‘Buckle up’: He won $1M on reality TV. He got hurt. Now Boise man faces new ‘Challenge’

Like more than a few natives who stuck around Boise, Ben Driebergen wound up in the real estate industry.

His side hustle, however? Not quite as common.

Driebergen, 40, won the reality show “Survivor” in 2017, along with the $1 million payday that came with it. He also took fifth in 2020.

Since then, the Capital High School graduate and ex-Marine has participated in other reality-based competitions, including last year’s “The Challenge: USA” on CBS.

But he’s back on “The Challenge: World Championship,” which kicked off Wednesday with back-to-back episodes on streaming service Paramount+. Driebergen made it through unscathed. But unlike “Challenge: USA,” you won’t find the rest of the series on cable TV. You’ll have to subscribe to Paramount+ to watch Driebergen overcome mental and physical hurdles, trying not to be eliminated.

An ex-Marine, Driebergen is a tough dude. Still, injury knocked him out of last year’s “Challenge: USA” during the finale.

How will things ultimately go this time around?

“Buckle up,” he told Entertainment Weekly in a recent Q&A. “Hopefully the luck will change.”

He’ll need some — to have a shot at earning the $500,000 prize.

This story was originally published March 9, 2023 at 12:38 PM.