The television series Survivor is a legend in the world of reality television. Over its many seasons, it has established itself as one of the most well-known reality television shows to date. The show has had tons of excellent male contestants, many of whom we wouldn't mind dating.
Colby Donaldson was one of the first heroes the series ever knew. He was handsome, strong, smart, and hard not to love. He ruled immunity challenges and was well-known for his sometimes rivalry with fellow contestant Jerri Manthey. After his time on Survivor, Donaldson parlayed his fifteen minutes of fame into other opportunities. He is now established in entertainment and living his best life in the Lonestar State. Here is all that our original Survivor Challenge Beast is up to these days.
10 He Is Worth Over One Million Dollars
Colby Donaldson has made all of his reality television stints really work for him financially. He didn't take home the top prize during his appearances, but he sure came close, and a second-place win still earned him some cash.
More importantly, he used his fame and popularity to boost his opportunities in other areas of entertainment. He went on to host numerous reality television shows, which helped him to amass quite a nice fortune. Today Donaldson has a net worth 1.4 million dollars. Not too bad for this Texas native.
9 He Still Works In Reality Television
Colby certainly learned a thing or two about working in reality television during his time on the second season of Survivor, Survivor: All-Stars, and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. He must have been watching Survivor host Jeff Probst during those seasons because Donaldson later decided that his future laid with hosting.
The handsome former contestant landed work with the History Channel, first working on History Channel's Top Shot series. This show centered around shooting competition and marksmanship. His second stint in reality television hosting was heading up another History Channel hit, The Butcher. This show was all about meats and master butchery.
8 Donaldson Is A Texas Native
Colby Donalson is a Texan through and through. His roots are deeply embedded in the Lone Star State. He was born in Christoval, Texas, and then later attended Texas Tech University where he earned a degree in business marketing.
Donaldson loves all things that encompass the Texan spirit. He enjoys being in nature and exploring the outdoors, hunting, barbeques with friends and family, and of course, football! During his time on Survivor, his single luxury item was, of all things, a Texan flag. It seems you can take the guy out of Texas, but not the Texan love out of the guy. Even being one thousand miles away from home didn't deter his hometown spirit.
7 He Is No Longer A Bachelor
Colby Donaldson is no longer not he market. He settled down for good and married his girlfriend, Britt Bailey, in 2006. While the couple hasn't been wed for very long, they have been a couple for some time. The forty-five-year-old reality television host and the interior designer had dated for years before deciding to take a walk down the aisle.
We don't know a ton about their relationship, but we do know that Bailey also resided in Texas before marrying her longtime reality television hunk. The two likely share much in common with similar roots. Another thing that they have in common comes in the form of a darling daughter.
6 Donaldson Is A Girl Dad
That's right! Colby Donaldson is a total girl, dad. He and his now-wife Britt Bailey, share a daughter together. Their little girl, Brinley, is a decade old and growing fast! Fans of the former Survivor contestant love seeing the family's adventures, which are often posted on Instagram.
He has expressed how proud he is that his girl has inherited his love of animals, nature, and the outdoors. We often see the two exploring life on the family ranch, in their native state.
5 He Made Survivor History
Donaldson is one of the most easily recognized Survivor contestants, and the reason is not just because of his good looks. While he never ended up winning the famous series, he did make history during his time on Survivor.
First, Donaldson was the first native Texan to ever appear on the show, along with Kel Gleason. He also the first man to snag the win in the Final Immunity Challenge. Actually, when it came to immunity challenges, Donaldson was a rockstar. He racked up the most individual challenges in a single season of Survivor with individual wins in The Australian Outback.
4 Colby And Jerri's Thing Was The Real Deal
We have known so many rivals and couples that have stemmed from reality television shows like Survivor. Colby Donaldson was one half of the love-hate partnership that was Donalson and Manthey.
Jerri and Colby were both strong competitors, both great looking and could have been the series' prom King and Queen, except their love match was not written in the stars. Jerri had strong feelings for Donaldson, but he didn't feel the same about her. They went from flirty to nasty, to alliances all in a single season. Whatever their feelings were, they were always real and raw. Jerri was on all three of the Survivor series' that Donaldson appeared on.
3 During Heros Vs. Villans He Dropped Serious Weight
Making it as far as contestants the way Donaldson did takes grit, determination, and perseverance. The reality television show, Survivor, is serious business, and contestants sacrifice a lot to get to the finish line.
When Donaldson starred in the series, Heros vs., Villains, he lost a shocking number of lbs. During his time on the season, Colby shed roughly twenty-three pounds!
2 He Has A Boy Named After Him
While Colby only has a daughter, and she is definitely not named after her father, there is a boy out there named after Donaldson. Another Survivor contestant, Sherri Biethman, has a son, and she named him after Colby.
Donaldson was so popular during the second season that he inspired others to name their sons after him! Not everyone gets such a touching tribute as having children named after them.
1 He Worked With Rachel Ray
Years ago, Donaldson teamed up with an unlikely partner in the entertainment business. He became food giant Rachael Ray's sidekick on one of the top television shows the Food Network has ever known. His primary duty on Ray's show was to give the host and viewers at home an idea of what culinary delights men genuinely want.
Donaldson really has done it all when it comes to reality television. He has competed under grueling environmental conditions, served as a make sidekick to daytime culinary queen Rachel Ray, and taken up hosting duties for The History Channel. We can't wait to see what Donaldson takes on next.
