‘Survivor: Micronesia’: Where Is Erik Reichenbach Now?

While NBC is busy airing wall-to-wall coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, CBS is filling its calendar for the next two weeks by airing some of Survivor‘s greatest hits. As part of the lead-up to the Survivor 50 premiere later this month, the first classic Survivor episode airs tonight (February 9) at 8/7c.

It’s the iconic penultimate episode of Survivor: Micronesia, when the Black Widow Brigade convinced Erik Reichenbach to give up his immunity. If you’re wondering what Erik’s been up to since then, we’ve got you covered.

Who is Erik Reichenbach?

Erik competed on Survivor: Micronesia and Survivor: Caramoan. When he first competed, he was a 22-year-old art student from Pinckney, Michigan. In Caramoan, he was a 27-year-old comic book artist. He attended Eastern Michigan University.

Where is Erik Reichenbach now?

Erik is still a graphic designer and illustrator. He designs comics under the name of Dabu Doodles and shares his work on Instagram (@dabudoodles). He makes Survivor comics and more. All of his books are found on Amazon. He works at a company called Cision as a graphic designer, according to his LinkedIn profile, and currently lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Erik married his wife, Dana Ruff, in 2014.

What happened to Erik Reichenbach in Survivor: Micronesia?

Micronesia was a Fans vs. Favorites theme that provided a mix of new players and returning ones. Erik was one of the new contestants, and he was tricked by the social and strategic experts who were the women of the Black Widow Brigade: Parvati Shallow, Cirie Fields, Amanda Kimmel, and Natalie Bolton. The four women, plus Erik, were the Final Five of the season. Erik won individual immunity in the penultimate episode, “If It Smells Like a Rat, Give It Cheese,” but was convinced to give it up by the Black Widow alliance. He gave his immunity necklace to Natalie, and then the women all voted him out. Erik tried to vote out Parvati, who would go on to win the season.

In TV Insider’s Survivor 50 cover story, which features an essay written by Jeff Probst, the Emmy-winning host calls Erik’s elimination one of the greatest moments in Survivor history.

“If I had to choose one moment that captures everything Survivor can be, it is the night the Black Widow Alliance convinced Erik Reichenbach to give up immunity,” Probst wrote. “Erik wasn’t foolish. He simply got outplayed by a group of women who understood exactly how to tell him the story he needed to hear. At the center of that moment were Parvati Shallow, one of the greatest villains, and Cirie, one of the greatest heroes. A villain and a hero working together, their strengths combining into something that neither could have achieved alone.”