‘Survivor’ Alum Jonny Fairplay Arrested on Larceny Charges Alongside His Mother

Former Survivor contestant Jonny Fairplay has been arrested on larceny charges along with his mother, Patsy Hall. Fairplay, born Jon Dalton, and his 68-year-old mother were taken into police custody in Danville, Virginia on Friday after Fairplay allegedly stole items from his grandmother, Jean Cook.

According to the arrest warrant obtained by TMZ, the reality TV star allegedly stole furniture — including barstools, a leather chair, and an end table — and a silver necklace valued at $5,000 from his grandmother. Fairplay removed them from his grandmother’s home without proper consent. The criminal complaint was reportedly filed by Fairplay’s aunt, who accused Hall of being mentally abusive and taking advantage of Cook’s severe dementia. Both she and Fairplay were charged with larceny.

In a statement to TMZ, Fairplay denied any wrongdoing. He said he and his mother “have been unjustly charged by a family member.” He added that he welcomes “the opportunity to vindicate myself (and my mother).” It is unclear if the two are still in police custody or if they have since been released.

Fairplay is best known for his first stint on Survivor back in 2003, during which he orchestrated what host Jeff Probst called the “greatest lie ever told on Survivor.” During the Loved Ones visit episode, Fairplay infamously claimed his grandmother, the very one he is accused of stealing from, had died. He told the lie in an attempt to gain sympathy from his fellow competitors and win the award. During a one-on-one interview, he revealed that his grandmother was actually alive and well and “sitting home watching Jerry Springer right now.”

The moment went down in Survivor history as one of the biggest power plays and controversies, with Probst declaring it the “greatest lie ever told on” the CBS competition series. Fairplay opened up about the moment in a November interview with Entertainment Weekly, telling the outlet “the ‘Dead Grandma’ lie is still considered one of the greatest moves in the history of not just Survivor, but reality television as a whole.”

“I wanted to bring an outside element to the game and create the first reality villain,” he said. “There had been ‘bad guys’ prior to me on reality TV, but they never sought out that personification. They claimed bad editing or creative storytelling. I embraced the role and reveled in it.”

Fairplay placed third on Survivor: Pearl Islands. He went on to place last in 2008’s Survivor: Micronesia. Since his time on the series, Fairplay said he’s been working as a realtor in Virginia and raising his two daughters, 12-year-old Piper and 3-year-old Madilyn. He also hosts a weekly reality television podcast with Survivor: Caramoan alum Matt Bischoff, USA Today best-selling author Zack Hacker, and “legal genius” Karen Eisenberg.