Survivor: Brandon Donlon Reveals What Viewers Didn’t See!

Survivor spoilers reveal Brandon Donlon experiencing more problems than he ever anticipated. And in a new interview, Brandon shares what happened that viewers didn’t get to see.

Find out what Donlon revealed about his Survivor experience. And keep reading to learn his Tribal Council strategy!

Survivor Spoilers – Brandon Donlon’s Dream Becomes Nightmare

Brandon Donlon felt so thrilled at first as he fulfilled his dream of competing on Survivor. But that dream became a nightmare when Brandon experienced a panic attack. And that anxiety made Donlon’s time on his favorite TV show feel more and more difficult, he told EW.

From getting up a ladder onto a barge to confusion in matching tiles, Brandon kept struggling. And in the end, his problems in a puzzle resulted in his Lulu tribe heading to Tribal Council. But after the tribe voted out Donlon, he realized what went wrong. 

And Brandon explained his reasoning with the Beware Advantage. Donlon recalled, “I wanted to do the Beware Advantage thing from when I saw the Beware Advantages in Survivor 41, 42, and 43. I wanted to hand them out.”

And he admitted, “I wanted to just find one and then pawn it off and see if somebody opened it. My biggest accomplishment in Survivor is that I got to do something that I had dreamed of doing when I watched it on TV. It didn’t work out,” noted Brandon. “But it was super fun.”

Jeff, Rick, and Jay are back for a new episode of "On Fire"! They analyze how some castaways stay true to themselves, while others adjust their personality to fit the game. Listen now. https://t.co/pIaXUjAhcc pic.twitter.com/r1fGuQNqdJ

— SURVIVOR (@survivorcbs) October 5, 2023

Survivor Spoilers – A Tribal Council Plan

However, Donlon admits misjudging the puzzle game. And he confessed, “I don’t think for a second that I’m not going to win that. It’s a game for babies!” But the Survivor contestant now realizes he does “not perform well under pressure. And I think that a lot of my challenge performance — although abysmal, not good, even on a good day — I think a lot of it was just I’m not good under pressure.”

And Brandon also shared that his plan going into Tribal Council involved out-talking Emily. “Emily was going to leave at that first Tribal Council. So my goal was just to out-talk Emily, which ultimately didn’t happen,” he added. 

But what did happen involved the medical team. And Brandon shared that viewers didn’t see his full medical visit with Dr. Joe, who Donlon called a “great doctor. The Survivor medical team was beyond helpful for me.”

Survivor Spoilers – Jeff Probst Asks Trivia Questions

And Survivor host Jeff Probst got involved in helping Brandon as well. For instance, Jeff asked Brandon trivia questions to help him relax. “He asked me at one point, ‘Who’s the biggest villain in Survivor history?’ And I said, ‘The ladder.’ And it was the first words that I had said, and everybody cracked up again,” he recalled.

But as Brandon looks back, he feels that he “got exactly what I wanted. You would say this is an unsuccessful run. But the best part of this for me was that I have friends from elementary school and high school, and when I worked at Panera Bread in college, and people that I went to college with, and past jobs who are all watching Survivor for me.”

And Donlon shared that he received texts from all his friends who had become Survivor fans through him. “They’ve texted me and they’re like, “Oh, you were right. This is really good. It’s the best show on TV.” And if they keep watching after episode 3, beyond where I’m not there, that’s why I did this. I want people to know this is the coolest show in the world,” he gushed. 

And Brandon added, “I can’t believe I got to do it. It’s been rough, but this is worth it. I would do it a hundred more times to feel what I feel right now. I can’t tell you how great this is.”

Tell us what you think. Do you agree with Brandon that Survivor ranks as the “coolest show in the world”? And after you share your views, check back on our site for more reality TV news.