In anticipation of tomorrow’s premiere of Top Shot Season 2, we caught up with host and former Survivor contestant Colby Donaldson to get his thoughts on Season 1 and let fans in on what they can expect the second time around.

AR: What attracted you to Top Shot when you first heard about the idea for the show?

CD:  I’ve been shooting since I was six. So, the first interview that I had with the producers and the network—it just felt right. It is one of those unique opportunities to pursue and take part in a job that is a part of your passion. I’ve been incredibly enthusiastic about studying firearms for several decades, and I think it was a surprise to those who brought me in as a host that I had a background and knowledge of weapons. That was the fun part, getting to stretch my legs in terms of the weapons and the language. As you can imagine, in Hollywood there aren’t a lot of guys out there that shoot on a regular basis. So, it was a good fit and that’s what has been so much fun.

AR: With that past knowledge of firearms, do you think you could have done well in Season 1 as a competitor?

CD:  At first, my ignorance combined with arrogance had me thinking that I could actually contend with these guys. I learned really quickly when I showed up for Season 1 that I couldn’t hang with them. Now, there are a lot of weapons that I feel like I would match up very well, but the cool aspect of Top Shot is you have to have that breadth of ability and that adaptability. I’m not proficient with a bow—whether it’s a long bow or compound—so there are certain weapons in which I know I would fall short. Some of these competitors blow me away at just how talented they are at being able to pick up a completely forgiven weapon and, after one practice session, they’re completely proficient with it. It’s impressive, and it’s fun to watch. But I will tell you this: Season 2 was a humbling experience for the entire gang. Our challenges are so much more difficult than Season 1. Not just in terms of the weapons and how random those may be, but just what we required of the shooters.

AR: Is there one aspect of the shooting competition that you singled out from Season 1 that you wanted to change going into filming for Season 2?

CD:  On the production side we get rather nitpicky, and our job is to improve. There were a lot of logistics in terms of covering the challenges, you know, camera-wise. We are a small crew by comparison to other network competition shows like Amazing Race or even Survivor, and yet I think we put together a product that stands tall up against those programs. But you want more of everything, you want more camera angles, you want more slow motion. You just want to give the viewer the same experience we had when we were out there filming it, and that’s very difficult to do. The weapons are unbelievable, the challenges are epic and we want to bring that into your living room. That’s the thing about Season 1; it was the first time for all of us. The producers, cameramen and the directors were figuring out on the fly how to cover everything and how to get the best shot. Because it’s a competition you can’t retake, you can’t stop and say “back it up guys let’s do that over again.” There are no rehearsals, it is literally one take, one shot and you hope to get the action. That’s what we learned from Season 1; we needed to make sure our camera guys were in position to truly capture what is taking place out there on the range.

AR: When you referred to the AR-15 as the “modern sporting rifle” in Season 1 the reaction here at the NRA and even in the gun blog world was “we’ve won.” You used the proper term to describe the rifle instead of labeling it with the words “assault” or “baby killer,” and you did it on a mainstream television show. Have you gotten any feedback from that?

CD:  Thanks, I appreciate the comment. The feedback that I’ve gotten from everyone, whether I’m in the hardware store or even the gun store, is that people want to talk about the show. They love to give feedback not only on the weapons but the challenges, and the interesting thing is the suggestions you get. Our armchair quarterbacks are the inspirations literally for the weapons we chose for Season 2. Half of the weapons we use on Season 2—by the way, the AR-15 comes back, it is in Season 2—were chosen because of suggestions we get, and I get personally, from the viewer. My personal stance on the AR platform rifle, and I have one in the back of my truck right now, it is the most utilitarian recreational sporting rifle that you can have….It is my favorite rifle, bar none.

AR:  Let’s get into Season 2 and talk about the cast a little bit. Who was the most surprising contestant?

CD: I have to be careful not to give anything away here. But, I’ll tell you what, Kyle [Frasure] surprised a lot of people. I think any of the shooters that come in— this will hold true regardless of what season you are referring to—as professionals are always going to be one dimensional….I think your professionals, and Kyle is a shotgun guy, come into this thing being incredible with one weapon. I mean, any of your professionals are just hoping to last long enough to get to their specialty. What always surprised me are the guys who come in who don’t have a military, hunting or recreational background that pick up anything you give them and they go out and perform well. Kyle was one of those guys. He was not arrogant about anything, and he was open about learning and listening. He absorbed from not only the experts that came in, but the other contestants. He was one of those guys who impressed me.

AR: On the other hand, were there any highly touted contestants that didn’t perform well?

CD: I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I’ll go to the experts. There were those that came in highly decorated in their field that were not able to adapt and did not, in my opinion, listen and learn and absorb like Kyle did or like other people did. As a result, they didn’t do well. I’m not going to get specific on that. There wasn’t anyone out there that disappointed me, but it was very clear that the key to this competition is you have to be able to adapt. That’s why I believe your military and recreational backgrounds, whether its men or women, tend to fare well in this competition.

AR: We saw a lot of drama and controversy last season with Adam and Caleb. Some people enjoyed that aspect of the show while others were turned off. Was there any similar drama in Season 2?

CD: [Top Shot] is different from any other type of competition show for one season and one reason only: If you show up and perform you can’t be sent home. It eliminates, to answer your question, all the conniving, backstabbing, manipulating and plotting. I think part of it also has to do with the mentality of the majority of shooters. Those with a background in marksmanship truly believe that to be the best you have to beat the best. So, there’s not a lot of [drama] because we don’t need it on this show. The excitement and fun for the viewer is in watching the challenges and watching the competition.

AR: In talking to contestants from the first season, all 16 of them seemed to form a bound and a friendship from the show. They were unified as a part of the community of shooters. Did you see that in the Season 2 cast?

CD: I think what you will see on Season 2 is a unity among those with a background in armed forces. We had the military guys truly bond on this season. Obviously they are a part of the brotherhood already, but there was a unity that you didn’t see in Season 1.

AR: Finally, what is one aspect of Top Shot Season 2 that will most excite the AmericanRifleman.org readers and other fans of the show?

CD: We took everything from Season 1 and amplified it. It is basically Season 1 on steroids. That goes for the weapons, the challenges, the level of competition and the challenge to the shooter. Everything is amplified, and that’s it. I’m not being vague, but I knew what the challenges were going to be and even I was surprised at how it played out. It’s going to be a great season.