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The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

The Daily Free Press

The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University.

The Daily Free Press

The Daily Free Press

Emmett Whitaker, a sophomore at Boston University and the main creator of his own fanmade series — “Survivor: Palisades” — took inspiration from the CBS reality television show. While the show began as a creative project, the clips now serve as a way to look back on places lost due to the fires in Los Angeles back in winter.

BU student’s fan-made ‘Survivor’ series provides closure to Palisades community after homes are lost to wildfires

By Sophie Shatzky, Arts and Community Editor October 6, 2025
Over the past seven years, Boston University sophomore Emmett Whitaker has casted, funded, produced and edited five seasons of “Survivor Palisades” — a fan-made version of the competition reality television series “Survivor.” After disaster struck his community, the footage was all that remained. Earlier this year, a highly destructive series of wildfires swept California, primarily affecting the Pacific Palisades. Whitaker, a Palisades native, was editing his fifth and final season of “Survivor Palisades” when the fires destroyed his home.
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