On Wednesday, May 20, the highly-anticipated three-hour live finale of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” will hit CBS screens nationwide, during which one of the competition’s remaining five castaways – Jonathan Young, Tiffany Nicole Ervin, Rizo Velovic, Aubry Bracco and Joe Hunter – will be named the “Sole Survivor” of the milestone golden anniversary season, taking home a life-changing $2 million grand prize in the process.
Before the Final Five face off in the upcoming finale, we’re taking a closer look at each of the “Survivor 50” finalists, starting with five fast facts you need to know about Jonathan Young.
Who is ‘Survivor 50’ Finalist Jonathan Young?
GettyJonathan Young made his “Survivor” debut on the cast of “Survivor 42” in 2022, making it all the way to the Final Four before being eliminated by Mike Turner in the dreaded fire-making challenge just short of securing a seat at Final Tribal Council.
In May 2025, Young was revealed as one of the 24 castaways who would be returning to compete on “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.”
At the time of writing, here are Jonathan Young’s basic biographical stats:
- Age: 33 years old (January 13, 1993)
- Current Residence: Gulf Shores, Alabama
- Hometown: Gadsden, Alabama
Keep reading to learn more about Jonathan Young’s family, relationship status, career and major achievements, both on and off the “Survivor” island.
What is Jonathan Young’s Relationship Status?
CBSAccording to Swoon, Jonathan Young is currently single.
While the castaway has not confirmed his relationship status, there is no evidence on his social media accounts to suggest that he has a significant other at the moment.
That being said, Young has celebrated a years-long “bromance” with “Survivor” legend “Boston” Rob Mariano, with Jonathan revealing that he’d been “training” with the “Redemption Island” champion in hopes of one day redeeming himself with a return to the competition series.
“I did a lot of psychological training with Boston Rob. For four years, I went to his house, trained, sat at his feet, and learned everything I could because my strategic game needed some work,” Young told PEOPLE in a March 2026 interview. “Boston Rob helped me with that a lot. I completely changed my game.”
While far from romance, Jonathan and Rob do spend a lot of time together, oftentimes joined by Mariano’s wife – fellow “Survivor” winner Amber Mariano (formerly Brkich) – and the couple’s four daughters at Boston Rob’s home in Pensacola, Florida.
What Does Jonathan Young Do for Work?
Jonathan Young is the owner and operator of his own beach and surfing rental company, Ibeachservice, in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
While the successful rental service is Young’s primary job at the moment, he’s actually celebrated a number of careers over the years, including working as a body guard for former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, and as a professional wrestler in training under the tutelage of WWE hall-of-famer Lew Luger.
Long before appearing on Season 42 of “Survivor,” Young had already added the title of “reality TV star” to his resume as well, having appeared on the sixth season of Discovery’s Kids’ “Endurance” – a teenage version of “Survivor” – in 2007 when he was just 14 years old.
Coincidentally, all three of Young’s reality TV appearances, “Survivor 42,” “Survivor 50” and “Endurance” were all filmed in Fiji.
Did Jonathan Young Go to College Before Playing ‘Survivor’?
Jonathan Young attended the University of Alabama on a swimming scholarship, competing on the school’s swimming & diving team from 2013-2014.
On his personal website, Young claims that his time on the “Roll Tide” swim team, “taught [him] discipline and how to train with world class athletes and coaches.”
Young later continued to hone his athletic abilities, eventually breaking the Guinness World Record for the most chin-ups completed in one minute while carrying a 100-pound pack – 15 – in 2021.
What Are Jonathan Young’s ‘Survivor’ Stats?
CBSJonathan Young made his “Survivor” debut on the cast of Season 42 in 2022, making it all the way to the Final Four before being eliminated by Mike Turner in the dreaded fire-making challenge.
Over the course of the season, Jonathan’s physical prowess scored him two individual immunity challenge victories, a number he has since added to during his time on Season 50, winning the third Individual Immunity necklace of his career ahead of Episode 11’s split Tribal Council ceremony.
As a result, Jonathan became the second player in “Survivor” history to attend two Tribal Councils in one night while being safe from elimination at both, with the first being his Season 50 co-star Dee Valladares, who originally set the record on “Survivor 45,” which she won.
CBS“‘Survivor’ is the greatest game ever played!” Jonathan told Parade in the days before Season 50 began filming. “‘Survivor 42’ really opened my eyes to different things that helped me grow as a person…It’s such an honor to be chosen for this season.”
Can Jonathan Young redeem himself and finally secure a seat at the Final Tribal Council of “Survivor 50”? Find out when the milestone season’s live three-hour finale episode hits CBS screens nationwide on Wednesday, May 20 at 8:00pm ET.
