Former NFL player Wes Saunders has swapped American football for reality television, competing in Netflix's Outlast: The Jungle survival show. The 37-year-old is battling 15 other contestants in the Panamanian jungle for a $1 million prize.
He began his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011 as an undrafted free agent before transferring to the Indianapolis Colts. Saunders faced setbacks during his sporting career, including a ban for breaching the NFL's substance-abuse policy after testing positive for Adderall.
Despite these challenges, he accumulated substantial wealth from his football contracts. His estimated net worth ranges between $1.5 million and $5 million, making him one of the highest earners on the Netflix programme.
The estimated net worth excludes his income beyond the pitch. Alternative estimates from The Tab suggest the sporting figure's total net worth stands at an impressive $5 million.
Showrunner Mike Odair described this series as particularly compelling, telling Netflix: "This season felt like throwing gasoline on the format." The survival competition has reached its final stages with just nine contestants remaining.
The grand finale airs next week to crown the ultimate winner. The remaining cast members are: Sarah Awad, Abby Chu, Morgan Colburn, Braxton Fish, Pharaoh Gayles, Nikki Hru, Maddy Jones, Leiya Pillitteri and of course, Wes Saunders.
Odair added ahead of the finale on June 17: "We traded the frozen isolation of Alaska for the heat and volatility of Panama, and everything changed: the survival, the strategy, and the social dynamics ... This may be our most dynamic group yet."
