Over $14 Million at Stake as Circa Survivor Pool Hits Week 18

Patrick Everson Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

Circa Survivor is so intriguing, and so gut-wrenching, that even if you're not in the contest, you feel the pain of those who bowed out. NFL Week 17 had its share of heartache.

When the 2024 Circa Survivor pool began, there were 14,266 entries, at $1,000 apiece. Now, there are just 18 entries left, dueling for the massive $14.266 million jackpot.

Here's everything you need to know about the Circa Survivor pool as it reaches NFL Week 18.

Circa Survivor Pool

Giant Killers

One of the more interesting aspects of the Circa Survivor pool is that it's not just 18 plays over the 18-week NFL regular season. Rather, Circa Sports spices it up – and makes it significantly more difficult – by adding in weeks.

For example, the week of Thanksgiving was split in two. Thanksgiving Day/Black Friday games were Week 13a, while the rest of the matchups were Week 13b

Likewise in Week 17, the two Christmas Day games and the Thursday night game were Week 17a, while the Saturday/Sunday/Monday games comprised Week 17b.

Making 20 picks, and only being able to use each team once, heightens the challenge. No one learned that in a more difficult fashion than Indianapolis Colts backers in Week 17b.

Entering Week 17b, there were 34 entries remaining. Sixteen of them went with the Colts, who were 7.5-point favorites at the New York Giants. All Indy needed to do was win. But New York – which is in the running for the No. 1 draft pick – went all out and pulled off the 45-33 upset.

"Favorites haven't lost in two months," Circa Sports director of operations Jeff Benson said, noting favorites have been extremely reliable since October. "It's pretty sick to have the Colts lose, when the Giants should be tanking.

"But that's why you play the game. This contest is just unreal."

Whittling the Field

After just two weeks of the 2024 Circa Survivor contest, more than 70 percent of the 14,266 entries were vaporized. In NFL Week 1, there were 5,564 entries eliminated, in large part due to the New England Patriots' upset of the Cincinnati Bengals.

In Week 2, the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions losing at home were key contributors to another massive drop of 4,825 entries. So by Week 3, there only 3,877 entries left.

Week 3 was another bloodbath, with eight underdogs posting outright wins and another 3,200-plus entries ousted. That left the contest with just 642 entries.

Speculation was rampant that the 2024 Circa Survivor pool wouldn't last anywhere near 18 weeks. Yet here it is.

"When you've got 14,266 people, the size would lead me to believe we'd have a decent amount, a larger amount get to the end," Benson said. "The last five weeks, it doesn't seem like many favorites lost, and there haven't been many people eliminated.

"This is the most entries we've had for Week 18, except for the first year [2020], which only had 17 weeks and no holiday weeks."

Chop Chop?

Speculation is heating up that those holding the 18 remaining entries might start wheeling and dealing to split up the $14.266 million pot in some fashion. Last year, four finalists tied to split up the $9.27 million pot, but word was some type of chop agreement was in place.

Circa Sports cannot be party to any such discussions about the Circa Survivor pool. All Circa does is pay out the verifiable winners. But Benson said with 18 entries, it'd be a challenge for those contestants to get a deal done.

"I think there are too many people to get everybody on the same page," he said. "Anybody interested in monetizing is doing so through hedging."

That definitely happened with contestants in Week 17a and Week 17b.

"Absolutely. We've seen a lot of hedges, more so than any other year, Benson said. "People want to make sure they walk away with something, given the life-changing money at stake."

That's the element of this contest that's most intriguing to Benson.

"Obviously, this is the largest Survivor contest in history, in terms of the number of people and the monetary amount," he said. "The stakes have never been higher. Watching the week-to-week sweats and the amount of money involved – life-changing money – it's been great to watch."

Interested in watching all the trends for NFL Week 18 odds? Hit the link for all the line movements!

Patrick Everson

Patrick Everson is a senior reporter for VegasInsider. Based in Las Vegas since 1994, he's worked in the sports betting journalism/content space for more than a decade. He's most known for his deep roster of contacts behind sportsbook counters, providing readers and viewers with the ins-and-outs of how events are being bet. He's also a thought leader in the sports betting space, often appearing on or moderating panels at national conferences. More from Patrick Everson