In Kentucky, the tribe has spoken, and Survivor champ Nick Wilson is now an elected official. The winner of Survivor: David vs. Goliath, the CBS show’s 37th season, won a seat as a Republican in Kentucky’s House of Representatives on Tuesday, November 8.
Unlike in Survivor — where his competition included The White Lotus creator Mike White — Wilson had a clear path to victory on Tuesday night. He ran unopposed to fill the seat vacated by the retiring Regina Huff, per The Guardian.
With his political victory in hand, Wilson will begin representing Kentucky’s 82nd district — which includes his hometown of Williamsburg — starting on January 1.
Wilson graduated from the University of Kentucky and got a law degree from the University of Alabama before working as a public defender for McCreary County and an assistant commonwealth attorney for Whitley and McCreary counties.
While he was in law school, his mother lost her life to drug addiction, according to the Louisville Courier Journal. “So that really changed my outlook on my career and my ambition to become a lawyer,” Wilson told the newspaper. “That is an issue I will always hold close to my heart. These mountains have been hard hit by it.”
The former reality star — who also competed in Survivor: Winners at War, the 40th Survivor season — announced his candidacy for Kentucky legislature in November 2021.
“Being away from our area during college, law school, and Survivor cemented in me how lucky and proud I am to be from our community,” he said at the time, per the Courier Journal. “I hope to continue to serve Whitley and Southern Laurel Counties by representing our interests in Frankfort as State Representative.”
As he shared photos of himself and his wife, Grisel Vilchez, voting on Tuesday, Wilson said in a statement that he is “excited to serve and home to represent the community well.”