’Survivor’ Winner Reveals Dramatic Post-Game Weight Loss

Fresh off his million-dollar win on “Survivor 48,” Kyle Fraser took to TikTok on Wednesday, June 4 to open up about his in-game wardrobe, and to reveal his dramatic post-game weight loss. 

A week after he took home the title of Season 48’s “Sole Survivor” on May 21, CBS revealed that Fraser would be returning to compete on “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans of the Fans.” The milestone season, which is rumored to have begun filming on June 5 in Fiji, is set to feature “Survivor” legends like Cirie Fields, Ozzy Lusth, and Benjamin “Coach” Wade, as well as Fraser’s “Survivor 48” tribemates, Joe Hunter and Kamilla Karthigesu. 

‘Survivor 48’ Winner Explains Why he Wore a Belt All Season

Gearing up for a second shot at the crown, Fraser took to TikTok to discuss his “Survivor 48” appearance. In one video, likely posted from his pre-game Ponderosa sequester ahead of filming “Survivor 50,” Fraser responded to fans questioning his island attire, namely, his belt. 

“I’ve gotten a lot of DMs, a lot of questions about my belt. Why I’m wearing it so much, why I’m wearing it in the challenges. There’s been a lot of commentary on it so I just thought I’d come in here and address some things real quick,” said the reigning “Survivor” champion. 

“I’m gonna keep it a buck with you – I lost 28 pounds playing ‘Survivor’,” revealed Fraser. 

Deprived of food and pushed to the physical, mental and emotional limits during his 26-day run on the season, Frasher reported that the clothes he’d arrived in, quickly became too big. 

CBS/Getty

“This belt is the only thing holding my pants up in these challenges,” added Fraser, referencing a photo of himself fishing underwater. “Those shorts would’ve slipped off as I was trying to get back to the surface, so there’s another representation of how the belt was useful.”

Kyle Fraser Joins the List of Dramatic ‘Survivor’ Weight Losses

Fraser’s weight loss is nothing new for “Survivor” castaways, especially for those who make it to the end of the game. 

Kellyn Bechtold, who competed for 35 days on “Survivor: Ghost Islands,” previously told Men’s Health that she lost 12 percent of her body weight over the course of the season. 

“I put on approximately 10 pounds before the game started. I lost all of that, and quite a bit more during that month,” said Bechtold, adding that, “in the course of prepping for the show, losing weight in the game, gorging myself after, losing weight for the live finale, and finally evening out, my weight fluctuated 70 pounds.”

“Survivor: Worlds Apart” winner Mike Holloway has similarly discussed the toll the show took on his body, telling Men’s Health that those “39 days did a number on me.” Holloway reported losing 35 pounds over the course of the season, accounting for 20 percent of his muscle mass. 

Those most dramatic “Survivor” weight loss of all time? That title goes to “Survivor: Africa” castaway Tom Buchanan. Despite originally competing in 2001, Buchanan made his weight loss public knowledge during the live reunion for “Survivor: David vs. Goliath” in 2018. 

Getty

Lovingly known as “Big Tom” during his appearances on “Survivor: Africa” and “Survivor: All Stars,” Buchanan reported that he lost 80 pounds during his 37-day stint in Africa.