'Survivor' alum Troy Robertson recalls time on the reality show ahead of its 45th season premiere
FORT LAUDERDALE -- Troy Robertson, a two-time castaway from "Survivor," and better known to the show's viewers as "Troyzan" spoke recently to CBS News Miami.
"This is a special day," he said. "This is the very first Buff I ever wore in my Survivor career. I'm going to give you this to wear. I don't even know if anybody's ever wore that before."
The reality show contestant visited Gulfstream Park recently to check out the giant Pegasus and Dragon statue, one of eight U.S. landmark statues that are dressed with the reality show's signature Buffs.
Pegasus' Buff is 66 feet-by-11 feet-long.
The visits are part of the effort to promote the Wednesday night premiere of "Survivor 45" on CBS at 8 p.m.
"'I've lived here for 30 years and I've never even heard of this Pegasus and now I'm like, it's insane," he said staring up at the third largest statue in the United States.
Robertson, who works as a photographer for Sports Illustrated, lives in The Redland and raised a family of monkeys. A friend nicknamed him "Troyzan" and it stuck on the show.
He had the grit to compete in two separate seasons of more than a month each time with zero comforts of home .
"There's no toothbrush, there's no soap, there's no shampoo, no toilet paper," he said. "No nothing."
But Robertson said he didn't mind that part. It was something else that was more challenging.
" The toughest part is not starving, and it's not sleep deprivation," he said. ""It's trying to figure out if someone is lying to you and to change their mind. So, you're best friends with somebody for 38 days and then they backstab you and you're like are they lying the entire time? Do they even like me?"
The 62-year-old "Survivor" alumni is hard not to like.
His audition tape for Season 24, when he was turning 50 years old, is one for the books.
"I turned on the TV in May or June of 2000 and I saw these people jumping out of a boat and this music playing," he said. "I'm like, 'Oh my God, whatever this is, I gotta do it!' I am a survivor. I've always felt like I was the survivor."
He might not have won the $1 million in prize money, but he said he'll be tuned in to watch the "Survivor 45" premiere and will be excited from the very second he hears that familiar music.
"I'll be a Survivor fan until I die," he said through laughter. "I probably will have a Survivor Buff painted on my casket.
Actually, I'm going to get cremated, so I'll I have a little urn with a Troyzan Buff on it."
