It’s no secret that both Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Big Brother are grueling competitions. Sure, there are mental challenges galore, but there are also a lot of physical challenges that demand competitors be in top shape. So it’s no wonder that several Olympians have appeared on the CBS reality shows. Here are all the ones who have competed on Survivor</i, The Amazing Race, and Big Brother so far, including a new team of Olympic hurdlers set to embark on The Amazing Race 32 when it premieres Wednesday, October 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
Elizabeth Beisel, Survivor
Beisel competed on the 39th season of Survivor, “Island of the Idols,” which aired in the fall of 2019. She finished in ninth place but won something even better than the million-dollar prize — she has been dating fellow castaway Jack Nichting since they filmed the show.
In the Olympics, Beisel qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She swims the 400-meter individual medley, earning silver in 2012 and placing sixth in 2016. In 2012, she also won the bronze medal in the 200-meter backstroke.
Crystal Cox, Survivor
Cox finished sixth on Survivor: Gabon, the 17th season of the show that aired in the fall of 2008. Cox was an Olympian who won gold in the women’s 4×400 meter relay at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. However, in 2012 she admitted to doping and was stripped of the gold medal, according to ESPN.
Tommmy Czeschin & Andy Finch, The Amazing Race
Czeschin competed in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in snowboarding and Finch competed at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics in the same sport. They appeared together on The Amazing Race 19, finishing in fourth place.
Aly Dudek & Steve Langton, The Amazing Race
Dudek and Langton competed on The Amazing Race 26, which aired in the spring of 2015. They finished in sixth place after struggling on a challenge in Namibia and then getting U-turned by another team.
Dudek and Langton met at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, where Dudek competed in speed skating and Langton competed in bobsledding. Dudek did not medal in 2014, but she did earn the bronze medal in the 3000-meter relay at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Langton earned two silver medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics in both the two-man and four-man events.
LaVonne Idlette & Kellie Wells-Brinkley, The Amazing Race
These two Olympians haven’t yet competed on their reality show — well, they have, but it hasn’t aired yet. So you’ll have to tune in Wednesdays this fall on CBS to find out how they do.
Idlette and Wells-Brinkley are Hampton University track and field teammates. Wells-Brinkley earned the bronze medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, beating out fellow U.S. hurdler Lolo Jones by a tenth of a second in the finals to get on the podium. Idlette competed in the same event at the same Olympics, but she was representing the Dominican Republic.
Lolo Jones, Big Brother
Speaking of Lolo Jones, she is a two-time Olympian — one of only nine Americans to compete at the Summer and Winter Olympics in different sports. She finished fourth at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 100-meter hurdles, then went on to represent the United States in bobsledding at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Jones competed on the second season of Celebrity Big Brother, finishing in third place behind former NFL running back Ricky Williams and singer Tamar Braxton.
Ryan Lochte, Big Brother
Lochte also appeared on the second season of Celebrity Big Brother, though he was ousted on day 13 in 10th place.
Lochte was an Olympic swimmer, earning 12 medals between the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics. He is actually the second-most decorated Olympic swimmer in medal count behind Michael Phelps, and he currently still holds the world records in the 200-meter individual medley on both the long and short course. He also holds two relay world records as part of Team USA.
Katrina Radke, Survivor
Radke appeared on Survivor: Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers, the 35th season of the show that aired in the fall of 2017. You may not remember her, however, because she was the first person voted out.
She was an Olympian who swam at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul when she was just a high school student. She finished fifth in the women’s 200-meter butterfly. Then for more than a decade, Radke struggled with chronic fatigue syndrome. She finally reappeared in the sport of swimming at the 2004 Olympic trials. She didn’t qualify for the Olympics, but it was an incredible achievement to even be there competing.
The Amazing Race returns for its 32nd season on Wednesday, October 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Survivor hopes to film season 41 in the spring of 2021 for a fall 2021 premiere.
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