dishes include the “Double Elimination Burger,” “Outplay Chicken Satay,” and the “Survivors Ready Sundae.”
Between bites, bar patrons can test their “Survivor” skills with some of the challenges players face on the show, including Bow Diddley, Roller Ball, and the brand new Debbie Spoons, which will soon be featured in season 49. Bow Diddley and Roller Ball on the fourth floor test players’ ability to balance on their feet while keeping a ball steady on a platform. Debbie Spoons on the third floor deals with hand-eye coordination, and patrons can test their own skills before discovering who will be successful in the current season.
John Kirhoffer, head of the Survivor Challenge Department, who masterminds these games for the show, discussed the process of bringing the challenges to Boston.
“I had some of those things made at home, and our brand new one, called Debbie Spoons, those are the actual ones we had on location,” he told The Beacon. Debbie Spoons was cut in half and modified to fit the space in The Greatest Bar, and the other challenges were selected based on size and efficiency.
“We had to choose challenges that fit into the limited space we had available,” he added.
Iconic Survivor alum “Boston” Rob Mariano stopped by the bar and discussed his excitement for the first fan experience to be opening in his locale.
“I know a lot of work has gone into this project, and you know how proud I am to be from Boston and represent the city,” he said in an interview with The Beacon. “I think there’s no more fitting of a place to open the first.”
Mariano first appeared on Survivor for its fourth season over 20 years ago, and his legacy as a contestant continues to grow as the show prepares for its 50th season.
“I started this journey when I was 25, I’m gonna be 50 this year, and I never could’ve imagined that my entire life would revolve around it, but I’m so happy that it does,” he added.
Like Fairweather, Mariano, too, has personal connections to The Greatest Bar, now transformed into the Survivor Cafe.
“This place, The Greatest Bar, is special to me because years ago I used to bartend here,” he said. Mariano went on to discuss his interest in having his friend and co-star on “The Traitors,” Dylan Efron, out to Boston soon to visit the city and the bar.
Efron is currently competing on the 34th season of “Dancing with the Stars,” which Mariano recently attended and has been posting about in support of his co-star. Fans can expect to see the two together again soon, Mariano said.
“I’m not supposed to say it, but I’m working on a project with my guy Dylan right now. Details coming soon,” he teased to The Beacon.
Until then, you may just find Mariano watching the new season of “Survivor” in his hometown of Boston on Wednesdays at The Greatest Bar, or at least you can spot his signed photo on the third floor’s Winners Wall.
