Ten strangers picked from across the country will spend a September weekend building fires, constructing shelters, and racing through obstacle courses in the woods outside Watkinsville, all chasing a $25,000 grand prize. The contest, called BattlGames, is set for September 19 and 20 at a private outdoor education property off Carruth Road, with the contestant lineup revealed at 7 p.m. that Saturday.
The event is hosted by BattlBox, a Georgia-based outdoor brand known for its survival gear subscription boxes, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. This marks Season 3 of BattlGames, and per BattlBox, the format has been built around six survival and endurance challenges — including land navigation, medical emergency testing, fire-building, and shelter construction — that whittle the field down through progressive eliminations until one competitor remains.
The path to the ten spots itself involved a scavenger hunt of sorts. To find its contestants, BattlBox tucked 250 golden tickets inside randomly shipped monthly subscription boxes sent across the United States, letting whoever found one apply for a shot at the final roster, the company detailed in a Facebook video announcing the season.
Where the Contest Will Play Out
The competition takes place at Georgia Bushcraft's property at 1150 Carruth Road in Watkinsville, a private facility of more than 30 acres that includes a central basecamp and surrounding woodlands used for wilderness survival instruction, according to Georgia Bushcraft. The site sits roughly 20 minutes from downtown Athens and about 90 minutes from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, making it accessible for both contestants and any spectators who might want to follow along in person or online.
Watkinsville itself is the county seat and largest municipality in Oconee County, with a population of 2,896 recorded in the 2020 U.S. Census, per Wikipedia. The small town borders the Athens-Clarke County metro area and was incorporated back in 1815, long before it became a stage for a nationally streamed survival competition.
Beyond hosting outside events like BattlGames, Georgia Bushcraft runs its own annual Fall Gathering & Adventure Expo each November, drawing instructors and visitors from around the country for more than 100 hands-on outdoor survival workshops covering firecraft, campcraft, and wilderness decision-making.
What's at Stake, and Who's Watched Before
The overall winner takes home the $25,000 cash grand prize, but competitors eliminated earlier in the competition still walk away with outdoor gear packages supplied by corporate sponsors, according to BattlBox. Past sponsors for the series have included knife, water-filtration, and tactical supply manufacturers.
BattlGames will stream on BattlBox's YouTube channel, which has more than 915,000 subscribers, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Past seasons have featured martial arts expert Doug Marcaida, a judge on History's Forged in Fire, who oversaw precision knife-cutting challenges and designed custom blades for the show, including the BattlBolt and BattlSpear, as seen in footage posted to YouTube. It's unclear whether Marcaida will return for this installment.
The brand's national profile predates BattlGames. BattlBox previously starred in the eight-episode Netflix reality series Southern Survival, which premiered in July 2020 and featured company leadership testing gear against simulated explosions, fires, and natural disasters, according to Wikipedia.
A Company That's Changed Hands Since Its Georgia Founding
BattlBox was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Milledgeville, Georgia. The company was acquired by Emerge Commerce for $18.95 million in October 2021, before current CEO John Roman led an investor group to reacquire it for $7.17 million in April 2023, according to background compiled by They Got Acquired.
Season 2 of BattlGames, held earlier this year, gave a sense of what contestants might face this time around. That round included a timed land-navigation course in which competitors were stripped of phones and GPS units and had to reach checkpoints using only a paper map and compass within 45 minutes, with failure resulting in time penalties or elimination, per footage BattlBox posted to Facebook.
Exactly which ten contestants will take the field this year, and what specific safety protocols are in place for the physical challenges, remain open questions ahead of the September 19 reveal. What's confirmed is that for one weekend, a quiet patch of Oconee County woodland will become the backdrop for a national survival contest with a five-figure prize on the line.
