MSU education student wins $100K in ‘Estate of Survival’ reality show

Contact: Bethany Shipp

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Russell Pair, a student in Mississippi State’s College of Education, landed a spot on the reality TV show “Estate of Survival,” now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Spoiler alert: He won the competition and $100,000.

A senior from Southside, Alabama, Pair is a Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program Scholar majoring in secondary education with a concentration in English. Being on the show was a “super awesome experience,” he said, and winning it was a shock.

“It’s such a hard feeling to quantify,” Pair said. “As a 21-year-old kid, $100,000 is a lot of responsibility. So, the main thing I was feeling was, ‘Don’t waste this opportunity.’”

The six-episode series was launched by LG Electronics in August on Prime Video and LG channels. It follows eight contestants who arrive at a luxury estate that is completely empty. They face a variety of challenges as they compete to earn furniture and appliances for the estate, avoid elimination and, ultimately, win the grand prize.

Pair’s journey began with a tradition of watching reality TV shows with his mom every summer. After seeing a post from a casting agency about the show, he applied. Ten interview rounds later, Pair was chosen to be on the show.

“Going into it, I thought it was going to ruin reality TV for me, but it had the opposite effect,” Pair said. “The coolest thing was seeing how authentic it was. We were all the same behind the scenes as we were on the TV show. The production people were awesome, and the cast was fantastic.”

After the show ended, LG Electronics gave all the contestants LG appliances. As the winner, Pair will be featured in commercials for the company and release videos on his personal social media platforms highlighting the brand.

“Russell's achievement on ‘Estate of Survival’ is a testament to his perseverance, creativity and dedication, qualities that we see in him both as a student and future educator,” said Teresa Jayroe, dean of MSU’s College of Education. “His experience on the show, along with the skills he’s honed at Mississippi State, will undoubtedly shape his career and inspire those he teaches. We are incredibly proud of his success and excited to see the impact he will have moving forward."

Pair said MSU has had a “tremendous effect” on preparing him to be an educator and to be on the show.

“I would have never done the TV show had I not come to Mississippi State,” he said. “Coming to MSU completely brought me out of my shell. It helped me realize I love being around people and trying new things, and I think that’s going to translate fantastic in the classroom.”

The show’s official trailer is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgTuLRDRriE.

MSU’s College of Education is home to five academic departments, a division of education, one research unit and numerous service units. Learn more at https://www.educ.msstate.edu.

Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.