Over 600 people have competed on Survivor since the first season aired in 2000. Some have been more memorable than others, and there’s no doubt that one of the CBS reality show’s first stars was Colby Donaldson. But even though Colby helped Survivor reel in plenty of viewers with his good looks and Southern charm, the contestant also cost the show $100,000.
Colby Donaldson is a fan-favorite ‘Survivor’ contestant
Survivor fans first met Colby Donaldson as a contestant on Survivor: The Australian Outback, the show’s second season. It premiered on Jan. 28, 2001, following the Super Bowl, and fans were immediately drawn to Colby. He was his tribe’s leader and a good ole Southern boy (even his luxury item was the Texas flag).
Colby’s dominance in the physical challenges secured his safety throughout The Australian Outback, especially when he went on a streak and won the final five individual Immunity Challenges. As a result, Colby still holds the record for most consecutive individual Immunity Challenge wins. But Colby’s alliance with Tina Wesson and Keith Famie also helped propel him to the finale.
Unfortunately, Colby made what is regarded as one of the dumbest moves in Survivor history when he brought Tina to the final two and voted out Keith. The jury crowned Tina the winner of Survivor: The Australian Outback in a 4-3 vote, making Colby the runner-up.
Colby returned to Survivor twice — for All-Stars in 2004 and Heroes vs. Villains in 2010. The contestant came in 12th place in his second season and finished fifth in his third Survivor outing. So, in total, Colby played Survivor for 98 days.
The ‘Survivor’ contestant ran into some legal trouble during his first season
During the eighth Reward Challenge in Survivor: The Australian Outback, the producers paired the remaining contestants up in teams of two. Colby ended up with Jerri Manthey (the two have quite the history in Survivor as Jerri also played in All-Stars and Heroes vs. Villains), and they won.
For their reward, Colby and Jerri rode in a helicopter to the Great Barrier Reef, where they had a big meal and snorkeled in the water. When they returned to their camp, Colby gave the other castaways pieces of coral from the reward. However, unbeknownst to him then, removing anything from the Great Barrier Reef was illegal. And to make matters worse, the coral Colby collected was an endangered species.
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After the episode aired in 2001, Craig Hoover, senior program officer of the World Wildlife Fund’s trade monitoring program, told Entertainment Weekly, “Every time someone picks up a rock or a flower in a wildlife preserve, it has an impact on the ecosystem. Then when tens of millions of people see what you do on television and then go to a reef and say, ‘Hey, I want to do what Colby did’ and maybe snap off a piece of coral underwater, it’s significant.”
Survivor executive producer Mark Burnett apologized following the incident. He said, “On behalf of myself, production, and the survivors involved, we extend our sincerest apologies for this error. I remain steadfast in my commitment to environmental concerns and continue to put forth great effort in order to improve a situation whenever possible. Please know that this was an honest mistake which we deeply regret.”
Despite the apology, according to CBS, Colby was fined $100,000 for taking the coral. However, it’s unclear if the Survivor contestant ever paid the fine.
Where is Colby Donaldson now?
Following Colby’s Survivor career, the former contestant married his long-time girlfriend, Britt Bailey, in 2016. The two have a 13-year-old daughter named Brinley. And, of course, Colby still resides in Texas.
As for his career, Colby has hosted numerous reality shows, including Top Shot, Top Guns, The Butcher, and Alone. Most recently, he hosted Mountain Men: Ultimate Marksman on The History Channel in 2022.
Survivor fans can catch up with Colby further by checking out his Instagram.
Survivor is available to stream on Paramount+.
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