Survivor Couple Grieves After Son’s Accident

By Jennifer Asencio
| Updated 10 seconds ago

The Culpeppers are a couple who have had a big presence on the reality competition Survivor. Monica appeared on Survivor: One World with the infamous Colton Cumbie, and was then brought back for a Blood vs Water season alongside husband Brad. Brad made such a big impression that he, too, made a second appearance in Game Changers. Neither of them won, but both made it to the final three.

One thing the couple was always remembered for, especially Monica, was their devotion to being parents. They had three children, Rex, Judge, and Honor. Their only son Rex played a little football in college, but he went on to become a lawyer. Unfortunately, he was killed this past weekend in a motorcycle accident. He was only 28.

The Culpepper family demonstrated their fierce loyalty to one another when Brad and Monica appeared together on Survivor: Blood vs Water. That family loyalty included close bonds with all of their children. In 2018, the Culpeppers came out about Rex’s battle with testicular cancer, which required both chemotherapy and surgery, frightening prospects for a 20-year-old man. However, Rex came through it okay and went on to become the backup quarterback for Syracuse University before earning his degree.

During One World, Monica was extremely proud of being a good mom, but she also had a fierce drive to pave her own way in the game, separate from her famous husband. Nevertheless, she made her second appearance in Blood vs Water, where both she and Brad played on opposite teams. She maneuvered her gameplay to align with Tyson Apostle and Gervase Peterson, which took her to the final three, where she lost to Tyson.

Brad, a former NFL defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears, was willing to throw challenges to help Monica. He was especially known for ruthless gameplay that involved getting revenge on members of the opposing team by voting off their loved ones from his team. This forced returning contestant, Candice Cody, to face off against her husband, John, and sparked a brutal rivalry between the two. He took a more patient and pragmatic approach to Game Changers, which got him to the Final Tribal Council, where he came in second to Cops-R-Us alum Sarah Lacina.

With three seasons to get to know Brad and Monica Culpepper, audiences recognize them as part of the Survivor family, so it was with heavy hearts that reports of Rex’s death were shared in the Survivor community. Although we never saw Rex on Survivor, he felt like someone who might someday join his famous parents as a second generation to compete on the show.

Rex is survived by two sisters and a large, loving family.