Tony Vlachos is back for Survivor 40. The two-time competitor on the reality competition show was brought back for the third time — where he hoped to win the $2 million prize.
Vlachos first appeared on the show during Survivor 28. It seems like a really long time ago, with how many seasons have taken place since then, but it was actually spring 2014.
When you find out you're not in @tony_vlachos alliance of five 10 minutes after he makes a deal with you. #Survivor500 pic.twitter.com/LaqYkDfQzQ
— PuddinTang (@JEFFVARNER) March 9, 2017
Playing as part of the Survivor: Cagayan cast, Tony intrigued viewers as soon as his bio was revealed. A 39-year-old police officer from New Jersey, he was married to another police officer named Marissa Ann.
Tony Vlachos becomes Survivor: Cagayan winner
The Survivor 28 season began with three tribes in the Philippines. They were the Brawn, Brains, and Beauty. It was another experiment on the show to determine which group could work the best together toward that common goal. Tony was on the Brawn Tribe (otherwise known as Aparri) and so was the second-place finisher (Yung “Woo” Hwang).
This was a season when just two people made it to the jury vote — which Tony won by a vote of 7-2 over Woo. Tony played the game with an almost reckless abandon, with some viewers and cast members stating that he was aggressive. He was also the reason that Woo made it so far, which is why Woo got so little support on the finale.
Later, host Jeff Probst would call him one of the 10 best winners the game had seen during its run — a high compliment from one of the people behind helping make the show a huge success.
Tony Vlachos meets Sandra Diaz-Twine
Due to his success and fan-following from his first time on the show, Tony was invited back to play on Survivor: Game Changers. This was considered to be Survivor 34 and it took place in Fiji.
Again, Tony came out swinging, which helped him in the first few days, but then he picked the wrong person to antagonize within his own tribe. That person was Sandra Diaz-Twine. Sandra, feeling slighted by Tony and his aggressive nature, put a plan in motion to get Tony out. It worked. On Day 6, Tony was sent home from Game Changers.
Now, Tony Vlachos is back for another season of Survivor, and he gets to see his old pal Sandra Diaz-Twine again. She is the only two-time winner of the show, but if she fails to win a third time, then someone else is going to join her in that exclusive club.
The premise of Survivor: Winners at War is that all 20 people have won the show before. That should make it a very interesting ride for viewers. CBS just released a long teaser for the upcoming season, including a revelation of the official release date.
Survivor 40 airs Wednesday nights at 8/7c beginning in February on CBS.