“Survivor” has been on television for decades, and in that time, 10 castaways have been from Ohio — but none from Columbus.
That’s all changing in the 44th season of this island-themed competition show after Columbus resident Matthew Grinstead-Mayle was announced as a contestant on Tuesday by Entertainment Weekly. Matthew will be competing in Fiji for $1 million when the show kicks off on Wednesday, March 1 on CBS.
According to his bio on Entertainment Weekly, Matthew was born in Pickerington where he spent his childhood outdoors + at the local YMCA. He’s since moved to Columbus where he and his husband, Dale, are raising their four-year-old son and going on adventures as a family. The duo also own and operate Goodfellow’s Tonsorial Parlor, a barbershop in the Brewery District.
The good news for Matthew is he won’t be the only Ohioan on the island — Josh Wilder, who was born in Cincinnati but now lives in Atlanta, is also a contestant. With two Ohioians vying for $1 million, we had to know more about past contestants from the Buckeye State. Here’s what we found:
- Ten contestants have been from southern Ohio: Chardon, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Huber Heights
- Six contestants have been from Cincinnati: Lillian “Lill” Morris, Michelle Yi, Marisa Callahan, Matt Bischoff, Angela Perkins, and Josh Wilder
- Three contestants were OSU alumni: Reynold Toepfer, Yung Woo Huang, and Will Wahl, however none were from Columbus
- One Ohioan has won “Survivor": Chris Daugherty of South Vienna and his story after the show is heartwarming.
Matthew, however, is hoping to change that last stat.
“I have the heart, the drive and the ability to see this to the end,” he said. “And there will be tons of giggles and rainbows along the way.”
