Photo: Nicole Mastrogiannis
Paul Preece Jr., who won the first season of Netflix's nature survival competition show Outlast, was arrested on charges that included rape of a child on Friday (March 6), according to jail records obtained by WVLT on Sunday (March 8).
Preece, 51, was charged with aggravated sexual battery, rape of a child and attempted rape of a child and is being held at Knox County Jail on a $150,000 bond. A capias warrant was reportedly issued for Preece's arrest, though no additional details have been publicly released as of Monday (March 9), according to TMZ.
Preece competed on Outlast during its debut season in March 2023 and was part of the team that won the $1 million prize along with fellow Charlie team members Seth Lueker and Nick Radner. The suspect became recognizable to viewers after surviving the Alaskan wilderness during a competition that dropped 16 amateur survivalists into harsh conditions in remote locations.
Preece began the competition as a member of the Delta team before switching to Charlie team and eventually winning the $1 million prize alongside Lueker and Radner, with all three sharing it as the final survivors of the competition. Preece appeared to leverage his brief moment of recognition into a small personal brand tied to the show, having launched the podcast Between the Horns in 2023, which featured interviews with fellow Outlast contestants and lists himself as a "Reality TV Personality" on his LinkedIn profile.