Michael Yerger is an American model and former reality television contestant best known for competing on Survivor: Ghost Island. After appearing on the CBS series at just 18, he moved further into fashion and has since worked with brands and publications including SKIMS, Dsquared2, Savage X Fenty and Elle China.
Away from his career, Yerger is married to fitness influencer and content creator Daisy Keech. The couple married in 2025 and announced in July 2026 that they are expecting their first child around Christmas.
Michael Yerger Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Yerger |
| Date of birth | July 20, 1998 |
| Age | 28 years old |
| Birthplace | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Model, former reality television contestant |
| Known for | Survivor: Ghost Island, modeling career |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (186 cm) |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Green |
| Wife | Daisy Keech |
| Children | Expecting first child in 2026 |
| Current modeling base | Los Angeles |
| Mother agency | DT Model Management |
Who Is Michael Yerger?
Michael Yerger is a professional fashion model whose wider public recognition began with Survivor. Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, he moved to Los Angeles at 18 and initially pursued a career in real estate rather than entertainment.
That path changed after he was cast on the 36th season of Survivor. His performance on the show introduced him to a national audience, while the years that followed established a separate career in fashion.
Today, modeling is a significant part of Yerger’s professional identity. His portfolio includes advertising, editorial and e-commerce work, while his relationship with Daisy Keech has also brought attention to his personal life.
How Old Is Michael Yerger?
Michael Yerger was born on July 20, 1998, making him 28 years old as of September 2026.
He grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. Yerger has spoken publicly about an upbringing that included different forms of schooling, football, outdoor activities, martial arts and scouting. One of his notable early accomplishments was becoming an Eagle Scout.
His Tennessee background became part of his story on Survivor, where his age was particularly significant. Yerger was only 18 when he played, making him considerably younger than many of his fellow contestants.
His Early Life and Move From Knoxville to Los Angeles
Yerger’s path into entertainment was not planned from childhood. After growing up in Knoxville, he relocated to Los Angeles on his 18th birthday.
Real estate was initially his main professional goal. He obtained a real-estate license and spent time working in leasing before reality television and modeling began opening different opportunities.
That background is important because it distinguishes his career from the more conventional route of someone who moved to Los Angeles specifically to become an actor or model. Television came first as an unexpected turning point, and fashion developed into a longer-term profession afterward.
Public information about Yerger’s education is more limited. Various profiles have connected him with Bearden High School in Knoxville, although detailed information about his formal education has not been extensively documented in authoritative public records.
Michael Yerger’s Survivor: Ghost Island Journey
Yerger became widely known in 2018 when Survivor: Ghost Island aired on CBS. He entered the competition at 18 and initially competed as a member of the Malolo tribe.
His youth became an unusual strategic element of his game. Yerger concealed his real age from the other contestants and presented himself as older, believing that revealing he was only 18 could affect how others perceived him.
Despite repeatedly finding himself in difficult strategic positions, he remained in the game for 29 days and eventually finished ninth.
His run became particularly memorable because of his use of Hidden Immunity Idols and his ability to survive multiple votes while playing from an unstable position. By the time he was eliminated, he had reached the jury phase of the competition.
The show gave Yerger his first significant national exposure, but it did not become the sole basis of his career. Rather than continuing immediately through a succession of reality programs, he increasingly concentrated on modeling.
How Michael Yerger Became a Professional Model
Yerger’s modeling career developed after his move to Los Angeles and accelerated following Survivor.
In interviews, he has described being encouraged to attend a modeling-agency open call after meeting people with experience in the fashion and reality television industries. That introduction helped turn modeling from an opportunity into a professional career.
His subsequent work went well beyond social-media modeling. Yerger accumulated advertising and editorial credits for established fashion brands and publications, gradually creating a portfolio independent of his Survivor recognition.
His current professional representation also reflects that progression. Models.com lists him with DT Model Management in Los Angeles, HEROES Model Management in New York and d’management group in Milan, with DT serving as his mother agency.
His Major Modeling Campaigns and Fashion Work
Yerger has worked across underwear, menswear, fashion editorials and commercial e-commerce.
His professional portfolio includes work connected with Dsquared2, Savage X Fenty, 2(X)IST, SKIMS, Man About Town and Elle China, among other fashion clients and publications. Models.com records 24 advertising, editorial, cover and other professional credits on his profile.
Dsquared2 became one of the more visible brands in his portfolio. HEROES also features campaign material for Dolce & Gabbana, Dsquared2 and 2(X)IST among his professional work.
His career has remained active well beyond the years immediately following Survivor. In December 2025, Models.com recorded an Elle China editorial featuring Yerger, photographed by Diego Larez.
He also worked with SKIMS in August 2025 and again in January 2026. The January 2026 e-commerce project was photographed by Carin Backoff and specifically credits Yerger as the model.
Those recent projects are significant because they show that describing Yerger simply as a “former Survivor contestant” understates his professional career. Modeling has developed into a sustained occupation rather than a brief extension of his reality-TV exposure.
How Tall Is Michael Yerger?
Michael Yerger is 6 feet 1 inch (186 cm) tall, according to his professional modeling profiles.
HEROES Model Management lists his measurements as a 40-inch chest and 32-inch waist, with brown hair and green eyes.
Models.com independently lists the same height of 6 feet 1 inch and identifies his role professionally as a model.
Agency measurements are a stronger source for his height than the conflicting figures sometimes found on celebrity biography websites because such measurements are directly relevant to professional model bookings.
Michael Yerger and Daisy Keech’s Relationship
Yerger has been in a long-term relationship with Daisy Keech, a fitness influencer, entrepreneur and content creator who gained substantial online recognition through fitness content and social media.
Their relationship became public in 2020. Over the following years, the couple regularly appeared together online while continuing their respective careers.
Yerger proposed in 2024, moving their relationship into a new stage after several years together.
They subsequently married in 2025. By 2026, People described Keech and Yerger as a Nashville-based married couple.
This makes older online biographies that continue to describe Keech simply as Yerger’s “girlfriend” outdated.
Michael Yerger and Daisy Keech Are Expecting Their First Child
The couple reached another milestone in 2026.
In July, Keech confirmed that she was pregnant and expecting her first child with Yerger. Their baby is expected to arrive around Christmas 2026.
According to People, the pregnancy will make the baby the first grandchild on both sides of their families. The couple had already begun considering names and preparing for parenthood when the pregnancy was announced.
As of September 2026, the accurate description is therefore that Yerger and Keech are expecting their first child. Claims that they already have a child would be premature until a birth is publicly confirmed.
Michael Yerger’s Parents and Family
Yerger comes from a Tennessee family and has occasionally discussed his upbringing, although his relatives generally maintain much lower public profiles than he does.
His parents have been publicly identified as Chris and Zarah Yerger, and he has a sister named Molly. His mother was also quoted in Tennessee media during his run on Survivor, providing contemporary confirmation of his family connection to Knoxville.
Yerger has not made his wider family background a central part of his public career. For that reason, detailed claims about relatives found on unsourced biography sites should be treated cautiously unless supported by family records, interviews or established reporting.
What Happened to Michael Yerger After Survivor?
Yerger did not disappear from public life after Ghost Island. Instead, his career moved in a different direction.
Fashion became his principal professional lane, eventually producing international agency representation and campaigns with recognizable brands. His recent SKIMS work demonstrates that he remained active as a professional model in 2026.
At the same time, interest in his Survivor history has continued. Fans have periodically discussed a possible return, particularly as the franchise brought former contestants back for milestone seasons.
Yerger has publicly expressed interest in another opportunity to compete, but a second Survivor appearance has not materialized. Until CBS announces otherwise, he remains a one-time contestant whose only season is Ghost Island.
Michael Yerger’s Net Worth and Income
There is no reliably verified public figure for Michael Yerger’s net worth.
Various celebrity biography websites publish estimates, but those numbers generally lack transparent financial records or authoritative sourcing. Presenting any specific amount as established fact would therefore be misleading.
What can be documented is the nature of his professional work. Yerger has earned opportunities through fashion modeling, commercial campaigns and digital content, while his earlier career included work in real estate.
His modeling portfolio demonstrates sustained commercial activity, but neither his agency profiles nor reliable financial publications disclose his earnings, assets or overall wealth.
Michael Yerger’s Life and Career Today
Yerger’s career in 2026 looks considerably different from the one that first introduced him to television audiences in 2018.
Professionally, he remains represented in major fashion markets and has continued booking commercial and editorial work. Models.com lists him as Los Angeles-based and records recent projects with SKIMS and Elle China.
Personally, his life has also moved forward. He is married to Daisy Keech, and the couple is preparing for the arrival of their first child around Christmas 2026.
Together, those developments explain why current searches for Yerger extend beyond Survivor. He is now associated with fashion, his marriage to Keech and their growing family as much as with the television competition that initially made him recognizable.
Conclusion
Michael Yerger first gained widespread recognition as one of the youngest competitors on Survivor: Ghost Island, but television became only the starting point of his public career. He went on to establish himself as a professional model, with work spanning major fashion brands, international agencies and recent projects including SKIMS.
His personal life has also entered a new chapter. Yerger married Daisy Keech in 2025, and the couple is expecting their first child around Christmas 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Michael Yerger?
Michael Yerger is an American professional model and former reality television contestant. He became known through Survivor: Ghost Island and later developed a modeling career that has included work for brands such as Dsquared2 and SKIMS.
How old is Michael Yerger?
Michael Yerger was born on July 20, 1998. He is 28 years old as of September 2026.
Who is Michael Yerger’s wife?
Michael Yerger is married to Daisy Keech, a fitness influencer and content creator. The couple married in 2025 after becoming engaged in 2024.
Are Michael Yerger and Daisy Keech having a baby?
Yes. Keech announced in July 2026 that she and Yerger are expecting their first child, with the baby due around Christmas 2026.
How tall is Michael Yerger?
Yerger is 6 feet 1 inch (186 cm) tall according to HEROES Model Management and Models.com.
What season of Survivor was Michael Yerger on?
Yerger competed on Survivor: Ghost Island, the show’s 36th season. He was 18 during the competition and ultimately finished in ninth place after 29 days in the game.
