Contestant in YouTube survival competition gets lost in Michigan forest, cops say
.png "Woman gets lost in Michigan forest while filming YouTube survival contest.")
A contestant in a YouTube survival competition had to be rescued after she got lost in a Michigan forest, authorities say.
On the evening of Sept. 5, the 36-year-old California woman was in the Pigeon River Forest in Charlton Township at the competition’s designated base camp when she wandered off to look for water, according to a news release from the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office.
When the woman didn’t return, the hosts of the contest went looking for her.
Around 5 a.m. Sept. 6, they called 911 and reported her missing, deputies said.
Search teams looked for the woman, and a Michigan State Police helicopter found her deep in a swampy area around 10:40 a.m., according to deputies.
The woman had been missing in the “cold and rain” for roughly 18 hours, authorities said. She was able to walk out of the forest and was checked by medical professionals.
Michigan State Police shared video of the woman when she was located.
Charlton Township is about a 250-mile drive northwest from Detroit.
This story was originally published September 7, 2025 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Contestant in YouTube survival competition gets lost in Michigan forest, cops say."
