Attorney Chris Hammons to compete on Season 33 of Survivor

Oklahoma City attorney Chris Hammons, a former University of Oklahoma football team captain, is one of 20 castaways competing for $1 million on Season 33 of Survivor. This season, “Millennials vs Gen X” will premiere at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21 on CBS.

Hammons is a personal injury attorney and partner at Laird Hammons Laird. Being on the show wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision; it had been a dream of Hammons’ ever since watching Season 1. He applied to be on the show many times before he was selected.
“There isn’t a game on the planet harder than Survivor,” Hammons said. “It makes it all the more exciting to set out and try to win the hardest game that exists in the world.”
Hammons is a trial attorney focused on personal injury litigation and fighting for the underdogs. He is known by his coworkers to be determined, persistent, and hardworking. He’s also known as a fierce competitor.
“He’s a pretty sly guy. He could easily walk you off a cliff smiling and patting you on the back,” said Jonathan R. Ortwein, a personal injury attorney who works at Laird Hammons Laird. “Chris is very relatable and fun to be around, but he’s always unnoticeably moving two to three steps ahead of everybody.”
Hammons began his prep for Survivor before he found out he was selected, in the hopes that he would get the call. Hammons’ Survivor prep consisted of physical and mental training. He studied past seasons. He also started lifting heavier weights, and he put on a few pounds to be in the best shape possible when entering the game.
Hammons is 6-foot-4. His fitness-oriented mentality hasn’t left him since his youth, and he believes that staying in shape physically also helps him mentally. He wakes up early every morning to work out before coming home to help his two boys get ready for school.

Coming from modest means, Hammons worked hard to get to where he is today. “I still believe that this is America, and if you get up and work hard you can do anything,” he said. “I came from nothing. If I can make it, anyone can.”
In high school, Hammons studied hard and was always active in sports, playing both basketball and football. After graduation, his goal was to play football at the University of Oklahoma. He was a walk-on who was eventually voted team captain in 2001, leading his team to a national championship. After college, Hammons earned his law degree at the University of Oklahoma. Today he practices law as a personal injury attorney.
“Chris doesn’t give up. If he has a goal, he will follow through no matter how long it takes him,” said his wife, Jennifer Hammons. “He doesn’t fail well.”