Gio Kay, a Greek-American record producer and content creator, has seen his popularity surge in Greece following his appearance on the latest season of SKAI’s Survivor Greece, with his presence rapidly gaining traction across Instagram and TikTok.
Gio Kay, whose real name is Giorgios Karadonis, was born on November 24, 1997, and was raised in Woodbury, New Jersey. He spent summers traveling throughout Greece and later moved there in 2018 after his father became vice president of Iraklis football club in Thessaloniki.
Karadonis founded Aktive Records, a global entertainment company where he manages several artists, including his brother Alexander Karadonis, who performs under the name Lil Benzy. He is also the creator of The Hustle House, which he calls “The First Rap Reality Show in Greece.” Auditions for the project were announced in 2024, and it premiered in Athens in the summer of 2025, with episodes streamed on YouTube through the Hustle N Flow channel he created.
His recent rise in visibility stems from online videos comparing life in the United States and Greece, where he discusses cultural differences and personal experiences adjusting to life abroad. His blended use of English and Greek has become a recognizable element of his online persona.
Karadonis has also said he aims to motivate young people through messages centered on discipline and self-improvement.
“I want young people to read books, to have that drive inside them and hustle. I want them to be able to achieve something, to find their vision,” he recently told a Greek news channel.
Karadonis is currently appearing in Survivor Greece, a reality competition show in which contestants face physical and mental challenges while living in a remote location.
The series, aired on Mega TV until 2010, has been broadcast on SKAI TV since 2017. Currently in its 13th season which began on January 11, Survivor Greece is being filmed in La Romana, Dominican Republic.