RHAP: We Know Survivor - Tina Wesson and Rodger Bingham Talk Colby Donaldson | The Survivor 50 Files

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

The Survivor 50 Files returns with Brandon Donlon diving deep into Colby Donaldson's upcoming return. Brandon is joined by Survivor legends Tina Wesson and Rodger Bingham, who offer unique insights into Colby's gameplay and personality.

The biggest show of the summer is back. Love Island USA Season 7 premieres June 3rd and we will be breaking it all down all season long. Join Kirsten and Scali for the challenges, recoupling and drama. Get the same great Love Island coverage on the brand new We Know Love Island podcast feed. What is going on, everybody? We are back episode two of the Survivor 50 Files, talking Colby Donaldson. And I am here joined by a survivor legend, a three-time survivor, somebody we all kind of expected to be on season 50.

And I can't wait to talk about that. How are you doing? I'm good. How are you? I'm better that you're here. This is fantastic. Well, Rob must really trust you to hand the wheels over to you. So let's just for background for everybody listening, we are recording this minutes after

the cast for the Trader season four was released. So this is the first time I can talk about it on here. But Rob says, Sir, Nino, Tina, you're your friend from the All Stars, your friend from Argentina. When you went on that trip horseback riding, is gonna be back on TV. 20 years, Rob's on the Traders. Go Rob, go Rob. I think he'll take it. He is so great.

He is so great. If nothing else, he will certainly entertain us. He's got the good confessionals, Tina. How was your time, while we're here talking about it, how was your time backpacking through on the, on the horses with Rudy and Rob? How was that for you? Oh, that was his hardest survivor. Really?

Did not want to be there. He did not. He went kicking and screaming and fighting. And then his horse was carrying the pots and pans and they were all tied on his horse and they slid underneath the horse which made the horse start bucking which threw Rob off and I got to see another side of Rob that a lot of people might not get to see and that didn't mean to laugh but it was pretty funny. Yeah he does not talk about that trip.

He talks so highly about the company, but not so much about the actual experience of the horseback riding, which is so funny. Gina, how are you? How are you doing? I'm doing so good. So good. And tell me, where are you geographically? You're Tennessee?

I am North Carolina, actually. I'm one mile over the Tennessee, North Carolina border in the Appalachian Mountain range. So basically the Smoky Mountain National Park is on the other side of me. So we're tucked away in the mountains about an hour and 20 to the closest town, big town. So I'm living there.

How does grocery shopping work when you're an hour and 20 from away? How often do you go? I go like once every two weeks. Wow. That's a long drive. I know. I know. Do you like being that remote? Do you enjoy it? I love it.

Tell me about it. What is the things about it that you really like? Well, here. I'll just show you. How about that? Tell me. Please. So, well, first of all, I'm in nature and I love nature. Have bears. As a matter of fact, last week I was in my hot tub and this bear comes up beside my hot tub and that was a little exciting. So can you see? Oh, beautiful. Oh my gosh.

A little lake down there. Love it. But I just live in the woods. Your house is also a beautiful color, by the way. Thank you. What a pretty green, bluish color. Thank you. And let me show you this.

So, whoa, got my outdoor shower, hot tub. Love it. My flowers will be up here in a little bit. And that's where I live. Tina, I got a couple of friends who would love to do a little weekend trip in the in the middle of the mountains there. You know, I love company. What a beautiful home. Listen, you know, I'm in New York City, Tina.

I'm the most congested you could be. You know, if I throw something in the street, it'll hit nine people. Oh, no. Well, I will. I'm coming to see her next weekend so if you want to get together I'll come see you. Oh is that right you're coming to New York? Yep. When was the last time you were up here? Recent? I think maybe for her last birthday which would have been last June. And this is Katie this is the Katie that we all know. That's the Katie that we know and love.

How is Katie doing? She's awesome. Love that. Love that. Oh yeah. Well, listen, we'll definitely, we'll definitely talk about that. Tell me, Tina, about season 50. You know, I'm sure you've seen the cast. Tell me what you're thinking about the group. Um, interesting group. I think it'll be a fun season. There's some people that I didn't remember. But I think it'll be a fun season.

I think it'll be good. What do you think? Have you ever, you know what, I think there are concepts of something that are good. I think there's some misses. I think where they missed the most is I would really have liked to see a couple more people from the era of the show that you were a part of. I think that there are a lot of folks from those first 15 to 20 seasons who really wanted to go.

And I understand why we have to do like a new era, older era, old school split. But you know what? To have like Penner and to have Jerry and to have these folks like kind of on the cutting room floor to me is like, because this is, Tina, this is what Rob has been saying in these podcasts is it's probably the last time. If it was going to happen any other time, it was season 50 to get Penner back. I mean, you've met Penner, I'm sure you've, you know, Jerry. You know, we, there are, there are those folks who I think aren't there for folks, which is again, this is Rob's point. There are folks who were just on a year ago, who can go back in 10 years?

Ten years is that distinguishing time period where Penner in 10 years maybe isn't going to want to go, let alone could go. So I would have liked to have seen a couple more people from back in the day. Is there anybody that you thought of when you saw the cast that should have been there but wasn't there? Me. You, did you wanna go, you were in, you were ready to go if they called.

Of course, of course. I really, Tina, there were these rumors that were going around online of a woman from the Australian Outback is what all the rumors said. And people thought it was Jerry, people thought it was Elizabeth, which I never, I never bought it into the name of Elizabeth. But I thought it was you the whole time. I thought it was you. Um, up until the cast

was released, I thought you were going. So I'm so saddened to hear that you were, you were ready. You were ready to rock and roll. Always, always. Yes. How would you think you would have done here? Let me pull up the group here. I'm not sure if you can see it. How do you think you would have done here? Let me pull up the group here. I'm not sure if you can see it. How do you think you would have done with this configuration of folks? Is there anybody here that you, as Tina Weston, would be like, I would love to align with them

or maybe the opposite? So many, so many people on this cast that I would love to be friends with. Thank you. It's a good group. It's a good group that I wanna hang with for sure. It's a good party. I think that hang with for sure. It's a good party. I think that they will have fun.

That's another thing. You know, there's a few that are uber competitive that, you know, might be there. Like I am social. But one of the things that I recently said about Survivor, especially whenever I was first cast, is that, okay, they say you're going out here to outwit Outlast Outplay for a million bucks. So I'm going into this like I'm going into, you know, some event, some sporting event that I've got to win. So I didn't really get that it's also a television show. And so, you know, I'm even playing the game with the producers,

because they're asking me questions, but I'm not about to tell them certain things, because I don't want them to turn around and interview somebody else with a thought that maybe I've said. So, you know, I get, I am not really a character. I went out there as an athlete wanting to win this challenge, you know? And so, and I played that same way second time, and it wasn't until maybe midway

through that third time that I played that this light bulb went off and I'm like, oh, this is a television show too. And they really need me to like say something. So I get that maybe whenever the cast is being cast, they're like, I've always said I'm extraordinarily ordinary. I'm not really this character, but certainly a lot of the people that are going back to play, it'll make for a great television show. Oh, certainly.

You got a lot of personalities and you've played with the very big personalities in your time of playing. So Jenna Lewis, one of them who you did play with also, who's back again, 20 years back in Survivor. I voted her off first thing that she voted me off. She's out of here. I would vote. Boy, she would be on my target.

So it's so funny. So there's there's there's 24 people playing Survivor 50. There's two winners out of 24 people, which I don't know. The streets, Tina, the streets are saying it probably isn't going to look too good for the two winners who are playing. It feels like an easy boot. I know. Well, and that was one of the things that I had heard that they weren't going to have any winners back.

So then whenever I saw that there were some, I was like, boohoo. That's the, that was a lot of the sentiment. I know again, I'm echoing things that other people have said, but you know, if, if there were winners that were going to come back, I would have loved to have seen you. I would have loved to have seen Earl from Survivor Fiji, who I'm sure you've met, who just hasn't returned yet. Um, there were like, I would have liked a little bit more of a balance, but now we have, you know, D who won my season of Survivor who I love and I hope wins this one. And then we have Kyle who I love also, but Kyle won last week.

Kyle won and then six days later, he's on the plane back to Fiji. So it will be an interesting thing. And kudos. Kudos to him. Like, I can't imagine because there's been a few people who have done that. Gone, come home, and gone back out to play. It's kind of like childbirth. When you go through it, you're like, okay, I'm done. But then, you know, after a year or two, you forget, and you're like, okay, I can do that again.

So, the people who do it in six days, I have mad respect for. Oh, for sure. Well, and Kyle, Camilla, and Joe, who were just on season 48, I have mad respect for. Oh, for sure. Well, and Kyle, Camilla and Joe, who were just on season 48, they at least got to watch it. But there's two people who filmed season 49. They were home for, I don't want to get it wrong, but I believe 10 days and they just went back and filmed again, you know, which is, that's a lot. It's a lot of time.

You don't even get to decompress in that time. I'm sure, you know, you, when you get home and you make it that far, you really have to sit with it. They're not even getting the opportunity to do that. Wow. That's, that, they get my respect and I can't believe they're having three people back from last season. That seems acceptable.

That's excessive. One of them got my spot. The streets are saying that it's pretty excessive. One of them got my spot. Tina, the streets are saying that it's pretty excessive. It's an excessive amount of people from season 48 for sure. And we love them, but it's a tough thing. Tell me, Tina, we're here. You are, I believe, the closest bridge to Colby of anybody who's played Survive. I think you keep in contact the most with Colby than anybody else who's played.

So a lot of the Survivor fans who are so excited to see Colby, you know, back this time, the folks that aren't, like, they don't know Colby. Like, they haven't seen Colby, you know, we go to these viewing parties, we go to all this stuff. Colby's been relatively disconnected. So tell me about Colby. Tell me your, let's start 20 years ago. Tell me your first impression of Colby. You're on his tribe, you see him there.

What's that like for you? Strong male, you know, I'm glad he's on our tribe because again, you know, I'm coming at it strictly from a competitive warrior mentality. I'm like, great, you know, right there's some brawn for us, you know. And then as things start moving along and we do the challenges, Colby, he has the same mindset as I do. So every time there was a challenge, it was kind of he and I that was like, okay, you know, we'll put this person here and this person needs to be doing that and Mitchell's tall, so we'll put him over here.

So it's he and I that are kind of orchestrating how we should do the challenge. And so I think that's where our bond initially came in was like, he's a competitor. And so that's how we first got our connection going. For sure. I mean, you play 42 days together. And so that's how we first got our connection going. For sure. I mean, you play 42 days together. You're there the entire time. What I was wondering, just going through clips of Survivor Australian Outback to talk to you and to talk to Roger, we're talking to also. Roger kind of gives up his spot there in the final five. So Elizabeth can go to that next round. So Elizabeth can potentially win that immunity challenge. Do you think that had anything to do with Colby then doing like the honorable thing in his view of taking you to the final two as opposed to Keith? Or do you think Colby's

mindset in that moment was shifted somewhere else? Now, we ended up, Colby and I were very close and we planned pretty early on in the game, he and I to the end, because we felt as if we were doing the strategizing for the challenges. And then remember the challenge where standing on the log for so long and I had to stay up there to protect Keith because I needed Keith to win and So At that next challenge Well, no, I take that back, I'm sorry reverse Been a long time. So the night that we voted Mitchell out, that was, Keith was

supposed to go. That's what Mitchell wanted. And so that's whenever I said, we, Mitchell, we have to keep Keith. He's a strong male. If we can't advance as a tribe, we can't advance as individuals. And he's like, I made the alliance, I'm sticking to it. I'm like, okay. So then I hike my happy bed over to Kobe and I'm like, Kobe, this doesn't make sense. We gotta keep Keith. He goes, you're right, what do you wanna do?

I said, let's keep Keith, get rid of Mitchell. And from that point on, that solidified Kobe and I. And no matter if I had won that last challenge or he had won it, we were taking the other. So there was never any doubt that we weren't taking each other to the finals. It's kind of like Joe and Eva, you know, they were no matter what, no matter what it cost us.

Like if I didn't think I could win against Kobe, I still was taking him to the end. So, you know, this was back in the day when Survivor was played a little differently. And, you know, I wasn't able to separate life from the game. Whereas now, you know, because I thought that you would get respect if you played honorably. Whereas now you get respect if you've got good game.

And so I kind of like I that was another reason why I would have liked to have gone back to be able to see if I could get outside of myself and actually be a little more aggressive in my gameplay to see if I could really do it and play new school style. You can play new school style. I feel like you had you had that in the old school also like that. I think that's what makes you a great player. And even in blood versus water, I think you do quite a bit of that.

I think that you have that like gear in you that can get that done. Whereas I think the folks who do play with this honor and integrity, which you just mentioned, Joe, Colby's going to love Joe. Oh my God. They're going to get a long great those two. He already does love Joe. Let me just tell you, he loves him. Oh, you know that?

Yes. Oh, yeah. Oh, you know that? Yes. Oh, yeah. Oh, Tina. We talk about, you know, we watch and, you know, he was like, man, he's my favorite. Actually he said it's his favorite. Joe is. Yeah. So that's great insight.

So Colby, you know, I didn't think that Colby watched Survivor anymore. So Colby's been watching since he got the call to play or do you think that he's been watching this entire time? He's been watching since he got the call to play, or do you think that he's been watching this entire time? He's been watching. So, you know, again, the perception that I've had is that Colby's gonna get onto this beach and not have any clue who anybody is. No, he knows everybody.

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you or like somebody who is a little bit craftier on the strategic side to kind of help him get to where like, is Colby, I think Colby's great at what Colby brings to Survivor, but I don't think strategically is his biggest strength in the game. And I think maybe he could use that. Yeah. So, and we talked a lot about that before this, before the cast was announced, he and I were talking, you know, like, okay, 50 is coming up, you know, what do you think? And think we'll get the call. And so we were having conversations before the cast was even announced.

And so he was talking about how hard it would be to go back and play with that in the new school style. But he started studying the game and studying how it's done. And Toby is very meticulous and he is he's a student. He will study things really hard. So and I don't want to give too much away because I don't know if he would want me to do that. But I will say that there's definitely people that he will align with if they're on his tribe that he will have a great opportunity to go foreign this game with. That's so exciting. You're the great, this is the best person to game with. That's so exciting.

You're the great, this is the best person to talk to. That's great. You know, because Colby has just been like so disconnected from the world, which is something that I think everybody's kind of taken note of is that when he popped up on these casts, rumored lists, and now the confirmed cast, he's one of the only people that a lot of the folks

who are playing haven't met. Like a lot of these people just because of the nature of the community have all met each other where I think Colby's going in not having had like physical face time with any of the folks that he's playing with. Most of them. I know the old school folks he's played with and you know been at the parties with and all that. But like at least the newer school even some of the older folks have met the newer school folks. Yeah. And he hasn't met most all of them. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Hardly any of them. So that is so funny. So I mean, we talked about Jenna Lewis, but tell me about the Jenna Lewis situation as it's happening in Survivor All-Stars, which is, you know, it's traumatic. But tell me about you get there, you see Jenna Lewis, Jenna Lewis immediately is like, we got to get the winners out. Is that something that you had any insight to pre-leaving for Survivor All-Stars? As I know there was some pre-gaming that was going on.

Did you have any hint that that was going to be the rhetoric once you got there? Well, I had actually talked to the producers and said, look, if you don't put all the winners on one tribe, they're just going to vote us off one by one. So I knew that going in and recommended that they do that, which they didn't. So I got to the beach and found out, you know, who was on my tribe. And I was like, oh crap. You know, I knew Jenna would be gunning for me but this is kind of a funny thing too that I'll share with you so whenever

you before you go out and actually start filming you're at the Ponderosa well I mean I'm playing my game starts immediately so we're at Ponderosa and there's like this, this was in Panama and so we have this beautiful outdoor sitting area and I see Rupert. Well first of all I saw Rupert at the airport and I'm like you know and I'm wanting him to get the feeling that I'm so excited to see him and put off a good vibe just in case we're on the same tribe so that he'll know that I'm excited to play with him. So then I'm gonna get in so much trouble for this. So, but I don't care because I'm not going to 50 so I can spill all the secrets. So we go to this outdoor eating place at

in Ponderosa but we're not we can't talk to each other. You know you're supposed to be you know just eat your meal and be at peace. Well I'm slipping notes to Rupert and I'm like okay Rupert if you get here are the people if you get, here are the people that you can trust, here are the people that you can't trust. So, you know, I'm trying to build trust with Rupert before we even go out there to play. Then we get on the boat going to the island. He is throwing his guts out.

I mean, he is so sick. sick just throwing up throwing up over the boat and I'm over there and I'm you know wetting his head and trying to make him feel better and doing everything I can. So we get there and we find out okay well I'm going to be with Jenna, I'm going to be with Rudy who I don't know Rudy at all but I knew that he played with Jenna and so he would probably vote with Jenna so I know that's not good. So Rupert, you know I'm like me Rupert and Ethan, you know the three of us could form some kind of alliance so I'm just like some kind of alliance. So I'm just like doing everything I can, but he's just not falling for it. So he's, you know, he's voting to vote the winners off too. So that didn't make me happy. All that wasted effort. I should have just let him throw up over the boat and

tuck his head in the water. I'm having so much fun. This is so much fun for me. So it surprises me that you didn't know Rudy better just given that you were the first two seasons and you were doing like a media tour. Is it you never had any run ins with with Rudy? Nope. Interesting. Interesting.

And going in, you were close, obviously, with with Colby and the Australian Outback crew, I guess you knew. Was there anybody on the different tribes that you knew you'd be good with if you met up with them that maybe weren't from Australian Outback? I have to remind well Big Tom was there right? Yes, Big Tom was there. And Big Tom are good friends. So definitely Tom and I would have formed a southern alliance for sure. He's close to you I think geographically-ish maybe, maybe? Yeah. Yeah. Very funny. Tell me about, you know, obviously, without mentioning names, you know, tell me the kind

of the qualities that somebody would have to have that would maybe attract Colby to want to align with them on a season 50. What is Colby looking for, like a dating profile? What is Colby's checking off for somebody he to like go to the end of season 50 with? Yeah, it would have to be someone competitive. You know, there's not someone like, Suri is, Suri just comes across as la la la la la, you know, and I don't know how she always wins other than her great personality. You know? But someone who, like if they come to Kobe, especially, you know, if they come to him wanting to play, that's going to help because he doesn't

know a lot of these people. So that's one thing. Two, I think he's going to have to rely on a few people that he does know to fill him in on, you know, can this person, this person wants to play with this, but can they be trusted? You know, just somehow, some way they're going to have to convincing that they're trustworthy. And then of course, if they're not a good athlete, Colby will probably be like, okay, don't need that. I need someone who's going to be physical in the challenges with me. Colby, Tina would have hated me on Survivor. Colby and I, we're not in the same boat in terms of our survivor strategy, which is funny. You know, I am interested because he's going back with people that he was on a try with before he's got Stephanie

and Suri that he both played with. He has coach we didn't play with, but he played next to for a couple of days once they hit the merge or actually Colby coach never made the merge that season. So I guess he met coach at Ponderosa, but he does have like. He, you know, he's met people, he's met a few people that he's literally traveled to Samoa and played a different season with. And I'm interested in to see the dynamic there. Yes, and coaching and Stephanie both are the type of people

that Colby definitely would align with because they are, they have that same mindset, you know. because they are, they have that same mindset, you know? So tell me, you know, Tina, when he goes back, Colby, for Heroes versus Villains, like the critique that I've heard about him and the people have said is like, he seemed very like tired. Like his first confessional, which I love is, he says he wants to see if he like still has it. And it just felt like in the challenges

and even in the camp life, it just, I don't think it was the game that he remembered when he played with you. And I don't think it was the game that he remembered when he played with you. And I don't think it was the game in all, I don't think his All-Stars experience was all that great either. I'm wondering what changed. Like I wouldn't have ever thought

that Colby would have wanted to go back. Just after seeing the last time. Yeah, I think he kind of regrets his head space where he was and how he came across and not really giving Survivor the respect that it deserved. So I think that he's coming back to kind of prove something and to really thank Survivor for what it's given him and to go back to the original Colby. So I think you'll see a different player this time.

I mean, that, I love to hear that. That's very, you know, storytelling wise, it's a very cool reason to want to go back in is to kind of redefine this reputation that, you know, I think a lot of the folks that are playing this who have also done the research are going to expect like the tired Colby or the disinterested Colby. And I'm interested to see how he navigates that because I've been saying the same thing about Colby is why would he want to go? This isn't like, you know, Keith Nail, RIP famously said like survivor isn't fun. Like there's no reason for Colby to want to, other than a million dollars, want to go put himself through this

again. But I do think the rhetoric of the season being, it's a celebration of this franchise that has impacted all of us, that has impacted Colby's entire life. You know what I mean? I understand the reason for wanting to go and kind of reclaim something that maybe wasn't, you know, as flattering before.

Yeah, definitely some redemption there, I think. Super cool, wow. Tell me, I think. Super cool. Tell me, are there any of the New Era people that are on this cast? And I'll bring it up again here. Are there any of the New Era people that you watched at home that you really, really liked that are playing Survivor 50? Oh, yes. I mean, everybody, though, of course. And is Charlie considered new era?

Yeah, Charlie's new era. Yep. I love Emily. I love Aubrey. Love Jonathan. Love Chrissy. Love Christian. You would have been great.

This is your wheeling and dealing already. They're there. Well, you know, I just really respect. Let's take Emily. I really like people who come out. It's not their element. You know, survivor for me, other than the starvation, is not much different than my real life.

You know, I mean, I just came off of a camping trip or didn't shower for six days. And so. Survivors not much different but people who come out there from a total different environment that they've never been in they've never been camping they've never been out there they've never starved they've never whatever and come out there and there's a transformative experience that they have and they find something different inside of them. I love that.

I love it. I love it for them. I love it that we get to watch it happen. Like, that's why I watch Survivor. You know, it is a voyeurist type of situation where you're watching people transform, or you're watching them break down, or you're watching them find a different gear. And I had a psychology minor, and I just love the psychology of survivor.

So for some of the people who have gone through that, like Emily, I just, I love it. Yeah, Emily is, you know, I got the privilege of being with Emily, you know, in the real time. I got to see Emily, the live feeds, cause I was next to her. But my favorite person to watch on Survivor has always been that fish out of water character.

Just because you see this show and it's like the siree of the sirees famously like got up off the couch to play Survivor is the, you know, Survivor thing is Survivor is everything that they are not. And that that is the attractive quality to it is to see like, let's see if you know, like Colby said in that conventional, let's see if I got it. Let's see if I can, I can go do it. I think that is like, always really good television. What is funny about Emily is I've been making the joke just to people is like, what are Emily and Colby going to talk about? Like, it just seems on paper. I don't know what the similarities are there. I hope they're on the same tribe. I really

want to see that conversation happen. But I am curious of how he will integrate himself with the younger crowd. The folks who just are coming off the season a year or two ago and granted, Joe, I believe is maybe Colby's age. I mean, they're very close in age, I think. But I'm curious to how he will interact with the folks like, like D, who, you know, for example, like D and Colby. I think that is something that I can actually see coming to actuality is I think D is a kind of person and the kind of player that Colby would want to gravitate to just in terms of like supreme athletic ability and strategy. I'm wondering how that might work there on the same tribe.

Yeah, well, actually, when he and I were talking, one of the things that we were talking about each other's game and one of the things that we were talking about for him was just that aspect of him not knowing these people. And I'm like, Colby, you're gonna have to not wait for people to come to you. You're gonna have to go to them and I would recommend going to the people that you necessarily wouldn't normally align with and you know find a find a place there as well you know because you know if you've got all a bunch of physical threats over here, you know, that can be intimidating. So soften it up, soften it up a little bit and have

some players over there that, you know, that people wouldn't expect you to align with. I'm so mad, Tina, you're not on this season. The longer I hear you talk about strategy, I'm so bummed you're not there. Tell me about the process for you. There's the season 50 whispers, are you hearing about it as it's happening and wondering, I'm right here. What do I need to do? Yes. Yeah.

I tell you, Survivor has given me the absolute greatest gifts in life and has been something you know I mean it's it's a it's a great big bow wrapped present that I will have forever and ever for my whole life but at the same time it also gives you a few little heartaches too you know like Winners at War I wanted to play Winners at War, I wanted to play Winners at War so bad, so bad, and I was, I was a little crybaby that I didn't get to go on that because they had asked me to if I would go back and I'm like yes, but then I think Amber wanted to go, so once Amber was there with Rob, of course that kicked me out, so you know, and then not getting to play on this season. You know, there are definitely little dings to my heart. But, you know, maybe. Okay, so like winners at war. I'm kind of

after I watched it, I'm like, oh, thank God I didn't go on that season. Because I would have got stuck with all the old school players on that crummy island so I was glad in the end so I'm like because I always try to find well maybe there's a reason for things so maybe the weather will be so bad and they'll rain the entire 20 some odd days and again I'll be so glad that I didn't get to go. I hope I hope it for you. I really I'm so you know here that you wanted to go to is just you know it's what we started talking about is just like there are so many people who want to go. They like from from that era of the show that like really the show the time when the show

was the most popular just with statistically with numbers. You know, it's a tough thing to have people like yourself who really, really wanted to be out there and not go back. Did you happen to see the Elizabeth video that she posted? Yes, that she wasn't going. Yeah, it was very much like, I'm not doing that. Like, I would never do that. You know, it was so funny. People really, you know, were convinced she was going.

And I was like, in what world is Elizabeth Haslip returning to Survivor? And I felt very validated that that was the correct take. Well, you know, Elizabeth, she played baseball and softball in college. So she is an athlete as well. And so I was just thinking that, you know, maybe there's a side of her where that competitor would go back. I didn't count her out. I don't know why I just did it. She does have, I don't know how old her children are, but I know she does have kids, which it is always a cool thing to be like, you know, I'm, you know, I'm going to go show my kids that I'm on Survivor. You kids were not alive during the original run of her on Survivor.

So I could definitely have seen a world, but yeah, tough. No Frills delivers. Get groceries delivered to your door from No Frills with PC Express. Shop online and get $15 in PC Optimum Points on your first five orders. Shop now at nofrills.ca. Is there anybody that from those first couple seasons that you were shocked to not see there? I think I had maybe asked that. But tell me, is there anybody that even you played all-stars with? Somebody that was just notably you thought missing from this group?

Well, you mentioned Penner. You know, he, gosh, what a great, great character he is and really wish that he was going back, of course. You know, I like some of the, like Big Tom. I think Big Tom is just hysterical. You know, you laugh the whole time you're watching him play. So I wish Big Tom was going back. hysterical. You know, you laugh the whole time you're watching him play. So I wish Big Tom was going back. And he threw his name out. I saw Lex too. People were throwing out,

you know, bring Lex back. Sean Rector too, who was on Marquesas. I'm not sure how many times you run into him, but he was a, he was a big name that was, that was rumored that didn't end up going. And what about, what about, He was a big name that was rumored that didn't end up going. And what about the guy, he reminds me of Christian, the writer? Oh, Cochran. Cochran, how about Cochran? You know, I'm not sure.

I think they must have called him. You know, I think that he didn't also was not there for winners at war. And I have to imagine, I mean, I know that Jeff and company definitely called him. You know, I think that he he didn't also was not was not there for winners at work. And I have to imagine I mean, I know that Jeff and company definitely love him. You know, I'm sure that he's gotten the invite and maybe just didn't want to didn't want to partake. But he's somebody that I would have been super interested in seeing again, which is, you know, the critique that the season 50 cast has gotten is it kind of, like, they have a couple people from the first 10 seasons, and they have a lot of folks from 41 to 50.

But it feels like we're missing a middle chunk, which is the Cochran chunk, which is the folks from those 20 seasons. You played in one, you were 27. The folks from that three or four years, there just isn't anybody from that who's here represented. For the celebration of all 50 seasons, it feels like there's a heavy chunk that's not there. Yeah, I'd agree. I'd agree. And what about fair play just out of curiosity? I don't know about fair play. I'm not sure. I mean, I do.

I and I again, I fair play if you're listening and I know you are. I'm not I don't want to speak on your behalf. I imagine they must have called just because again, like if they're calling like, you know, the legacy survivor players that didn't win, I think the winners were a late edition. I don't think that was the plan the whole time. So I think that, you know, if you're calling your Colbys and you're calling your Stephanie Legros says, I do think fair play is in that conversation, but maybe just, you know, maybe it didn't pan out as much. I always thought, do you

keep up with the Australian Survivor? The addition they do over there? They just did a... They brought a couple of people from the US to play that. Harvard did it. Surrey did it. Tony did it. I always thought that... Because Johnny Fairplay is very vocal in watching that edition of the show. So I thought that maybe they would eventually bring him over there. But they haven't yet. What about you know, there's all these shows now, Tina, like your traders and your Deal or No Deal Island, like you don't have to suffer anymore. You can go to a resort for a couple weeks and play a fun game. You do challenges. Are you open to doing something like that? Are you just survivors, the one that you know, I would do them.

is the one that you know I would do I you know I don't I'm not out there and like I'm not I don't watch television I think and I don't do a lot of things I don't go to a lot of events or things like that so I don't know if maybe people don't know that I would be up for those things, but I definitely would be. People are watching this. You're gonna, your phone's gonna be blowing up shortly. People are calling. Tell me about, you mentioned a camping trip.

Tell me what the camping trip was. Just a fun camping trip or was it a structured, like with an event or something? Yeah, so every year in the Smokies, the first two weeks of June, the Fireflies come to this one location and mate. And what that looks like is at about 9.30, you go to this section of forest

and there's hundreds, thousands of fireflies and they're blinking, blinking, blinking. And then at about 9.45 or so, they start to sink up. And so they will blink for six seconds altogether. And then the forest goes completely black for like six seconds. And they'll do this for about an hour. And it is the most magical, amazing part of nature.

So I've been doing that since I was a young girl. Going to- Wow, you go every year. And so I was there for that. And actually I'm supposed to go back. So that was a six day trip. And then I'm supposed to go camping tomorrow at another location, go back to that Elkmont for three days,

then go to Cades Cove right after that for two days because they have bicycling around this loop with no cars in this beautiful area. So I do that. I camp usually on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Cades Cove. Is that like every week you camp Tuesdays and Wednesdays? Yeah. This is, this is blowing my mind. This is, you gotta, you gotta get back out of that island. We gotta make some calls. It's not, they're on day five.

We can send you like, you know, they'll, they'll, they'll pull somebody out. Oh gosh. Maybe that is super, super, that is super neat. Um, well, listen, I'm so thrilled that we got the chat. This is so much fun for me. Yeah. But it's so exciting. I mean, you know, like I'm a I love this show. I love this show so much. So to get to talk to anybody about it, you know, blows my mind, much less Nina. You know, I get to this is so much fun for me. I'm really, really. Thank you so much. I'm really really thank you so much. You are so sweet. Thank you so much. Really this has been so much fun for me. Is there anything you want to tell people to check out? Anything going on that

you want to let people know about? No. The answer can be no. It's much funnier when the answer is no. These people that we have on Gina, they've got ten different things. Here in the woods minding my own business, leaving my life. So nothing to report here. I love it. Well, thank you so much for tuning into this episode of the survivor 50 files. We will be back with another episode next time talking about Stephanie LaGrosse

talking with somebody about Stephanie LaGrosse. We're so excited and we will see you guys soon. Take care. What is going on everybody? Brandon Donlon here back again. The Survivor Files, the Survivor 50 Files, day two. I am joined by a Survivor legend. Not only somebody who you all watch,

somebody that I watch, somebody that I've gotten the pleasure of spending quite a bit of time with in my life, way pre-Survivor. It's my good friend Roger Bingham. Roger, how are you? Well, glad to be with you. Most people are surprised that I'm still living. I'm so old now. So it's been almost 25 years, 25 years

when I was on Survivor. So you know, you were probably in diapers at that time. I believe I might have been. I mean, are you still in diapers? I believe I was three years old during your time. Never know. Maybe that's a little too late for diapers. Roger, how are you? How you doing? Hey, doing fine. Doing good. Yes. Still living on the farm and doing a little woodworking and put out 250 walnut trees.

And they should be ready to harvest in about a hundred years. So, you know, I'm looking forward to that. But I don't think I'll make it to that. I think we can pass that on to somebody. You know what, if you leave the world a little bit better than you came into it, you know, that's worth a whole lot. That's the goal. Are you still, Roger, watching Survivor week to week?

Are you still tuning in? Yes, I still watch it. I still have people ask me out on the street, yeah, what do you think of this Survivor? What do you think about what happened on the last show? And so, yeah, I still watch them. Now, some of them enjoyed a lot more than others. There's been a few of them that I thought

maybe some of the people actually came off of the show better than what they were when they went on. So, you know, it had to do with the years. They do the expedited timeline now. So it's only the 20 you did, you were there for 39 days, right? You were there for quite a while. 42 days, I made it 36.

Yeah, yeah. Oh, you were there day 36. Yeah, so now you have people and they win the rewards every couple of days. People, yeah, they come back a little bit. The pants still fit. Your pants didn't fit. Oh, Lord, no.

I was down to what I was when I played basketball in high school. So yeah, I was on there 36 days and lost 35 pounds when I was on the show. And you know what? You spent quite a few of those days, you know, after the merge with Colby. And for us, you know, Colby's kind of a mystery because Colby, you know, you and I, we would go to these events back in the day. We'd see each other, you know, I've never gotten to meet Colby.

I think most people haven't met Colby. So I want to hear from you just a little bit more about his personality, what he's like. You know, do you remember your first impression of Colby once you saw him? Well, he seemed to be very, I would say, quiet starting out. And I knew all for bad he was going to be someone to be reckoned with. Because he was now as far as catching fish. If my memory serves me correctly, I don't think he'd ever been fishing. He never caught one fish in the outback. So if he's wanting somebody to feed you while he was on a show

like Survivor, he was not the one to do it. Yeah. I'll tell you a little inside story. I was with Kobe after Survivor Show got done airing in Paramount Parks in Canada. We were up there, similar to King's Island here, huge amusement park. I got there and the lady that works for the park said, now, Kobe's coming and she said, and he's bringing his niece. Well, I'm thinking, yeah, he's bringing his niece, probably his 25 year old niece or something. But well, as it turned out, it was his niece. She was a little girl about 10 years old and just as nice and she had the best time. And so yeah,

Kobe is a nice, nice guy. That's so nice to you know, it really is like, we've just so many of us who like are in this world of them, we haven't gotten to spend quite a bit of time with him. And you did travel with him, you know, after that second season, you guys are going everywhere together all the time. Well, yeah, we were together. We were, uh, as far as being, usually I did a lot of things on my own, but we were together there in Canada. And then we were together.

I was with him and Tina out in Las Vegas. What was that event? Do you remember what that was? Yeah, we were on the TV for the early morning show. And then we were at one of the Bellagio is one of the other hotels and meeting and greeting and signing autographs. All three of us. Wow.

Yeah, you guys were on like everybody did the morning show circuit back in the day. Everybody was everywhere. You know, they did not the same as much anymore. Oh, it was, it was a thousand times more than I, I figured, you know, a month or two, it would be over for a year and a half. I was flying somewhere every weekend. It was, it was crazy. And, uh, but also, uh, took advantage of it.

Cause I knew it, I knew it wouldn't last. And these were paid events. Even though he didn't win the million dollars, you could make some serious, serious money. They're not paying us anymore, Roger. We show up to anybody. We're going to have to get our face out there. Well, if I had to be on a show that was the second season, that show did have the highest ratings of any of the survivor shows ever. And so, you know, it was very popular.

And for some reason, you know, people are wanting to talk to us. You know, I'm just an old country boy lives out here in the middle of nowhere in Kentucky, live on a farm with cattle and used to have a few hogs and some horses. And then here I am flying all over the United States every weekend. But it was fun. That made a lot of nice people. Oh my gosh. Do you know that Colby, I believe, is he on a farm now?

Is he farming it up in Texas? Has there been contact there? You know, I have no idea what he's doing. I think Tina keeps in touch with him. I have not spoken to him since we were in Canada to get together and that's been probably 20, 23, 24 years ago. You haven't seen him? No, I haven't. I haven't laid eyes on him since.

No, that's so funny. Yeah. I mean, you really like there are some people who are in this and then they just they quickly retreat and then he did two other times on Survivor a couple of times and then even after those. And then he had another show on TV there, Top Shot, was that what it was called? Oh, yes. He was doing the professional, the shooting show. Yeah. And I used to watch that all the time.

And then he did another one there where they were processing animals. I didn't think much of that show. I didn't stay on very long. I said, what? I said, that's something that I've done all my life on the farm, killing hogs, chickens, and killing a beef. And I said, they should add me on there. I gotta chop them suckers up.

Wait, I'm naive to the show of, they're actually, it's a competition show where you're like killing animals for food to make food out of? Yeah, they was processing beefs and the other animals that you wouldn't normally wouldn't think of. And I thought, well, that's, that was a stupid show. You know, it wasn't cause of Kobe, the idea of the show was just stupid. Kobe's taking the work that he can get.

That's the hosting job. Yeah, as long as it brings in a paycheck. There was these rumors that were leading up to Survivor 50. Jerry was highly rumored to be out there for Survivor 50. Tina was rumored. I think I saw a couple names be thrown around. Is there anybody that you're surprised didn't make it on Survivor 50? Anybody from back in the day that you thought would be back out there for another try?

No, honestly. There's over 600 up now. I have trouble keeping them all straight because the time you watch that, and if you watch, I don't watch Big Brother anymore. I used to a little bit. An amazing race. I used you watch that. And if you watch, I don't watch Big Brother anymore. I used to a little bit. An amazing race. I used to watch that and see, you know, all them people, they all start running together after a while.

You look at them and say, well, were they on Survivor or Big Brother or, or, you know, one of the other reality shows? No, I was a little surprised at some of them that they'd had back on. It's been on four or five times, to be honest with you. You know, if you've been on there that many times and haven't won a million dollars why give them another chance you know?

Yeah I mean Saree's round five, Ozzy's going back for round five you know I haven't done anything five times Roger they don't let me do anything more than once. No the only thing I do sometimes I try to eat five times during the day if I've got enough food but other than, that's about it. Yeah, we, you know, listen, we had, you and I, we had some good times back in the day. You know, we had a great time. Yeah, yeah, it was all good. You know, the survivor experience for me was,

has been very, very pleasant. I got to travel all over the United States and meet a lot of nice people. And so that was a lot of fun. Plus getting paid to have fun, you know, it doesn't get any better than that. Not bad. So people are still asking about Survivor on the street. You see people that are asking about it. The current seasons.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I get asked all the time, you know, what do you think about that challenge? Or it looks like they're living on an exotic island you know now all the time you know it's at night time and they get down to what maybe 70 degrees that's that's really rough and it wow you were roughing it you were maybe the the harshest roughing it i think was was you guys

in the africa right after you i guess you know the first couple of them are cases too was bad but what was what was the worst what was the roughest part of being out where you were? Well, the temperature swings. We were there in part of October, all of November, and then part of December. And it was the rainy season and it was starting to turn cold. Colby, to give you a little example,

had a belt buckle on it that had a little thermometer on it. I'm out there fishing one day and he comes out there he never did touch fish, never did catch fish neither. But anyway, we looked at the little thermometer he did, I think it was 110, 111 degrees, that's right in the Sun. We had some nights where it got down to 34 degrees out there at night. I mean, we like froze to death some nights in the outback. And then it was raining and there was a couple times we came back from tribal council. You had basically two changes of clothes. You had one that you had on and the other said you better have where it was going to be kept dry someplace. Well, we come back to tribal council, so you just had to get in there and change clothes.

Everybody just got in there and changed clothes. You know, if you have very little privacy on a show like that. I used to be a very private person, but not so much anymore. It really doesn't bother me. You were there during the flood, is that right? It was five of you left for the flood? Yeah, oh yeah. Yeah, I was there at the War Star Camp away. And if you remember that show,

we actually took a vote, a hand vote, and I was very adamant about not building our shelter right down next to the river. We built it where there was a huge gully coming down into the river. And I turned them all over. They showed a little bit of it. I was very adamant about not building the shelter there. I turned them all around. I said, sometime or other people, there's water coming down through this gully into this river. Well, they found out.

We found out that we actually took a hand vote. They didn't show that part on TV. And we ended up staying there and paid up for it. Who was the one who was pushing the we should stay there narrative? Do you remember who was who wanted to stay? It was the women and I think if my memory serves me correctly, I think it was Jerry. Is that a surprise? No, I don't think so.

We really, really I mean, I know a lot of us are really, really hoping to see Jerry back out there again. And, you know, Jerry is one of the people who's been kind of vocal in that she really, really wanted to go back for that fourth time. Yeah, I've seen that clip where she'd been a little, more than a little bit vocal, yeah. Last time I seen Jerry, been about 10 years ago,

I took my grandson to one of the finales. He was 12 years old. We went to Los Angeles and I like to never got a ticket for the thing, but walk in and sat down and it was sitting right beside her and some guy. I don't remember who she was there with. And so that was neat, get to see her. And that was the last time that you saw her?

That's the last time I seen her, yeah. Who are the survivor folks that you saw her? That's the last time I seen her, yeah. Who are the survivor folks that you see regularly? Now, Jerry has been here before, you know, at different events, but that's been before the 10 years ago. Sure, sure. Is there anybody that you see from Survivor recently? Some people that are in that area with you? Matt Bischoff, Matt Bischoff, uh, Tammy's over here giving me directions on what to

say. Bless her heart. She's the best. She's the best. I'm a lucky guy. Let me tell you what, and I know it too. You have an agent, Roger, because I texted her and I said, I might need to talk to Roger for something.

And she, she coordinated. She was your, she's your booking agent. Yeah, I had a booking agent and that woman kept me busy. It was crazy. It was crazy, the things that I did for a year and a half. And she did 99% of those bookings for me. What were your other TV appearances that you did in that time?

What other shows did you get to make it to? Like late night stuff or daytime talk show? Yeah, I was on David Letterman's show. I did the early morning Saturday show. I was on the Rosie O'Donnell. I did three shows on Hollywood Squares. Oh, did you do Hollywood Squares? I remember they did the all Survivor Outback version of that. So I forgot that you were on that. Yeah, I was on three different shows.

I was in one block there, two blocks by myself, and then the one block was Elizabeth and myself in the same block. So, so that- You know, it's funny. Elizabeth was rumored to do Survivor 50, and then she made a video, like on her phone, and she posted on her Instagram, and she was pretty much like, I'm not doing that again. I would never do that again was the reaction. She very much was not about it. Well, I wouldn't know. I talked to her about three years ago. I had a little stint when

I was in the hospital and she called me. It's been about three years ago. So other than that, I really haven't heard from her. For sure. Roger, thank you so much for talking to us. I mean, this is great. Thank you. I had a great time. I'm so glad. You need to come back to Kentucky and Ohio and visit. Listen, we'll go to the Cracker Barrel. We were doing the Cracker Barrel for a while there. I ate there last night. Life is good. It's better in Kentucky. Thank you everybody. You'll see it.

Stay tuned next time for the next episode of the Survivor Files. We'll be chatting soon.