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January 7, 2005 [article]
Colby Donaldson
The Show: Survivor Outback
Place: Runner-up to winner Tina Wesson
From Loser: He was the first piece of Survivor eye candy (no offense, Richard Hatch, but your abs didn't exactly have us tuning in week after week), and as the tribe was whittled down, we sat agape on our couches, both astonished by his monster immunity run and simply awestruck at how his teeth managed to stay so sparkly without a toothbrush for 39 days. Colby was the nice guy; his teammates loved him (um, Jerri loved him a bit too much) and viewers rallied behind him. And when he had the option of taking angelic Tina or wretched Keith to the final two, his nice-guy demeanor proved too strong: He opted for Tina and walked away from a guaranteed win. (The idea here is to take the least liked person with you to the last round, thus ensuring that the jury of your teammates will vote for you.) Sure enough, after playing a savvy, smart and superior game, Colby was left with a mere $100,000 check (and a Harley from Rosie O'Donnell), while Tina cashed in on the million.
To Last Laugh: After making the requisite talk-show rounds, Colby ditched his auto-body shop in Texas and headed to L.A. like just about every other reality TV star. The difference with the Colbster is that he took his time to hone "his craft," signing up for acting lessons and not whoring himself out at every opportunity (Jerri Manthey, we're looking at you). In 2003, he landed the Schick Quattro razor campaign, and then, quite impressively, guest starred on Larry David's critically acclaimed Curb Your Enthusiasm. Not a shabby gig for a former survivor. But Curb was just a stepping-stone. Having recently shot a pilot for Kelsey Grammer's production company, Colby's also appearing in the Oxygen Network's upcoming TV series Girls Gone Bad. And though he got the early boot on Survivor: All-Stars, he didn't seem too broken up over it. After all, he knew that there was more to life than starving yourself on an island 