Colby Donaldson is causing a stir, coming back to the show he was first involved with over 25 years ago. He made his first appearance on Survivor in over 15 years last night, on the premiere of Survivor 50.
Donaldson first showed up in 2001 for the second season, won five straight immunity challenges, dominated his way to the final two, and then inexplicably handed the million dollars to someone else.
That decision defined him. 25 years later he’s back on the beach in Fiji for a fourth time.
Donaldson was born April 1, 1974, in Christoval, Texas, a small town outside San Angelo. He grew up a high school football player before attending Texas Tech University, where he graduated in 1996 with a degree in business marketing.
He briefly worked as a sales representative for an HMO carrier before leaving the corporate world to start his own custom auto design and fabrication business.
That work became his career long after Survivor stopped being a regular part of his life.
He was 26 years old when CBS cast him for Survivor: The Australian Outback. He brought a Texas flag as his luxury item. His tribe used it as a rooftop for their camp.
What happened that season turned him into a household name. Donaldson won five individual immunity challenges, setting a record that has only been tied since. Donaldson dominated physical competition in a way that had never been seen on the show before.
By the time the game reached its final three he had won eight of the last ten challenges overall.
At the final three, holding the last immunity necklace and the power to choose his opponent at Final Tribal, Donaldson passed over Keith Famie, who he believed he could beat, and brought Tina Wesson instead, telling her she deserved to be there.
Tina won the jury vote 4-3. Donaldson went home as the runner-up. Fans have debated that call for two decades. He has said since that he does not regret it.
The star came back for Survivor: All-Stars in 2004 and lasted until twelfth place, voted out before the merge when his tribe viewed him as ‘dangerous.’
He returned a third time for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains in 2010, placed fifth, and struggled visibly with the pace of a game that had evolved significantly since his original season.
Jeff Probst wrote publicly during that season that Donaldson’s performance was the biggest letdown among the returning heroes, which landed harder given how high the expectations were.
Donaldson entered the game that season at four percent body fat, lost 25 pounds during filming, and, by his own account, could not find his rhythm.
Donaldson’s Life After Survivor
After Survivor, Donaldson moved to Los Angeles and pursued acting, landing guest roles on Just Shoot Me, Reba, and Joey, and appearing in the Wes Craven film Red Eye in 2005.
He played himself in a 2004 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, an episode where Larry David mistakes him for a Holocaust survivor. He transitioned into television hosting, spending five seasons as the host of History Channel’s Top Shot, a marksmanship competition series, and also hosted The Butcher and served as host of Alone on History.
It’s almost certain that you have seen Donaldson somewhere.
In 2025, working with Mike Rowe and the MikeRoweWorks Foundation, Donaldson designed a custom Dodge Power Wagon that sold at Barrett-Jackson auction for $1.5 million.
Proceeds went to scholarships for students pursuing skilled trades careers. Rowe called it the “mother of all work trucks.”
Is Colby Donaldson Married?
Donaldson currently works as a project manager with Austin-based LandWest Design Group. He lives in Austin with his wife Britt Bailey, whom he married on September 24, 2016.
He disabled his Instagram account when his Survivor 50 casting was announced.
Colby Donaldson Gets A Chance At Redemption On Survivor 50
Donaldson is 51 years old heading into this season and has been candid about what that means.
He admitted on camera during the premiere that his hearing has “declined” in one ear, his vision has gotten worse, and the speed of the new-era game is difficult for him to process.
The player who once physically dominated every challenge on the course is operating with different equipment than he had in 2001.
His stated reason for coming back is simpler than strategy. He told reporters he wanted to close the chapter the right way, with gratitude rather than ambition.
“It didn’t feel as selfish this time,” he said.
