In the years since Survivor premiered in the year 2000, the reality show has been so great that new fans have to figure out which seasons to watch first. In fact, even fans of Jeff Probst’s beloved reality show who know that some former players have refused to return have debated how to rank every season of the show. Similarly, the most passionate Survivor fans who know who was medically evacuated first love to name the best winners and talk about the show’s best players ever.

While fans can debate a lot of facts about Survivor, there is no doubt that Colby Donaldson was one of the most popular players in the show’s history. Since many fans love Colby, some of them noticed that he may have accidentally revealed a major spoiler about his Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans fate.

Why Fans Think Colby Donaldson May Have Unintentionally Spoiled Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans

Anyone who has paid attention to the online discourse around Survivor should be aware of one thing for sure. Survivor’s fan following is extremely passionate and that is reflected in the fact that there is online discussion of virtually every aspect of the show.

Ever since the landmark season was announced, a lot of the online conversation about the show has focused on Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans. For example, fans talked when Jeff Probst posted a video, that was reposted on Instagram, commemorating Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans finishing filming at the end of June 2025.

Since fans were aware of when the season finished filming, many viewers paid attention when players from Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans returned to social media. Because of that, some fans have concluded that Colby Donaldson may have accidentally spoiled a major part of Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.

Days after fans learned that Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans had finished filming, Colby made his return to social media.

Colby’s first post back on Instagram initially seems pretty unremarkable. However, on closer inspection, the image might indicate that Colby may go far in the game during Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.

Colby’s post featured a selfie of himself wearing a face shield and glasses.

While looking at that image, eagle-eyed fans noticed that Colby’s face appeared to be noticeably thinner than it looked before he left to film Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans. Of course, playing Survivor for a long time causes most players to lose a significant amount of weight. With that in mind, fans took the image as a potential spoiler that Colby goes far during Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.

While looking at Colby’s social media history, it becomes easy to see why fans think the selfie he posted may be very significant.

Colby Donaldson’s Origins, According to Famous Birthdays

• Colby Donaldson was born on April 1st, 1974
• Colby Donaldson was born in Christoval, Texas
• As of July 2025, Colby Donaldson was 51-years-old

While comparing the selfie to other posts that Colby has on his Instagram account, his face and neck look fuller in photos he posted before he left to play.

In the comment section of the post with the selfie, many fans expressed their belief that the image showed that Colby went far during Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans. One of those posts even went so far as to suggest that the image was proof that Colby would at least make it until the season’s final five.

Another fan commented on how thin Colby looked and what they believed that indicated. “Looking thinner…you must’ve went [sic] far in the game 🤞🏻🤞🏻”

In the comment section of Colby’s selfie post, some fans wrote about their belief Colby must have won Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans. While one of those posts didn’t specifically mention how thin Colby looked, it seemed like the Survivor legend’s thin appearance played a role in that fan’s confidence he won.

Why Colby Donaldson’s Instagram Selfie May Not Be The Spolier Some Fans Assume It Is

When a Survivor player returns from the game looking noticeably thinner, it is only natural for fans to make assumptions. However, even if the inference is logical, Colby’s selfie could indicate absolutely nothing about Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.

Since many Survivor viewers only pay attention to what happens on the show, some fans have no idea about how severely the game can affect people.

For example, many Survivor viewers don’t realize that the show’s history points to a possible explanation for why Colby could be voted out early and still have lost a significant weight.

In March 2019, Men’s Health published an article about the grossest things that have happened to Survivor players because of the game. That article revealed that many Survivor players have had their health suffer significantly after the game was over. While talking to Men’s Health for that article, Survivor: Ghost Island’s Kellyn Bechtold explained that she walked away from the game carrying multiple parasites.

“The extra toll the Survivor experience took on my body was getting multiple parasites, hookworms and tapeworms.”

With a quote like that in mind, fans should realize that Colby could have lost a noticeable amount of weight even after he was voted out of Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.