Survivor's Colby Donaldson On What Could've Happened Had Jerri Manthey Been Cast For Season 50

The following interview was conducted on location in Fiji before filming began for "Survivor 50."

"Survivor" Season 2 star Colby Donaldson is looking to right some wrongs. 

When CBS' reality competition series followed its smash-hit "Borneo" season with a jaunt to the Australian Outback, Colby Donaldson was just 26-years-old and hungry for the adventure of a lifetime. After a season full of high drama (including arguments over chickens and a whole lotta finger pointing), a man scorched in fire, hellacious cliff jumping, and more, Donaldson's Ogakor tribe bested its Kucha competitors and came out on top. However, Tina Wesson won the season after Colby chose to take her to the Final 2 over Keith Famie. 

Colby followed up his excellent first run with appearances in 2004's "All-Stars" and 2010's "Heroes vs. Villains," but failed to recapture the magic and physical prowess that carried him far his first time out. Now, he's back and ready to recapture his former glory that ultimately led to acting gigs, hosting jobs, and a plethora of newborns named Colby. Calling the man a "fan-favorite" from the show's early days is undoubtedly an understatement. 

In our Q&A below, Donaldson reflects on 25 years of "Survivor," the friendships he maintains from the show, what would've happened had Jerri Manthey showed up to Season 50, and what his big strategic plans are for his "last shot" at the million. 

TVLINE | You were a part of the show's early days, having competed three times in the first 20 seasons. How does it feel to come back again for such a landmark season?
COLBY DONALDSON | Well, it's incredible to get an opportunity one more time to come out and play a game that I fell in love with 25 years ago. I didn't think I'd get a shot to go back a second time, and then I was fortunate to get a third time, but you sure don't think 25 years... I mean, this is my silver anniversary for playing this game, and at 51, this will be the last shot I have to do it, so I was stoked to get the call and to be able to come back out and play one more time.

Man, I just hope to try and replicate, to some degree, the way I played the first time. My first run was phenomenal. I didn't win, but I definitely left Australia playing a game that I was proud of. I'm not sure I could say that about my second or third outings, and so for me, Season 50 is a chance to reconcile that, to come back and right the wrongs from my second and third time out.

TVLINE | What have you been up to since we last saw you?
I moved back to Texas 10 years ago, my home state. After "Survivor," some doors opened. I was able to move out to Los Angeles and pursue a career in film and television and did that for, gosh, almost two decades, and then when I turned 40, moved back to Texas, started ranching again. I'm ranching on the same land that my great-grandfather ranched on four generations ago. I'm still welding and have a fabrication shop, so basically my bio underneath my name on Season 50 will read exactly like it did the first time I competed on Season 2 because I'm doing the same thing. It's been a complete full circle moment for me, and it's part of the reason I wanted to come back and play again. In appreciation and gratitude for the game and what it's given me.

TVLINE | The new era of "Survivor" is full of twists and advantages and high-speed gameplay. How are you going to adapt to fit that mold?
It's an evolved game, for sure. I'm gonna need a little help. I gotta find somebody in the new era that I can latch on to, that's willing to give an old guy some advantage in terms of just gameplay. You've got to be able to adapt in this game, no question. I think a little age, wisdom, and life experience will help me in ways that maybe it didn't the second or third time I played. But at the end of the day, there's no doubt it's gonna be a challenge for all of us that come from the old era and the old guard.

TVLINE | Who are you most excited to see back on the beach?
I think I'm excited to see a few people, one of whom's gotta be Coach, man. We were on opposite beaches on "Heroes vs. Villains," and I'm excited he's here. It's gonna be fun to hopefully get to play with him. Ozzy's another old schooler that I'm stoked to see is on the beach. That dude's a legend. I've never played with Ozzy. I don't know him, so I'm hoping there's a chance for us to align at some point or play the game together. Some of the new era players, Jonathan, Joe. Those two dudes I think I could get along with really well. I think they also have old souls, so I think it won't be completely far-fetched to think they might be willing to align with some of us old cats.

Then you have a couple of wild cards in the brand new Season 49 players, right? They're the ones no one knows anything about. They just finished their season, so it'll be interesting to see how they integrate with both the new era players, those who've had a chance to socialize outside the game and have built alliances prior to coming here, but also the old guard and the old school, and how they interact and engage with them.

TVLINE | Who do you think has to be the first person sent outta here?
As far as the first boot, we've got to see what shakes out. Meaning, when we hit the beach, you've got to expect the unexpected. This is Season 50. We know Probst and the team are gonna throw the kitchen sink at us, so you've got to be ready to pivot and then you've got to assess quickly. I don't know that we're gonna have a lot of time to determine and come up with a game plan on who we might want to get rid of, so I think you're gonna have to make some snap decisions. I think people like Angelina have a pretty big target. This guy Q has been pregaming like no one I've ever seen, and I don't think that's necessarily the smartest move. So I think the dude has put a target on himself just by the amount of pregaming he's been doing prior to coming out here. We'll see how that works for him in the game.

TVLINE | Anyone not here who you were fully expecting to see? Man, it's a bummer to be on Season 50 and not have a couple of the stalwarts like Boston Rob and Parvati, but man, how many times has Rob been on this thing, like five or something? Plus, he's won. So I talked to him months ago and he said, "Man, I'm not going back." He said, "I just don't have anything left to prove." I get it. That's true. At this point he doesn't have anything left to prove. He's in the pantheon of premiere players and he's never gonna leave that. So I don't know that he necessarily had the drive or motivation to come back out, but it would have been good to see him.

Another one, my nemesis Jerri Manthey. I would have loved to have seen her on the beach, not so we could duke it out, but I believe we would probably have aligned with one another had she been here.

TVLINE | Have you kept in touch with Jerri throughout the years?
No, I don't stay in touch with Jerri, but we buried the hatchet way back on Season 20 when we competed on "Heroes vs. Villains." It never aired on camera because it wasn't really part of the storyline. But we got along fine once the tribes merged. Jerri and I were fishing together every day. We were actually bringing back buckets of fish to the camp and to the tribe, but because things were copacetic and we were getting along as opposed to fighting one another like brother and sister that hate each other, it didn't really make for compelling TV. There's no doubt in my mind if she were here she would be an ally and we'd be able to work together, so it was kind of a bummer not seeing her back.

TVLINE | I'm curious if you keep in touch with Tina Wesson.
The crazy thing is all the friends I have and those that I remain in close contact with, Tina Wesson being one, my friend that I built for life based on the first time I played in Australia; Ethan Zohn, who became an incredible friend of mine after our time together in "All-Stars;" and then Tom Westman, from "Heroes vs. Villains." I would also throw Boston Rob in the mix as one of those close friends I stay in touch with — none of whom are on this beach, so I have literally no allies and no friends on the beach that I stay in touch with. But hey, that's the way the dice gets rolled.

TVLINE | What do you know about the new era? Are you all caught up with where the show is at now?
You bet. Look, I'm a fan of the show, always have been, and so I still watch the seasons. I've had a lot of fun watching the most recent ones. In fact, "48," Joe and Eva, their dynamic and how that played out was phenomenal, but the game that Kyle and Kamilla played and how they were able to keep that under wraps... probably some of the best gameplay I've seen in the history of the show. No doubt those are two badass contenders coming into Season 50. They're also unfortunately gonna have huge targets on their back.

I've gone back and watched some of the seasons that I missed. There was an era there where I didn't watch, not because I wasn't a fan of the show, but I was distracted by other stuff on or what have you, but I've gone back now as a student (and certainly in preparation for Season 50) and watched some of those seasons, so I'm up to speed on most of the players. I understand the evolution of the game and the pace at which it flows now. It'll be challenging, but I'm up for it.

TVLINE | Did anything surprise you while you were catching up and studying some of the recent seasons?
The one thing I hope for coming into this season, because the new era is not only compressed into 26 days, but it's moving at a pace and a clip that's light speed compared to when I played last. I hope there's still opportunity to really build relationships, forge friendships, and just get to know the players. I hope it's not so quick that there isn't that time because for me that's some of the best takeaways from the game, just the people you meet and begin to understand that otherwise you never would have connected with because you just wouldn't have crossed paths with them. So I hope there's still time in the game for those dynamics to play out.

TVLINE | Do new era players have an advantage in Season 50?
As an old guard, old era player, any perceived advantage that we might have is no doubt far outweighed by the advantages that the new era players have. They've simply been a part of [how] the game moves now compared to the way it used to. All the twists, turns, all of that stuff. Not only that, they're familiar with Fiji. The game's been played here for a lot of years. I've never been to Fiji, so I've never played on this beach, in this environment. We'll see how all that goes and how well and quickly I can adjust to that, but I don't think there's any doubt the new era players have an advantage.

TVLINE | There's a couple of seasons here that have clusters of three returnees each. Any worries there?
Yeah, I think anybody coming into Season 50 that has other returning players from their season puts a bit of a target on them now. If you're going by that logic, that would mean I'm coming back with three other players from "Heroes vs. Villains," so that would mean four of us are returning from Season 20. That doesn't bode well for us if that logic applies throughout. However, I don't think there's any question. I'm not a big target on anyone's radar. I'm not the most physical threat out here. I'm not the biggest strategic threat. I like being in the middle and playing from the middle, and that's exactly what I'm gonna be doing in Season 50.

TVLINE | Anyone in particular on your hit list who you might be eyeing?
Nah. I think there are some people that pregame way too hard leading up to "50." I'm not going to name any names, but I think that's going to come back to bite them. I think there's a threshold where you can pregame, and if you go above that, you're viewed as trying too hard. I think there are a few players here that did that.

TVLINE | Tell me a bit about the vibes you're getting from others. Who are you digging and who might you be suspicious of?
I think everyone's here to have a great time. To me, this feels like a really fun group. I know I'm personally gonna have a blast regardless of the outcome. I'm forcing myself to have fun because I know if I'm having fun, that's gonna translate to good gameplay, but I also get a good vibe from everyone else, I think. Everyone's intrigued to get to know one another, or at least that's the way I feel. I'm super stoked to get to know the new era players as much as I am to see some of my old friends from the old guard in the old era, and I hope that feeling is shared by the other players on the beach.

TVLINE | How much anticipation are you feeling right now?
Coming into "50," there's only one feeling I have, and it's gratitude and excitement, right? I don't have any trepidation. Part of that is I don't think there's any pressure on me to outperform everyone else. I don't think I'm expected to be able to handle Jonathan in any physical challenge, right? And I don't think I'm expected to beat Kamilla in any puzzles out here. And again, it goes back to that line of thinking of playing from the middle. I like that space for me at this time. At 51, I'm very proud to play from the middle. I don't have an ego that needs to be at the top of the heap. I'm going in there ready to slay. It's all fun, brother. This is gravy, man. It's my fourth time in, right? So if you can't have fun at this point, give it up.

TVLINE | Who are you feeling good about potentially working with?
I think the old school players are a natural fit, although Jenna might become a liability at some point, but Ozzy, Coach, Stephenie, Cirie, no question. I'll play with them all day long, and I don't think I'm gonna have any problem with them. The new era players that I'm stoked to play with... I like Jonathan. I like Joe. Just the way they played their seasons, I feel like they're kind of old souls. I think we'll be able to connect with them. I'm also excited about this new girl Savannah from Season 49. I don't know why. I don't know her. I haven't spoken a word to her. But I like the fact that she's so new coming off their season, she hasn't had a chance to pregame at all, so there aren't any built relationships with previous seasons. That makes her and Rizo ripe for alignment. I think we'll see. We also have to suss out pretty quickly what their dynamic is with one another.

TVLINE | Are winners a problem? Are they targets?
Winners are always gonna have a natural target on them because people don't like to see winners win twice. However, I've been on the jury when we voted for Sandra to win her second time, right? So I've seen it from that side. I don't buy into the argument that winners make good shields. "Oh, I'm gonna take this person with me because they won before, therefore the jury won't award it to them again." Bulls–t. It all has to do with the gameplay leading up to that final Tribal Council, and it also has to do with who's sitting on either side of that person that's already won it once. And in Sandra's case, she played a hell of a game leading up to the Final Tribal, and then she was sitting next to Russell and Parvati, so it's the lesser of two evils.

TVLINE | Did you vote in the fan vote? Are you aware of any of the categories?
Yeah, I didn't see any of them. I don't know what they were.

TVLINE | How do you feel about the Final 4 fire-making challenge?
What about it?

TVLINE | Do you hope the fans got rid of it?
Doesn't matter. I can make fire, so it doesn't matter.

TVLINE | How about rice and tribe supplies?
Yeah, it doesn't matter because to me, yeah, this is a bold statement, but this is a cake walk. Twenty-six days in this environment, there are no bugs out here. The weather's perfect, so I don't care if we have rice or not. Doesn't matter. Again, as long as the playing field's level, I don't care. Make it as tough as you want to make it, so no rice, rice, it really doesn't matter to me.

TVLINE | Any other changes fans can expect from your gameplay this time out?
Oh yeah. I definitely have adopted a very different strategy now, and part of that's just being 51 years old. I'm not gonna be able to play the physical game that I played in Australia when I was 25. In fact, I couldn't replicate that the second and third time I played, so I'm certainly probably not gonna be able to do that now. Where I will advance and excel is in my social game, and I think that lacked, strategically, in a big way the second and third time I played, so I'm looking forward to exercising some of the social talent, and that comes in the form of just understanding people better. I've lived more life. I've got more life experience now, so hopefully I can use that to my advantage and get to know these people and therefore make some bold moves along the way.

TVLINE | Why will Colby Donaldson be the winner of Survivor 50?
Oh, I don't know that I will. It's gonna take a lot of luck, for sure, if I win this thing.