If you watched Survivor: Ghost Island, chances are Michael Yerger sticks out as one of the season’s greatest (and hottest) players.
Recommended VideosYerger was an underdog from the start, finding himself on one of the worst tribes in Survivor history, the Malolo tribe, up until the merge. Praised for his strategic prowess and physical strength, the California resident saved himself from elimination time and time again by winning immunity challenges, finding hidden immunity idols, finding advantages, and more.
Heading to tribal council on day 29 with no element of safety, Michael knew he was at risk of being eliminated that fateful night…
At tribal council, Kellyn Bechtold played an extra vote advantage she received from Ghost Island, ultimately resulting in a tie between him and third-place finisher Laurel Johnson. Unfortunately, Yerger was voted out unanimously in the revote, causing him to become the fifth member of the jury — poor guy!
Despite having an impressive journey on Survivor: Ghost Island, several Survivor superfans have deemed Yerger to be a rather lackluster player, sharing their opinions on the Tennessee native via Reddit.
“He’s incredibly bland as a TV character when he’s on the island deprived of energy, but he was in a bad position in his season, so he was easy to root for. I imagine if he came back and played from the top and dominated, he wouldn’t have many fans here,” one Reddit user dished.
Another wrote, “His gameplay was mediocre at best, but it looked decent compared to the people he was playing against. His best move (other than his idol play) was probably getting into good graces with Bradley pre-merge, but that got screwed over with the double swap. Worst moves were voting James over Desi, not working with Desi and agreeing to out her plan, and then not voting Laurel at the split tribal. His crying seemed off-putting and his claim that he deserved to be there more because he loved the game was over the top. Pretty boring storyteller, as most people said.”
“I think he was popular because of how awful the Ghost Island cast was. Someone as monotone and boring as Michael would never be a standout character on another season IMO. I think he proved he was a solid player and definitely deserves to return for that factor, but yeah, he’s really boring,” shared a third, garnering nearly 30 upvotes.
Whether you were a fan of Yerger or not, the former castaway has built a name for himself beyond his time on the beach, amassing an impressive following of over one million on Instagram, ultimately leaving fans of the franchise with just one question: How?
Keep scrolling to see what happened to Michael Yerger post-Survivor — his day-to-day life might surprise you!
Where is Michael Yerger in 2023?
When joining the cast of Survivor: Ghost Island back in 2017, the 18-year-old version of Michael Yerger deemed fitness, camping, hiking, swimming, traveling, architecture, luxury cars, concerts, and music festivals to be a few of his favorite things.
Based on his Instagram, Yerger seems to still have these interests, however, he is also a professional underwear model who has been represented by the LA Models, Ford Models, Kult Models, and more agencies in the past. In addition to this, he is in a committed relationship with fellow model and social media sensation, Daisy Keech, making for seriously the cutest couple around — hubba hubba!
Aside from modeling, the 25-year-old appears to have his own clothing company called BUDRO, which sells “a wide range of high quality clothing items and accessories related to fashion trends.” Bouncing between a variety of different careers, it looks like Yerger is always keeping himself busy, even after his Survivor journey.
Even though his journey on Survivor ended years ago, the former castaway still looks back on his experience fondly, reflecting on Survivor: Ghost Island just last year in an exclusive interview with Hollywood Life.
“Playing on Survivor was such a unique experience that holds so many fun memories, and it really just sparked a sense of adventure inside of me as well as a love for travel,” he gushed. “Even though it came to an end, it left me with a changed spirit and a spontaneous attitude!”
Could Michael Yerger return to the beach someday? Only time will tell…
Until then, catch brand new episodes of Survivor 45 every Wednesday at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.
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