25 years ago, former professional soccer player Ethan Zohn walked away from “Survivor: Africa” $1 million richer after successfully managing to outwit, outplay and outlast his competitors on the third season of the hit reality competition series.
The philanthropic “Sole Survivor” subsequently used a portion of his winnings to establish Grassroots Soccer, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health conditions for at-risk youth in Africa before returning to compete on “Survivor: All-Stars” in 2004.
In the years that followed his second series appearance, however, Zohn was diagnosed with CD20+ Hodgkin’s lymphoma not once, but twice, before spending several years undergoing chemotherapy treatments and stem cell transplants.
While Zohn has been officially cancer-free since 2012, the former “Survivor” champion’s health battle involved two lengthy recovery periods, which he says were greatly aided by the use of medical cannabis.
The herbal remedy benefitted Zohn so much so that, when he returned to the franchise for “Survivor: Winners at War” in 2020, he even campaigned for CBS to allow the season’s returning victors to use cannabis on the island.
Zohn revealed all this – and more – in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, where he discussed his most recent project: a documentary-style web series titled “Kicking Back,” which celebrates the 2026 FIFA World Cup by following the reality star as he travels from city to city to explore the “intersection of soccer, cannabis, and community.”
Ethan Zohn Asked CBS to Let Him Bring Cannabis to ‘Winners at War’
CBS“Cannabis gave me back some control during a largely uncontrollable period in my life,” Zohn, now 52, told EW while discussing his cancer treatment and “Kicking Back,” which launched its debut episode on the “High Times” YouTube channel on Friday, June 19. “When you’re going through treatment, especially one that is aggressive, your body stops feeling like it’s yours. There’s so much to contend with, including nausea, body pain, mental pain, sleep troubles. Then you add in the anxiety of not knowing if any of what you’re going is working.”
While the former “Sole Survivor” admitted that cannabis didn’t directly contribute to his hard-earned remission, he said that “it helped make life liveable” while he recovered.
“It lessened the edge enough to let me eat, rest, and remain mentally present for my own fight,” he continued, adding that he continued to use the medicinal plant after remission to manage anxieties surrounding the possibility of relapsing.
As a result, when Zohn returned to “Survivor” for his third appearance on the series in 2020, he petitioned the network to allow him to bring a supply of the herb along to use throughout the competition.
“Because I’m a medical cannabis patient, I actually asked CBS and ‘Survivor’ if I could bring it to the ‘Winners at War’ season,” he revealed, adding that the show’s medical team admitted it was the first time they’d ever been faced with the conundrum.
“I was THIS CLOSE… but the plant is illegal in Fiji, so it was a hard no,” Zohn revealed before predicting that, if he had been allowed to bring cannabis onto the island, “there probably would have been more laughs and less tears or fights.”
Ethan Zohn Opens Up About His ‘Kicking Back’ Documentary Series
Zohn’s “Kicking Back” documentary series combines his love for both cannabis and soccer as he travels to different cities across the United States during the 2026 FIFA World Cup to uncover which location hosts the best intersection of the two passions.
While only the first of the series eight episodes has been released so far, Zohn opened up about how difficult the journey has been especially considering the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) restrictions against World Cup players using the herb.
“Players know what they’re signing up for. Still, it stings to see that being the case when the tournament is in three countries where cannabis is largely legal and normalized for millions of people,” he told EW.
A former pro player himself, Zohn added that, “The game rewards presence, and cannabis helps me stay in that mindset. But, also, cannabis makes exciting moments that much more exciting…For me, when I’ve got some cannabis in me, those moments feel that much more amazing. They get that much bigger, and the celebration is often that much more electric. Hopefully, I’ll get to show that on [‘Kicking Back’] when the U.S. wins it all.”
Which Former Castaways are on Ethan Zohn’s ‘Survivor’ Soccer Team?
Finally, Zohn opened up about the “Survivor” alum he’d recruit to play on his own all-castaway soccer team.
After (naturally) establishing himself as the team’s head coach, Ethan told EW that he’d recruit “Survivor” host Jeff Probst to “just narrate and yell old school insults at the opposing team during the game from the sideline,” and Benjamin “Coach” Wade as his assistant coach, “just because I get to make him an assistant after 22 years in the game.”
Joining the actual on-field line-up, Zohn said he’d want to bring in Tyson Apostol, to “negotiate with the ref and turn any red card back to a yellow,” Rick Devens, “so he can just flip the coin for kickoffs,” Mike White, “because when we win the championship, maybe he will put me on ‘The White Lotus,’” and “Boston” Rob Mariano as goalkeeper, “because he takes up the entire goal.”
Also joining Zohn’s team are Black Widows Parvati Shallow and Cirie Fields, to “strategize and distract” the opposing teams, Rizo “RizGod” Velovic, “just because his energy is off the charts,” and Danielle DiLorenzo and Kellie Nalbandian, because they are actual soccer players in the real world.
