Who is Jeff Zausch? Meet the former Naked and Afraid survivor appearing in NBC's Snake in the Grass

Snake in the Grass recently aired with its season premiere on NBC. The new action-packed reality TV competition offers an exciting challenge that piqued viewers' curiosity. The new series features four contestants who are dropped into the wild for 36 hours and stand a chance to win $100,000. One of the four contestants who appeared this week was Jeff Zausch.

Hosted by Bobby Bones, Snake in the Grass features new contestants every week. Each week, four contestants who appear will have to identify who among them is the saboteur. If they identify the person, they split the $100,000. If they choose the wrong person, the saboteur walks away with the entire winning.

Throughout the 36 hours, the contestants will be left in the wild and will face various challenges. The saboteur will try to derail and undermine their efforts, but the team has to accomplish the given challenges within a given period.

Jeff loves adventure, and it's not new for him to take risks. The Snake in the Grass contestant previously appeared on Discovery's Naked and Afraid and has survived more days than any other contestant on the famed reality TV series.

Jeff has to prove that he's not a saboteur to the other contestants. Here's all you need to know about the Snake in the Grass contestant.

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Jeff spent the most number of days in Naked and Afraid before his appearance in Snake in the Grass

Jeff has been on Naked and Afraid six times. He also holds the record for surviving the most number of days on the show compared to any other contestant who has appeared. He has spent a total of 121 days to date.

Even as a child, Jeff has completed various survival missions, which is why he was able to survive as long as he did on Naked and Afraid and Naked Afraid XL. But even with so many years of experience as a survivalist, Jeff shared that his experience in Naked and Afraid XL episode 8 was entirely different.

In an exclusive interview with East Idaho, he revealed that it was in Naked and Afraid XL where he filmed the most number of life and death moments. He even faced a medical emergency that almost caused him to tap out of the show.

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Jeff from Snake in the Grass attributes his survival skills to his father

The Snake in the Grass contestant attributes his survival skills to his father. Jeff told the publication that his father had a defect in his heart and survived longer than his doctors had expected. His father passed away shortly before Season 2 of Naked and Afraid.

Jeff also revealed that he started completing self-assigned survival challenges as a young child. He used to camp out in the mountains that were situated near his rural home in Idaho. The Snake in the Grass contestant added that he spent the entire night alone amid a blizzard when he was only 9. The temperature that night was minus 15 degrees.

Jeff shared that his father was the best survivalist he had ever met. He was the one who taught him to be mentally strong even when the odds might be against him.

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In 2015, Jeff pleaded guilty to insurance fraud

According to the Idaho Office of the Attorney General, in 2015, Jeff tried to file an accident claim for a vehicle that didn't have full coverage. This resulted in him being convicted of a felony for insurance fraud.

The judge ordered Jeff to perform 100 hours of community service. The Snake in the Grass star was also on probation for three years. He also had to pay $376 in restitution to Geico and $1,250 as a fine.

Snake in the Grass airs every Tuesday at 10 pm ET only on NBC. Readers can check their local listings for more information.