Donaldson's father, an architect in San Angelo, and mother divorced a few years before Survivor.[3]
Survivor: The Australian Outback
Donaldson first appeared on Survivor: The Australian Outback (2001) as part of the Ogakor tribe, which was divided between two alliances: one led by bartender/actress Jerri Manthey, whose flirtations Donaldson grew weary of;[6][7] and another including Keith Famie and Tina Wesson. His Texan flag was notoriously used as a rooftop for the tribe's camp.[5]
After two Ogakor members were voted off,[8][9] in the season's fourth Tribal Council (and Ogakor's third), Manthey's alliance voted against Famie, but Donaldson voted alongside Wesson's alliance against a member of Manthey's alliance and singer-songwriter Mitchell Olson, leading to the 3–3 tie and then the 2–2 retie. Votes cast in prior Councils weighed in to break the deadlock. Famie was not voted before, but Olson was voted once, leading to Olson's elimination.[10]
When the Ogakor and Kucha tribes merged into the Barramundi tribe, ten overall contestants remained—five each of their own tribe.[a] Furthermore, the former Ogakor tribe was still divided between the two alliances.[11] One of ex-Ogakor members Keith Famie won the season's first Individual Immunity challenge,[12][b] making ex-Kucha members unable to vote against Famie. In Barramundi's first Tribal Council, the ex-Ogakors, despite division among them, voted against an ex-Kucha member Jeff Varner, but ex-Kucha members, still unable to vote against Famie, voted against an ex-Ogakor member Colby Donaldson, leading to the 5–5 tie and then the 4–4 retie. To break the second tie, Varner was eliminated based on votes cast against him in prior Councils, while votes against Donaldson had never been cast previously.[13]
The ex-Ogakors held majority advantage and voted out another ex-Kucha member.[14] Then heavily disliked Manthey was voted off.[15] Then eliminations of other remaining ex-Kucha members[c] and another ex-Ogakor member Amber Brkich, who still aligned with Manthey post-merge, followed.[16][17] When three players remained, Donaldson won the season's final immunity challenge, "Fallen Comrades", the quiz about eliminated contestants.[18] This was his fifth consecutive individual immunity win.[19]
As the only player eligible to vote while possessing the Individual Immunity necklace, Donaldson voted off Famie, whom Donaldson found unworthy to be one of the final two,[20] placing Famie third, and kept Wesson as promised.[21][d]
In the Final Tribal Council, Donaldson and Wesson revealed onscreen to the jury their own core alliance that helped maintain the Ogakor tribe's strength. They both further revealed using and holding Famie as part of their voting strategy from Olson's elimination to the final three.[23][24] Donaldson became the runner-up to winner Tina Wesson by the 3–4 jury vote.[e] For the runner-up placement, Donaldson earned $100,000 (equivalent to $172,000 in 2023).[26][f]
Donaldson later sold on eBay a Pontiac Aztek that he won in one of the season's reward challenges.[28]
Post-Australian Outback appearances
After The Australian Outback, Donaldson appeared alongside other Survivor players in the May 8, 2001, episode of The Rosie O'Donnell Show and received from Rosie O'Donnell a Harley-Davidson motorcycle,[29] one of his answers he made in The Australian Outback Final Tribal Council.[g] He was one of Australian Outback players appearing on Hollywood Squares on the week of May 14, 2001.[31] He was a representative and spokesman for a Make-A-Wish Foundation fundraising event at its West Texas branch (Permian Basin) on May 16, 2002.[32] He appeared in a Saltgrass Steak House commercial.[33]
Donaldson moved from Dallas to Los Angeles in summer 2001 and then began taking acting lessons.[34] He debuted his acting career in a television film Another Pretty Face, which first aired on PAX on November 8, 2002.[35] In the film, his character has marital issues and is the son-in-law of its main character (Mel Harris), a middle-aged newscaster who is fired from a news station for being too old and then, after makeover and plastic surgery, poses as a younger woman for her new job in another news station.[36]
Donaldson narrated an IMAX film Texas: The Big Picture, which premiered in the IMAX Theatre of the Bullock Texas State History Museum on May 3, 2003.[37] He also appeared in televised Schick commercials by no later than early 2004.[38]
Survivor: All-Stars
Donaldson competed in Survivor: All-Stars (2004) as part of the original Mogo Mogo tribe.[39] Mogo Mogo and Chapera absorbed the remaining members of the Saboga tribe, which dissolved after finishing last in a rowing challenge. Then Donaldson secretly arranged to oust the Borneo winner and another Mogo Mogo tribe member Richard Hatch, whom Donaldson perceived as a threat, making Hatch the fifth player eliminated.[40] After asserting leadership for Mogo Mogo, Donaldson was eliminated by the 3–2 vote due to his potential threat status, despite his efforts to oust The Australian Outback returnee Jerri Manthey.[h][41][i] At the reunion show, Donaldson was voted the sexiest Survivor male player.[42]
Donaldson was among People magazine's "50 Hottest Bachelors" of 2004.[51] He was one of celebrity judges for Animal Planet's Nuts for Mutts, a contest for mixed-breed dogs, that same year.[52]
Donaldson and Survivor host Jeff Probst made guest appearances on Mad TV in 2005.[53] He and singer Gloria Gaynor hosted an episode of fourteen-part Animal Planet series The A-List (2007) covering survival of strong animals.[54] Donaldson frequently appeared in talk show Rachael Ray.[55] He hosted Speed's American Thunder in 2009 and appeared at a Make-A-Wish Foundation motorcycle-based fundraiser "Rumble to the Summit" on June 12–13, 2009.[56]
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
Donaldson competed for the third time in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (2010) as part of the Heroes tribe,[57] which early in the season lost its four members as result of losing four of five tribal immunity challenges.[58] After one Hero and one Villain were eliminated in the same episode,[59] when both tribes merged, ten players remained—five each from Heroes tribe and Villains tribe. Then the remaining Heroes were systematically eliminated.[j] When he was eliminated, Donaldson was the last remaining Hero and finished in fifth place.[61]
In 2016, Donaldson married long-time girlfriend Britt Bailey. Donaldson and his wife reside in Austin, Texas.[68]
Donaldson inspired Survivor: Caramoan contestant Sherri Biethman to name her son after him.[69] It is estimated that over 2,000 babies were given the name Colby in 2001 because of Donaldson's popularity.[70]
^A Kucha member Michael Skupin was medically evacuated before the merger due to burn injuries from falling into a campfire after passing out.[7]
^In the season's first Individual Immunity challenge, ten remaining contestants stood on their own pillars at a river. After ten hours and eighteen hours passed, only Famie and Tina Wesson remained until she stepped down from the challenge, leading him to win the Individual Immunity necklace.[12]
^Before Jerri Manthey was voted off the tribe, the Ogakor alliance primarily targeted one of remaining ex-Kucha members Nick Brown. Brown won the Individual Immunity necklace from one challenge, making Brown immune from elimination until the next immunity challenge.[15]
^Keith Famie stated that, if he won the "Fallen Comrades" immunity challenge, he would have voted out Donaldson as a potential threat. Tina Wesson stated that, if she won the challenge, she would have voted out Famie and kept Donaldson as promised, figuring that Donaldson would be popular to viewers.[22]
^One of the three jurors who voted for Donaldson, Nick Brown, cited Donaldson's challenge winnings. Another who voted for Donaldson, Rodger Bingham, cited his "play[ing] the game a little bit harder".[25]
^Tina Wesson stated that Donaldson "deserved to win" for his gameplay, that she felt more like a runner-up than a winner, and that the final result was "unfair".[27]
^By no later than August 2001, The Australian Outback winner Tina Wesson bought him another Harley-Davidson motorcycle as promised.[30]
^The Australian Outback player Jerri Manthey appeared in All-Stars as a Saboga tribe member.[39]
^After the Chapera tribe won a tribal immunity challenge, Chapera selected one Mogo Mogo player Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien to temporarily join the Chapera until after Mogo Mogo's Tribal Council, which Kathy could not participate at the time.[41]
^Three votes against a Hero member J. T. Thomas, who gave a Hidden Immunity Idol to a Villain member Russell Hantz, were cast. Two Hidden Immunity Idols, including one given by J. T., were used by Parvati Shallow to nullify votes against returnees Jerri Manthey and Sandra Diaz-Twine of the Villain tribe, leading to Thomas's elimination.[60]
^ abcdPrecker, Michael (February 1, 2001). "Christoval residents stake a claim on Survivor II castaway Colby Donaldson". The Dallas Morning News. Texas Living section, p. 1C – via NewsBank.
^ abPhilpot, Robert (March 2, 2001). "Player leaves Survivor without vote – Michael suffers burns in campfire accident in last week before merger". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. News section, p. 20 – via NewsBank.
^Long, Tom (March 8, 2001). "Tribal ligation – The last 10 contestants now come together to tear each other apart". The Detroit News. Features section, p. 1D – via NewsBank.
^Carty, Sharon Silke (March 18, 2005). "Carmaker not reality winner". USA Today. p. 5B – via NewsBank.
^"Back from the Outback to chronicle contestants' return to society (Filarski surviving a whirlwind of interviews)". The Providence Journal. p. G-04 – via NewsBank.
^Brewer, M. (September 15, 2004). "Beverly Hills Film Studios 'Dirty Love,' Starring Jenny McCarthy and Carmen Electra, Draws Huge Crowds, Media During Production in Los Angeles". Business Wire (Press release) – via NewsBank.
