Sacramento fire captain to compete on reality TV show ‘Survivor.’ Why he says he’s playing
Joe Hunter, a Sacramento fire captain, faces off in the newest season of the award-winning reality TV show “Survivor.” He will test his skills in Fiji, where he and 17 other contestants will compete to win a $1 million prize and the title of “Sole Survivor.”
“’Survivor’ has been calling me for a long time,” Hunter said in the trailer for the show’s 48 season. “I just wasn’t listening.”
In an interview with The Sacramento Bee, Hunter said his experience on “Survivor” has been life changing. The vulnerability of having no food and being mentally and emotionally drained all while competing on a national platform has been a great opportunity for self growth, he said.
“Competing has just been intense, both emotionally, physically, mentally. It’s definitely one of the most challenging things I’ve ever participated in,” Hunter said. “And I think if used correctly, it’s one of the biggest chances for growth a human being can go through with such a unique situation.”
Hunter, 45, has 19 years under his belt at the Fire Department and is considered a veteran. Currently residing in West Sacramento, he started his career in 2006 and has served as a drill instructor, drill master and paramedic, according to his LinkedIn.
Born and raised in Vacaville, Hunter is a graduate of Vacaville High School, where he played “every sport he could think of,” he said in a Sacramento Fire promotion video. He later attended and graduated from UCLA in 2003, where he was a cornerback on the football team his senior year.
“I don’t want to be a challenge beast because I’ll be a target, but what about a monster?” Hunter said in a contestant interview. “Like I’m in the closet, I’m in under the bed, I’m nasty, you don’t want to mess with me, but like, you can’t see me all the time. That’s what I’ll go for.”
Alongside his career with the Sacramento Fire Department, Hunter holds his role as a father close to his heart. In the season 48 trailer, Hunter gave a shout out to his children.
“I’m out here to walk away knowing that when my kids watch this, I want them to look at me and say: ‘I’m proud of him,” Hunter said.
In a promotional interview, Hunter mentioned how he watched “Survivor” with his sister, who encouraged him to go on the show. Hunter said he’ll be playing this season in her memory.
“To get past some of that pain, I had to get off the couch and say, ‘You know, to honor her and to be Joanna’s voice, I’ll give it a shot,’” Hunter said. “Just like she would.”
After losing his older sister, Joanna Lynn Lewis, to domestic violence in 2011, Hunter has been vocal in sharing his testimony against domestic violence and has supported the Sacramento Family Justice Center in the past.
“It changed the course of my life and my family’s life forever,” Hunter said in a video with the Sacramento Family Justice Center. “She was, by far, not only the most powerful person in my life but my best friend.”
During his tenure with the Fire Department, Hunter placed on a two-day unpaid suspension for grabbing and shaking a recruit and throwing his equipment in 2018, according to a suspension letter dated January 2020 The Sacramento Bee received through a California Public Records Act request. He was later put on a 10-day suspension after using “personal friendships” to get West Sacramento police to leave while they responded to a report of gunfire at his home in 2019, according to a separate letter dated May 2020.
“Survivor” season 48 premieres Feb. 26 on CBS at 8 p.m. Pacific Time.
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 12:34 PM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to provide additional details about Joe Hunter’s disciplinary record and attribute documents The Sacramento Bee received through California Public Records Act requests.
