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A winner from Netflix’s survival series Outlast is now embroiled in serious legal troubles in Tennessee, facing allegations of child rape.
Paul Preece Jr., who emerged victorious in the first season of the competition, was arrested on March 6, as indicated by jail documents reviewed by Oxygen.
The 51-year-old is confronted with charges that include rape of a child, aggravated sexual battery, and attempted child rape.
Preece is currently detained in Knox County jail with a $150,000 bond. Should he secure his release on bond, he will be subjected to GPS monitoring while awaiting trial. His arraignment is slated for March 10, according to the available jail records.
Preece gained recognition through the debut season of Netflix’s Outlast in 2023. The show challenges 16 competitors by dropping them in the harsh Alaskan wilderness, where they must navigate a series of survival tasks and forge alliances to outlast their peers.
Preece appeared on the inaugural season of Netflix’s Outlast in 2023. The series pits 16 contestants against each other as they are dropped in the extreme Alaskan wild to compete in a series of challenges designed to test their survival skills and ability to form alliances.
“Outlast is about people’s self-preservation versus their loyalty to others,” executive producer Grant Kahler told Tudum in 2023. “It’s greed and desire to win versus compassion and empathy. I think everyone has that angel and demon on their shoulders.”
Preece—who considers himself a professional hunter and fisherman—relied on the survival skills honed as a child growing up in Kentucky to give him an edge in the competition.
“I’ve had a unique life, growing up in eastern Kentucky, that most people outside of very rural areas would struggle to deal with, from being homeless as a child to living in an old coal camp,” he said in his bio, according to Tudum. “Many nights, I went to bed hungry and cold growing up. I’ve been blessed that those days are left in my childhood, but equally blessed that they are forever etched into my DNA.”
Oxygen reached out to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office to learn more about the recent criminal allegations against him, but did not receive an immediate response.
It’s unclear whether Preece has retained an attorney.