(KIWA Staff Photo)Rock Rapids, Iowa (Sioux County Radio) — For years, Carter Krull’s family gathered after Wednesday night church to watch Survivor, eat pizza, and debate how they’d handle the challenges on TV.
Now, the 2020 Central Lyon graduate is giving his family — and Northwest Iowa — a chance to watch him compete for real.
Krull, a Rock Rapids native now living in Sioux Falls, is a contestant on Season 51 of the CBS competition series, premiering September 23rd.
From Watching at Home to Getting the Call
Krull says his family started watching the show when he was six or seven. Conversations with his brother Ross about which challenges he could handle were mostly playful — until last year.
He was watching an episode, eating cheesy puffs, when host Jeff Probst encouraged viewers who thought they could complete a challenge to apply. The next day, Krull recorded an audition video while driving past Grand Falls Casino and sent it in.
After working through the casting process, he returned to the family farm with news his parents weren’t sure was real.
As the opportunity became real, his focus shifted.
A Competitive Background and Northwest Iowa Values
Competition was already part of Krull’s life. According to his University of Sioux Falls athletics biography, he played football, basketball, baseball, and track and field at Central Lyon, earning first-team all-district football honors and qualifying for state three times in track.
Varsity Bound records show he finished his Central Lyon/George-Little Rock football career with:
- 65 receptions, 901 yards, 7 touchdowns
- 376 rushing yards, 6 touchdowns
- contributions on defense and special teams
After high school, he joined the USF football program and studied entrepreneurship. He later co-founded a Sioux Falls moving company, MOVE MOVE MOVE, which has grown from one or two moves a week to five or six days of work.
Krull also helps on his family’s farm near George, regularly traveling through Rock Rapids.
Krull acknowledges deception is part of Survivor, but he says he wanted to compete without losing the values he grew up with.
Hometown Support and Plans for the Prize
Even before the premiere, Krull said he’s been surprised by how many local people have shared their own memories of watching the show.
His viewing plans were still undecided at the time of the interview, but he already knew what he’d do with the prize money if he won: reinvest it in the farm and his business.
He credited his father, Korey, with teaching him the value of steady improvements rather than flashy purchases.
Season 51 of Survivor premieres Wednesday, September 23rd, at 7 p.m. CST on CBS, and will also stream on Paramount+.
