In October 2025, the winner of Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, Adam Klein, spoke to Surviving Tribal about Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans and other topics related to Jeff Probst's reality show.
Since Klein clearly loves Survivor, those are only a small sampling of the fascinating things he had to say about the beloved reality show. Klein also explained why he is excited that he will soon get to see one of Survivor's most iconic stars return.
Why Adam Klein is excited to see Colby Donaldson compete during Survivor 50
When I spoke to Adam, I asked him to name which Survivor 50 cast members he was looking forward to seeing compete on the show again. After discussions about Jenna Lewis-Dougherty and Angelina Keeley, Klein briefly explained why he is excited to see Colby Donaldson compete during Survivor 50.
“I think it'll be interesting to see Colby again after so many years. You know, the last time we saw him was 15 or 16 years ago. At that point, he was called ‘Superman in a fat suit,’ and that was 15 years ago. So, it'll be interesting to see. You know, he's not the young buck anymore. Can he play a different game?"
To Klein's point, the last time that Donaldson competed on Jeff Probst's reality show was as a part of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, a season that aired in 2010. That means that by the time Survivor 50 airs in 2026, fans will be seeing Donaldson competing again for the first time in 16 years. After taking such a long time away from the show that made him famous, it will be fascinating to see how he adapts to modern Survivor.
Klein also pointed out another factor that makes Donaldson's return even more tantalizing to consider. During the Survivor legend's first season, he had one of the most dominant runs of challenge wins in the show's history. However, Donaldson's reputation as a vibrant challenge leader declined the first two times he returned to the show for Survivor: All-Stars and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.
That situation was epitomized when James Clement compared the diminished version of Donaldson that fans last saw on the show to Superman in a fat suit. After Donaldson was called out in public like that the last time he competed on Survivor, it will be interesting to see if the diminished or more passionate version of the reality show legend will compete when he returns.
After all, Survivor history shows that other players who were as old as Donaldson is now have still been able to impress fans with their challenge performances.
Most importantly, Klein asked a pivotal question that summarizes the major question about Donaldson's upcoming Survivor return. "Can he play a different game?"
After seeing Klein ask that simple question about the Survivor Hall of Famer, that makes Donaldson's return one of the most interesting things to consider about Survivor 50.
Survivor 50 premieres on CBS on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026!