If you think back to Survivor 42, Jonathan Young is likely a castaway that comes to mind, despite losing in the final four fire-making challenge to Mike Turner and ultimately falling short of the $1 million check.
While he may not be remembered for his social or strategic game, Young’s athleticism was truly unmatched, making him arguably the most dominant physical competitor in Survivor history — Emmy Award-winning host Jeff Probst even said it himself!
The Survivor 42 castaway is best remembered for keeping the Taku tribe afloat (both literally and figuratively) prior to the merge, serving as both a challenge beast, as well as the provider of the group. Whether it was making fire or catching fish, the Taku tribe would have deteriorated if Young was not there to save the day, however, his game started to deteriorate post-merge.
When his strong personality started to rub some of his Taku tribemates the wrong way, the 6’4 competition beast shifted his focus and began forming new allies (most notably Mike Turner), ultimately causing him to outlast his fellow competitors until the very end of Survivor 42.
While his journey on Survivor was nothing short of spectacular, keep scrolling to see who Jonathan Young is beyond the beach, as well as what he is up to one year later…
Who is Jonathan Young?
Jonathan Young is a country boy turned beach bum!
Born in Gadsden, Alabama and currently living in Gulf Shores, Alabama, Young is the owner of the beach rental company called iBeachService, as well as the founder of a nonprofit organization called Young Strength Missions.
When he is not working, the 30-year-old enjoys surfing, spearfishing, and working out (of course). He even broke the Guinness World Record for the most pull ups done with 100 pounds on his back — how impressive is that?
Another one of his hobbies is swimming, a skill in which he is particularly strong. He even served as a member of the swim team at the University of Alabama, which must have been extremely handy while competing on Survivor.
While Young pinpointed these as some of his interests in his Survivor 42 biography (prior hitting the beach), what does his day-to-day life consist of in 2023?
Where is Jonathan Young now?
According to his Instagram profile, which has amassed nearly 90k followers, Young remains extremely connected to his fellow Survivor veterans, building a deck with “Boston” Rob Mariano, attending a party with Mike Turner, hitting the beach with Maryanne Oketch, and more within the past few months.
In addition to this, it looks like Young is still very focused on his oh-so impressive physique that we saw throughout his Survivor journey, consistently taking to Instagram to share some videos from the gym — his strength is seriously unmatched!
Will he be taking his muscles to The Challenge: USA next season? Only time will tell…
Last but certainly not least, with friends and fitness accounted for, the Survivor 42 castaway’s Instagram account is complete with just one more thing: family.
While he appears to be as single as a pringle, Young is the proud father of an adorable puppy named Coco, who tends to keep him company — he even made his dog his very own Instagram profile!
Seriously though, Jonathan Young could not be more adorable.
