Christoval native to return for 50th season of ‘Survivor’

SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — A Christoval native and three-time contestant of the “Survivor” reality TV series will return to the show for its upcoming 50th season.

Show host Jeff Probst made an appearance on “CBS Mornings” on May 28, during which he announced the full 24-player cast who will be featured on the series’ 50th season, titled “Survivor 50: In The Hands of the Fans.”

“The castaways include iconic returning players from throughout the Emmy-winning series’ groundbreaking history, going all the way back to Season 1, which premiered in May 2000,” CBS stated in the description of a YouTube video

that lists all contestants for the 50th season.

Among those Probst stated would be competing for the title of “Sole Survivor” was Colby Donaldson, a Christoval native who first took part in the show during “Survivor: The Australian Outback,” the series’ second season. Donaldson was the runner-up for the second season, with contestant Tina Wesson winning over him in a narrow 3-4 vote during the Final Tribal Council.

Donaldson also competed in the show’s eighth season, “Survivor: All-Stars,” and its 20th season, “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.”

According to Donaldson’s IMDb webpage, Donaldson was born in Christoval in 1974. He is described as “an actor and producer,” being known for his work in the movie “Red Eye” as well as the TV shows “Good Girls Don’t…” and “Joey.”

Paramount+ stated in an article about the 50th season that viewers were previously capable of visiting a website to cast votes that could influence several of the show’s rules and how information is revealed, including “the color of the Survivor 50 buffs” and “whether the winner should be revealed at a live reunion show in Los Angeles, or on the island right after ballots have been cast.” Although voting has since closed, viewers will not be able to know the official voting results until the season airs.

“Survivor: In The Hands of the Fans” is set to begin airing in spring 2026, premiering on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, as per CBS.