‘Survivor 50’ Contestant Reveals He Almost Backed Out Last Minute

Starting tonight, on February 25, the most long-awaited season of “Survivor” is in full effect. With fan favorites from all the past 49 seasons, “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” has everything to become the most epic one to date.

But while that’s certainly the case, Colby Donaldson, who previously competed in Seasons two, eight and 20 of “Survivor” got cold feet before traveling to Fiji. Luckily, he changed his mind and made the trip.

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Colby Donaldson Got Cold Feet Before Joining ‘Survivor 50’

In an interview with E! News at the New York premiere on February 24, Donaldson explained why he almost turned the opportunity down.

“It was an immediate yes for me initially and then months later, as we began to approach the departure date, there was part of me that wanted to back out,” he revealed.

As it turns out, the 51-year-old hesitated because of recent “career shifts” that made it hard for him to take time off of work.

“It’s a sacrifice people have made for 25 years,” he continued. “There are a lot of people that would be great on the show, but can’t take that much time off work, or can’t be away from their family for responsibility reasons. So, I needed to look at that.”

With a little persistence, however, his time-off was approved, and, with the push from his wife Britt Baileywho he said “talked me into going again,” Donaldson changed his mind again.

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Colby Donaldson Is Excited to Be His Most Authentic Self in ‘Survivor 50’

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In a previous interview with People, Donaldson opened up about how different he plans to play the game this time around.

“It’s hard for me to reconcile the way I played the last two times,” he admitted. “Not necessarily proud of the outcome, but I’m also not proud of just how I handled adversity in the game. A lot of why I wanted to come back was I wanted to right those wrongs for me.”

“I was trying to be relevant and needed exposure and all those things that can cloud your ability to play this game full tilt,” Donaldson said of his previous “Survivor” appearances.

This time, however, he’s back to his quiet life in Texas, and it’ll show in his gameplay. “My intentions for playing the game today are just as authentic as they were 25 years ago,” he said.