Richard Hatch was the very first Survivor on the show’s first season, and unless you’ve been a fan from the very beginning, you might not even know or remember that. He stirred up much drama during his season thanks to his many betrayals and the whole naked stunt that occurred – that even led to a sexual assault claim by fellow contestant Sue Hawk.
In 2006, Hatch ended up with a tax evasion conviction when he didn’t pay taxes on his Survivor winnings. He was sentenced to 51 months in prison plus another nine months for still not amending his tax returns. Hatch is now selling Survivor memorabilia online and occasionally appearing in podcasts.
Danni Boatwright was the former Miss Kansas when she appeared on the 11th season of Survivor and won. Survivor: Guatemala saw Danni on the Nakúm tribe before getting switched to the Yaxha tribe. She lost the Final Four Immunity challenge but negotiated her stay, ending up being the sole Survivor. Then, 15 years later, she would return to star in Winners at War but would not become the sole survivor.
Danni Boatwright is now an on-air television personality for the Kansas City KCSP aka 610 Sports. Additionally, she has appeared on The Fantasy Show on ESPN2. She is married to a former NFL star, Casey Wiegmann, and they now have two kids together. Seems she’s doing more than just surviving as a former reality star.
Aras Baskaukas was the sole survivor of Survivor: Panama in the show’s 12th season. The Lithuanian contestant had earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Irvine in 2003. He then went on to earn an MBA at that same school and play NCAA Division I basketball. After that, he moved to Cape Town, South Africa and opened a yoga studio, and then moved to Santa Monica to become a yoga instructor.
Aras Baskaukas would return to the show for Blood vs Water. His run on the show was not successful as he placed 11th before being eliminated. Now, he’s turned his career to music, performing as Under Us, having released his debut album "The Tree and the River" in 2013.
Yul Kwon was working as a government official and a lawyer before becoming a contestant on Survivor: Cook Islands. He won the contest and the $1 million prize. He would later return to Winners At War and would finish in 14th place. While not every Survivor had a successful career after winning, Yul Kwon is a whole other story.
After his stint on the show, Yul Kwon became a special correspondent for CNN, exploring various issues involving the Asian American community. After that, he began working for the Federal Communications Commission and then Director of Product Management at Facebook – which he left in 2018. Today, he is married to Sophia Tan and has two children.
Parvarti Shallow is largely considered to be one of the best Survivor contestants of all time. As one of the most skilled castaways to compete, she has been invited back on the show multiple times. The first time was on the Cook Islands series. The second time she competed on Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites for which she won the $1 million prize.
After those appearances, she appeared on both Heroes vs. Villains and Winners at War. But it appears she’s finally taking a break from island hopping and is now working as a yoga instructor and child book author. She is married to a fellow Survivor contestant, John Fincher from Survivor: Samoa. They have a daughter together.
John Cochran, a law student at the time, was initially a contestant on Survivor: South Pacific in which he came in sixth place. He returned for Survivor: Caramoan and was the Sole Survivor for that season. Host Jeff Probst had suggested to John Cochran that he pursue a career in writing and so he did.
Creator of the sitcom My Name is Earl ended up reaching out to CBS about John, and he would end up writing scripts for Star Trek: Lower Decks, The Millers and Kevin Can Wait. As of February 2021, John Cochran has indicated that he would not return for another season of Survivor if he was invited back, as he is happy with how his journey ended.
Ethan Zohn was a contestant from the show’s third season. He was a professional soccer player who won Survivor: Africa. Upon winning, he used the money to raise awareness HIV/AIDS and aid in fighting it. The organization is called Grassroots Soccer. Since winning, he has returned to Survivor twice – for All-Stars and Winners at War.
In 2009, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called CD20-positive Hodgkin's lymphoma. The cancer returned in 2011, but he beat it a second time thanks to stem cell transplants from his brother. He has been married to interior designer Lisa Heywood since 2016.
For season 21 of Survivor, Jud “Fabio” Birza was the youngest sole Survivor with his season titled Survivor: Nicaragua at the age of 21. He received the nickname Fabio on the show due to his model-level good looks. And in fact, after the show, he went on to model for Abercrombie & Fitch.
Afterward, he was featured on the cover of the fifth in the Mortal Instruments book series called City of Lost Souls. Additionally, he had a small role in Burning Man: Metropolis, a documentary film released in 2012. He later went on to play drums in Space Funk Odyssey, and in 2019, he joined the staff of Mar Vista Music & Arts Walk in Los Angeles.
Amber Brkich first appeared as a contestant for The Australian Outback competition before she won the All-Stars. During All-Stars, she notably forged an alliance with her boyfriend Rob Mariano. But what came next really surprised audiences. After accepting his proposal on-air, she betrayed him and took the title of Sole Survivor.
The couple married in 2005 and even competed on The Amazing Race together – twice. Amber would return once again, this time alone, for Winners At War, but would come in 20th place. Amber now lives in Boston with her husband Rob and their four daughters.
Sandra Diaz-Twine was the winner of Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, making her the first contestant to win on the show twice. Additionally, she competed on Survivor: Game Changers and Survivor: Winners At War. For Survivor: Island of the Idols, she served as a mentor.
It seems Sandra Diaz-Twine is finally taking a break from TV and has returned to her job at a law firm. In a February 2020, interview, she indicated that she would be moving with her family from Florida to Texas. Sandra has two children.
Tony Vlachos is one of the show’s most recent winners, having won Winners at War in 2020. He was the first male contestant to become the Sole Survivor on the show twice. His first win came with Survivor: Cagayan. He later competed on Game-Changers but was less successful there, having been the second person voted out.
With his two wins combined, Tony Vlachos won a total of $3 million. Even despite scoring big and becoming a TV celebrity, he still works as a police officer. He has two children and a wife, Marissa, whom he married in 2012. Will he returned to Survivor once again? Only time will tell.
Jenna Morasca made Survivor history when she became the youngest contestant to win at the time on Survivor: The Amazon. She is the youngest female winner on the show to date. She would later appear on Survivor: All-Stars but left the game early due to attend to her mother who was suffering from cancer.
After the show, Jenna Morasca dated fellow contestant Ethan Zohn for a total of 10 years and they also did The Amazing Race together. Although in 2018, it was reported that she was charged with DUI, she has since dispelled these rumors. In a 2020 interview, Morasca indicated that she was working as a veterinary nurse.
Teresa “T-Bird” Cooper was a contestant who competed on Survivor: Africa. When describing her strategy for the game, Copper said her goal was to remain “low key.” She told Entertainment Weekly, “I did not want to draw any attention to myself or aggravate others too much." She was voted off on the 36th day out of 39 days.
In a recent, December 2020 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Teresa Cooper indicated that she was working with Delta Air Lines as an international flight attendant. She’s also an active real estate broker in Georgia. On top of this, she has a podcast with fellow contestant Rob Cesternino called Talking With T-Bird.
Will Wahl was the very first high school student to appear on Survivor. He competed on Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X in 2016 and made it up to day 34 before getting booted. He started out as a quiet contestant but it wasn’t before long that he made his power play, trying to take full control of the island.
The plan backfired, however, and that’s when he ended up getting eliminated. He recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly, telling them how he had graduated from Ohio State University and also how he had lived in Australia. Since the time of the interview, he was in law school and had a puppy – which is undoubtedly now a doggo.
Sean Rector competed on the fourth season of the show. He made it all the way to day 36 before becoming the 12th contestant to get voted off. For many viewers, he was one of the most entertaining and outspoken guests in the show’s history. He was also known for his close friendship with Vecepia Towery, who would become the winner.
Since leaving Survivor, Sean Rector returned to the theatre to work on stage productions in Los Angeles. Additionally, he has worked as an education consultant for charter and public schools. On top of that, he started a non-profit organization for black students called Teaching Young Men Excellence, plus an organization dedicated to fighting racism within the Survivor productions called Black Survivor Alliance.
