Your Favorite Survivor Players Don't Look Like This Anymore

Since they are given practically no food and are physically and mentally exhausted while competing for $1 million on a remote island, it's very common for "Survivor" contestants to go through drastic transformations. In many cases, castaways look completely different during the finale than they did at the start of the season, which proves that being a "Survivor" contestant has its consequences.

These journeys, which are full of intriguing strategy and exciting twists and turns, are what makes "Survivor" so special, and helps to explain why it has been on the air for over 25 years. In the first 48 seasons of the show, a total of 733 contestants have played "Survivor." Obviously, it's practically impossible to keep up with all the former contestants, but many of them have changed a lot since their time on the show. Therefore, here are 12 "Survivor" players who are now unrecognizable.

Keith Famie is a chef who appeared on "Survivor: The Australian Outback," which was only the second season of the show. When he competed for the $1 million prize in the Australian wilderness, Famie was 40 years old. As such, he looked much different from howhe does now. At the time, Famie had short black hair, but now, as can be seen on his Instagram, his hair is much longer, completely white, and he even has a goatee. Based on his appearance now, it would be surprising if even the most die-hard "Survivor" fan recognized him on the street.

It's not necessarily surprising that most fans wouldn't recognize Famie today, especially since he never returned to play another season of "Survivor." On "The Australian Outback," Famie managed to come in third place despite having a somewhat poor social game at times. Luckily, he aligned himself with Colby Donaldson and Tina Wesson, who came in second and first place, respectively, and are arguably the most popular castaways from the season.

Colby and Tina both returned to play again, but Famie told Entertainment Weekly in 2021 that he would never compete on "Survivor" again. Providing an update on his life since "Survivor," he said, "My time of 'Survivor: The Australian Outback' was over 20 years ago now. For several years after 'Survivor,' I had my own series on the Food Network. Now, for the last 15 years I have been producing human interest documentaries for PBS. I truly enjoy helping others tell their stories knowing it will help our PBS audiences better understand the journey they are on."

Mitchell Olson also competed on "Survivor: The Australian Outback." However, Olson didn't make it nearly as far as Famie. Interestingly, Olson was actually the first ever player to be eliminated from the game via past votes. In the fourth episode of the season, the vote at tribal council ended in a tie, and Olson was sent home because Famie, of all people, cast a vote against him in the previous episode.

In a 2020 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Olson revealed that he lived in New York City for about 13 years after competing on "Survivor" but eventually moved back to South Dakota, which is where he grew up. There, he met his now-husband and has been happily married for many years. "I've really enjoyed living a very typical lifestyle. One that I never thought would ever be an option for the first 40 years of my life," he said. Speaking about his professional life, Olson added, "Most of what I do is MC work for cancer walks, diabetes fundraisers, domestic violence functions, etc ... I'm on the most listened to radio station every Friday morning during the drive time — talking about entertainment news, totally in my wheelhouse."

As seen on his Instagram, Olson is no longer the young 23-year-old he was on "Survivor: The Australian Outback." He is now middle-aged, and despite looking much different, he still looks great and radiates youthful energy. Olson now has short brown hair that he often combs over, a beard, and can be seen wearing distinctive blue glasses in most of his pictures.

Just like Olson, Brandon Quinton was very young when he competed on "Survivor: Africa," the show's third season. Quinton was only 25 at the time and was portrayed as one of the season's main villains. On "Survivor: Africa," he was a member of the Younger Samburu Alliance and clearly disliked the older contestants on his tribe. However, after the merge, Quinton actually betrayed his alliance, which resulted in him getting blindsided on day 27. Quinton finished in eighth place out of 16 castaways.

In a 2021 catch-up interview with Entertainment Weekly, Quinton revealed that he "spiraled out of control with drinking and other vices" after playing "Survivor." He said, "I spent several years like that until I hit bottom and decided to make some big changes. I went back to school and became a registered nurse. Now I work in the home health industry and it is my great privilege to help elderly people age at home."

Since Quinton is now 49 years old, much older than he was on "Survivor: Africa," it's understandable that he looks a lot different. While he had short brown hair on the reality competition show, Quinton now has a shaved head and a beard. His Instagram account is private, but his profile gives you an idea of what he roughly looks like now, and it's clear that he has changed a lot since playing "Survivor."

Just like Quinton, Lex van den Berghe was considered an antagonist on "Survivor: Africa." Despite his villainous tendencies, he almost made it to the end of the game. Van den Berghe was ultimately voted out on day 38 and placed third overall. He made such an impression on the show's third season that he was invited back for "Survivor: All-Stars," during which he placed ninth out of 16 contestants.

In a 2020 interview with Entertainment Weekly, van den Berghe provided an update on his life. "My life is essentially the same as it was before I played 'Survivor,' which is just how I like it. My wife Kelly and I are still living happily ever after in Santa Cruz, California, with our small herd of dogs and cats. My boys are not really boys anymore, but grown men now, and make me proud every day. I'm still playing drums in a few bands, including a couple of rock and roll bands."

On both of his seasons of "Survivor," van den Berghe had spiky black hair, and he has kept that same style since. However, as seen on his Instagram, his spikes are now gray. Therefore, it's not a surprise that many "Survivor" fans no longer recognize the two-time player when they see pictures of him. Despite this, van den Berghe is clearly living a happy and full life.

Ian Rosenberger was a contestant on "Survivor: Palau," the tenth season of the show. He was a member of the Koror Tribe, one of the most successful tribes in the show's history. His closest allies in the game were Tom Westman and Katie Gallagher, with whom he made it all the way to the end. However, Rosenberger shockingly decided to throw the final immunity challenge so that Tom could take Katie to the end instead of him, since he felt guilty that he had tried to betray them. Because of this heroic act, Rosenberger was eliminated on day 38 and came in third place.

Rosenberger hasn't done many interviews since his time on "Survivor," but he did admit in a 2018 Reddit "Ask Me Anything" that he believes he would have beaten Tom in the final immunity challenge if he hadn't thrown it. It doesn't seem like he regrets his decision, though, and is happy Tom ultimately ended up winning "Survivor: Palau."

Since competing on "Survivor," Rosenberger has become a husband and a father to two children, whom he often posts on his Instagram. On "Survivor: Palau," he had slightly longer dirty blonde hair, but now he sports much shorter hair and a beard. If you passed him on the street today, it's unlikely you would ever recognize him from "Survivor: Palau."

Todd Herzog competed on and managed to win "Survivor: China," which is generally regarded as having one of the best casts in the show's history. On this cast, Herzog stood out as a strategic mastermind and dominated the game alongside his allies, such as Amanda Kimmel and Courtney Yates. These were the castaways who made it to the final three, but Herzog ultimately convinced the jury to award him the $1 million grand prize. Fans constantly applaud his final tribal council performance, and he is often regarded as one of the best "Survivor" winners.

Since being crowned the sole survivor in China, Herzog has remained active in the "Survivor" community. Nowadays, he actually designs custom "Survivor" Funko pops for fans of the show. These Funko pops can be seen on his Instagram, which also shows that Herzog still rocks the beard that he started to grow on "Survivor." Since he now has the beard all the time and is much older than he was on the show, it would be difficult for many fans of the show to recognize Herzog.

Just like Herzog, Judson John Birza, who went by the nickname "Fabio," also won "Survivor." However, unlike Herzog, Birza wasn't necessarily seen as a strategic mastermind while competing on the show's 21st season, which was set in the jungles of Nicaragua. Birza was not taken seriously by many of his fellow castaways, but his lower threat level allowed him to easily make it to the end of the game. Ultimately, partly because of his likable attitude, the jury crowned him the sole survivor of "Survivor: Nicaragua."

Unfortunately, Birza made headlines just a month after the finale of "Survivor: Nicaragua" after being arrested for a DUI. According to TheThings, after paying the $37,000 bail, which likely came from his "Survivor" earnings, Birza's friend picked him up in a white limo, which honestly fits with his carefree persona on the reality show. Some "Survivor" winners have lost everything, but thankfully, it doesn't seem like Birza has had any legal troubles since.

Birza is not active on social media, but a Reddit user posted a recent photo of him in 2020, which proves just how much he has changed since his time on "Survivor." On the show, he had long blond hair that almost reached his shoulders, which is why his nickname was inspired by the Italian actor and fashion icon Fabio Lanzoni. However, nowadays, Birza has much shorter hair and a beard, proving that the nickname "Fabio" no longer fits him.

Brandon Hantz played on "Survivor: South Pacific" and "Survivor: Caramoan" and is easily one of the most controversial people to appear on the show. He is the nephew of Russell Hantz, one of "Survivor's" most infamous villains, and he struggled with this legacy on the show. On his first season, Hantz made it to day 36 and ended up finishing sixth place out of 18 contestants. However, when he returned for "Survivor: Caramoan," Hantz constantly butt heads with his fellow tribemates, and it was clear that he was very unstable. This resulted in him being voted out during an impromptu tribal council immediately following an immunity challenge on day 13.

Several reality TV stars have been arrested, and Hantz is one of the most recent. In February 2025, it was reported by People that Hantz could've been facing up to 40 years in prison on racketeering and arson charges. According to the report, the former "Survivor" player has been a member of the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang for many years. This gang reportedly has 3,500 members across the United States and has been involved in a lot of criminal activity around Houston, Texas, which is where Hantz resides.

Hantz hasn't posted any new photos on his Instagram account since 2017, but his page shows that he got several face tattoos after his two appearances on "Survivor." Additionally, he also has more tattoos on his neck. Therefore, even though it seems like his facial features and hairstyle are still the same, these additional tattoos would make it hard for some to recognize Hantz.

Kat Edorsson played on "Survivor: One World" and "Survivor: Blood vs. Water." On her first outing, she was part of a dominant female alliance but was blindsided on day 33, placing seventh out of 18 castaways. For "Blood vs. Water," she returned to play with her then-boyfriend and former Big Brother winner Hayden Moss. On this season, she was voted out on day 17 and came in 14th place out of 20 players.

She competed on "One World" and "Blood vs. Water" when she was 22 and 23 years old, respectively, and claimed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that she wishes she played in her 30s, but she was always an incredibly entertaining and positive presence onscreen. Since her time on "Survivor," Edorsson has gotten married and recently had a child. She said, "I am still in Orlando, Fla., living with the love of my life for the past two years. I spend a lot of time with my family, and we recently got a puppy named Jax who has brought so much joy to my life."

Since competing on "Survivor," she has also grown out her hair. On both of her seasons, Edorsson had a bob, and her hair didn't even touch her shoulders. As seen on her Instagram, that is no longer the case. Edorsson now has much longer hair and has even added in some highlights. Therefore, since she's no longer rocking the bob look, it may be hard for some "Survivor" fans to recognize her.

Speaking of contestants who have grown out their hair, Rodney Lavoie Jr. has completely changed his look since competing on "Survivor: Worlds Apart." Lavoie Jr. was a member of the Blue Collar tribe in "Worlds Apart" and was a leader of the most dominant alliance of the season. He made it very far into the game but was sent to the jury after losing a tie-breaking fire-making challenge at the final four. 

Lavoie Jr. had very short brown hair on "Survivor: Worlds Apart," but he has since adopted a surfer aesthetic. Based on his Instagram, he has had much longer hair for many years. In some photos, a little bit of blond can even be seen in Lavoie Jr.'s hair. Whether these are highlights or natural, it would be very hard to recognize Lavoie Jr. since he looks so different from the way he did on "Survivor."

Kyle Jason played on "Survivor: Kaôh Rōng" and made it quite far into the game despite getting into many fights with other contestants. Jason wasn't afraid to make big moves, but his poor social standing with most of the cast post-merge practically ensured that he would never make it to the end of the game. Ultimately, he was voted out on day 32 and placed sixth out of 18 castaways.

On the show, Jason had a bushy beard and long hair that was often up in a ponytail. Since his time on "Survivor," he has grown his beard out even more and actually shaved his head. Additionally, as is seen on his Instagram, Jason has gotten into bodybuilding and has even competed in several competitions. Nowadays, he is much more muscular than he was when he played "Survivor." Because of his drastic physical transformation, Jason looks completely different than he did while competing on the island of Kaôh Rōng.

Jason is not the only "Survivor: Kaôh Rōng" castaway to put on a ton of muscle. Since her time on the show, Cydney Gillon has also competed in bodybuilding competitions. On "Survivor," Gillon actually worked with Jason but decided to turn on him after the merge. She made it very far into the game but was eliminated on day 37 after losing a tie-breaking fire-making challenge.

Gillon was already a bodybuilder and a track athlete before competing on "Survivor: Kaôh Rōng," but she has experienced an immense amount of success since. In fact, starting in 2017, just one year after "Survivor: Kaôh Rōng" aired, Gillon won eight consecutive years at The Olympia, the most prestigious bodybuilding show in the world. According to an interview posted on The Submission Artist, she has now officially retired from bodybuilding but still maintains her athletic figure.

Gillon was in very good shape on "Survivor," but being stranded on an island with barely any food isn't the best way to maintain muscle. Since her time on the show, she has clearly thrived and built way more muscle. On her Instagram, Gillon often posts photos and videos of her training. Since she is no longer starving on the island of Kaôh Rōng, a lot of fans probably wouldn't even recognize her anymore.