Since being revealed as the latest co-host of “On Fire with Jeff Probst: The Official Survivor Podcast” last month, former “Survivor” champion Jeremy Collins has been opening up about his past, present and potential future with the longrunning reality competition series. In addition to revealing his “weird” pre-game training regime and his all-time favorite “Survivor” player, Collins similarly opened up about what it would take to get him to return to the series for what would be his fourth appearance.
Jeremy Reveals the ‘Weird’ Ways He Prepared for ‘Survivor’
Jeremy kickstarted his “Survivor” career on the cast of “San Jual del Sur” in 2014. During his first appearance, Collins competed alongside his wife, Val, for the “Blood vs. Water” season.
While already in shape as a firefighter, Collins recently revealed that he did a lot of additional training to properly prepare himself for the harsh environments, food deprivation and mental gymnastics that comes with playing the game of “Survivor.”
CBS/Getty“For the good players, it starts early. I mean, I consider myself a pretty good player. And for me , it started early on. Before I even got the phone call to be on the show, I was assessing my game,” said Collins in the first episode of the podcast season.
“You know, I was studying. I was taking notes on every season. I was growing out my fingernails so that when I get out there, I could pick knots. I was shrinking my stomach. I was a madman,” he elaborated. “Before I got the call that I’m going to be playing, I was preparing. And I think that’s where you need to start. Then once you get going and you’re in there, you’re assessing everybody pregame. You’re looking everybody up and down. You’re watching their movements. You’re studying them.”
Unfortunately, Jeremy’s preparations only earned the castaway a 10th place finish on “San Juan del Sur.”
Jeremy Reveals His Pick for the Best ‘Survivor’ Player of All Time
That being said, Collins was later voted back into the game by fans for “Survivor: Cambodia – Second Chance,” which he ultimately won, defeating legendary castaways like Kelley Wentworth, Spencer Bedsloe and Abi-Maria Gomes.
In 2020, Collins returned for his latest appearance on the cast of “Survivor: Winners at War,” which challenged former champions to compete head-to-head for the ultimate “Survivor” title and an impressive $2 million grand prize. The season was ultimately won by Tony Vlachos, who earned his original “Sole Survivor” title on “Survivor: Cagayan.”
Despite being joined in the two-time winners club by castaways like Sandra Diaz-Twine and, more recently, Parvati Shallow, Collins named Vlachos as “the best ‘Survivor’ player in the world” during his recent podcast appearance.
CBS/Getty“For my game, I don’t do the chaos thing, but chaos works for some people. Tony is the, in my opinion, Tony is the best ‘Survivor’ player in the world,” revealed Collins. “And his game thrives on chaos.”
Probst echoed the statement, calling Tony one of the four best “Survivor” players of all time, a club which, in the host’s opinion, similarly includes two-time winners Sandra and Parvati, as well as fan favorite five-time player “Boston Rob” Mariano. That being said, Collins could potentially replace Mariano on Probst’s “Survivor” Mount Rushmore if he were able to win the title of “Sole Survivor” a second time.
Would Jeremy Collins Ever Play ‘Survivor’ Again?
While Collins has continued his reality TV career on the cast of “The Traitors” alongside “Survivor” alumni like Vlachos and Mariano, he has not returned to the series since “Winners at War,” admitting in a September 2025 interview with CBS Mornings that he thinks he’s getting too old to play the game.
“You see these gray whiskers on me? Like I’m getting old. I have 100 days in. I’m getting super old out there,” said the 47-year-old. “I think I’m done. I told Jeff, ‘I’m done, I can’t do it anymore.”
That being said, there is one thing that could get Collins back on the island to outwit, outplay and outlast one last time.
“If this was the last season ever, you know, like, give me a call,” said Collins. “I might do it again.”
While Jeremy revealed that he would return to the series to give “Survivor” an epic send-off, the series doesn’t seem to be in danger of ending any time soon. With Season 49 currently on the air and “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” set to hit CBS in Feburary 2026, Probst recently revealed that work on Seasons 51 and 52 are already underway.
Fans can catch Jeremy Collins as the co-host of “On Fire with Jeff Probst” podcast every week on Spotify as the duo break down each and every episode of “Survivor 49” as it airs.
