FRISCO, Texas -- Despite the beaches, clear waters and hot temperatures, going to Fiji was not on Danny McCray’s bucket list after he retired from the NFL in 2015.

“I couldn’t find it on a map, either,” said the former safety, who played six seasons in the league with Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.

Yet for at least a week in March -- maybe a lot longer -- McCray found himself in Fiji, an archipelago of more than 300 islands in the South Pacific. He wasn't staying at a fancy resort, enjoying the best of food and drink with his wife, Kiki, and perhaps some friends.

No, he was with 17 complete strangers, living off the land, scrounging for food, doing his best to win challenges while leaving all of the comforts of his previous life back in Texas.

The 33-year-old was a contestant on CBS’ "Survivor" -- now in its 41st season.

McCray, who last played in the NFL in 2016, isn't allowed to divulge details of how he did. His wife claims she doesn’t even know.

“I’m going to be watching with everyone else,” she said. “One thing about Danny, he’s like a walking vault.”

Only his immediate family knew he was going on the show, although former teammate Barry Church knew he was trying to compete because the producers of the show called him for a reference.

“I hyped him up the whole time,” Church, also a former safety said.

Growing up in Houston, McCray didn't watch the early episodes of "Survivor." It wasn’t until he retired and found himself with too much time on his hands that he became immersed in the show.

“I wasn’t into Netflix or anything yet and I’m scrolling through and I just started watching. I believe it was Season 15 or 16,” he said. “I watched the first episode and then I binge-watched it all day and night. My wife got home from work and she started watching but she went to sleep. I stayed up till like 5 in the morning.”

An idea was born. McCray wanted to be a contestant. He was never an outdoorsy type. He wasn’t one to go camping. But the competitive spirit that drove him to go from an undrafted free agent out of LSU in 2010 to a starter in the NFL left him intrigued.

“Funny story, as I was watching I told her, ‘I’m going on the show,’ and she continued to say no,” McCray said. “We got married in 2019 and she was like, ‘I’m ready. I want you to go do it.’”

McCray -- who serves as the Cowboys’ Youth Academies manager, helping run clinics and camps -- is the fourth former Cowboy to appear on "Survivor." Former quarterback Gary Hogeboom was on Season 11 in 2005; Jimmy Johnson, the Hall of Fame coach, appeared in Season 21 in 2010; and Alan Ball, a former teammate of McCray’s, was on Season 35 in 2017.

McCray was supposed to originally leave in 2020 but the coronavirus pandemic postponed the show, which was something of a blessing, since Kiki was pregnant with the couple’s daughter, Zoe. He was around for the birth, helped with the early-morning feedings and everything else that comes with a newborn.

Before he left, he recorded videos for his wife and daughter and had his mother send them to Kiki.

“For my first Mother’s Day, things like that,” Kiki said. “It was hard [having him away] but the videos helped. I was excited every time. He even made a video for Zoe and she watched it over and over and got really excited. I think that helped her not forget him.”

When it came time to leave for Fiji, he realized what he would miss.

“It was excitement but also, like, ‘Oh, my God, this is really about to happen,’” McCray said. “Until they call and tell you that you made it, my mindset wasn’t, ‘I’ve got to leave my family. No TV. No phone. No contact with the outside world.’ But then it all hit at one time and there’s a little anxiety.”

When he found out he was picked, he started preparing for the show like he was preparing to play football. He was put through workouts by former Cowboys strength coach Mike Woicik. He ran three miles a day and lost about 20 pounds, maybe a little more.

“I ate a big bowl of oatmeal with bananas, pecans and brown sugar [for breakfast],” he said. “Then I’d go to work and I wanted to see how my body would react running on E for an entire day. That was a way to train my appetite. … My attitude changes when I’m 'hangry.' Hangry is a real term in my household. I wanted to avoid that on the show.”

McCray bought a kit to learn how to make fires, a must considering the elements and the need to cook food and boil water.

And there was some mental preparation, too. McCray was a leader with the Cowboys, serving as a special teams’ captain. He led with his work more than with his voice, but he also learned how to listen, which can be a bonus on a show like "Survivor."

It also helped that Kiki, whom he met at LSU, is a psychotherapist. She has her own practice.

“Football helped him in a few different ways,” she said. “Not necessarily the game of football, but more so how he had to go into different locker rooms on different teams and be connected with teammates, especially guys on special teams. You have guys that are thrown together for a few hours and days and weeks and months and be in close proximity and have trust in each other. They’re from all different walks of life, different upbringings and you have to put it all aside and work as a team.

“That’s very similar to 'Survivor.' People in your tribe could be completely different, have strong, polar-opposite beliefs, but at the end of the day you want the tribe to win challenges. Being a good leader is also knowing when to support. Obviously you need to have somebody lead, but you also have to be willing to accept suggestions from other tribe members. For Danny, I’m sure he found that balance of being leaned on and being supportive. I’m sure he did amazing.”

Remember, her husband is a “walking vault,” and has kept the results to himself. Friends and family gathered for a watch party for the first episode.

Church and McCray co-host the Player’s Lounge podcast on the Cowboys’ website and are the closest of friends, but he has spilled nothing.

“Every day I see him, I try to get it out of him, ‘What place did you get? Did you win any solo missions,’” Church said. “He kept giving me the political answer, ‘Oh, I can’t tell you that.’ He holds it close to the vest.”

McCray is interested to see how the show plays out and how his family and friends respond.

“As far as the grind, it’s one of those things. I mean you strip down and you have nothing,” he said. “It’s bare bones. The show is real. You don’t get anything. No tooth brush. No toilet. No soap. Physically it’s tough and mentally it’s tough. You’ve got to find a way to survive. It was super fun. It was everything I thought it would be.”