On Survivor, Dalton constructed what host Jeff Probst called "the greatest lie in Survivor history." Before Dalton left to compete on the show, he told a friend of his that if the friend were ever invited to Panama as part of a loved-one-related challenge to tell Dalton that his grandmother had died. There was indeed such a challenge, and Dalton's friend told him, according to plan, that his grandmother had died. Probst has also publicly said:

On January 3, 2008, it was announced that Fairplay was the only pre-All-Stars castaway who accepted an offer to join the tribe of returning contestants in Survivor: Micronesia. It was requested by Fairplay to be the first person voted off so that he could return to be with his expectant girlfriend.

Dalton did not participate in the Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains in 2010. When asked about the reason for this, Jeff Probst remarked, "The reason that Fairplay isn't here is that this season is called Heroes vs. Villains, not Survivor Quitters." Dalton acknowledged in a 2010 interview that there is animosity between himself and Probst, stating, "It's no secret that Jeff Probst hates me, and I don't go out of my way to be his friend either."

Dalton and his wife Michelle, appeared on The Celebrity Newlywed Game, on which he beat the Monkees' Davy Jones and his wife. He has also appeared on Celebrity Poker Showdown, Celebrity Fear Factor, and Camp Reality

Dalton is also under contract with Wizard World to appear at its Comic-Con comic book conventions.

On October 2, 2007, at the Fox Reality Really Awards, Fairplay was booed while speaking on stage, and when he asked the audience about this, actor and political commentator Danny Bonaduce walked up to Fairplay and said, "They're booing because they hate you." When Fairplay subsequently jumped onto Bonaduce, Bonaduce flipped Fairplay over his head, slamming Fairplay to the floor, bloodying his face and reportedly causing the loss of teeth.

In a later interview with website TMZ, Fairplay stated he had filed a police report and that authorities were only waiting for a copy of the video before pressing charges against Bonaduce. On October 5, 2007, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Boxer announced that Danny Bonaduce would not be charged in the incident, stating that there was "insufficient evidence" that Bonaduce committed battery. He also noted that Bonaduce's "actions fell within the realm of self-defense" due to Fairplay having "initiated contact and act[ing] offensively" toward Bonaduce.

At the 2008 Reality Awards, Fairplay and Bonaduce joked about the previous year's altercation, with Fairplay kissing Bonaduce on the lips. Bonaduce then spit out an object that he joked was another one of Fairplay's teeth, before picking him up again, wishing the audience a good night, and carrying him off stage.

Dalton started in professional wrestling in 1998 in North Carolina, and then moved to Oregon where, as Jonny Fairplay, he started his own promotion, New Dimension Wrestling (not to be confused with a similarly-named Carolinas' promotion with which he claimed to be affiliated). There he served as promoter and commentator. During this time, he also ran his own weekly online professional wrestling radio talk show, having various wrestlers on as guest commentators. He worked as a personal assistant for the professional wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper for a year and a half prior to Survivor.

After his first Survivor appearance, Dalton was signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he appeared under the Jonny Fairplay moniker. In mid January, promo began airing hyping his debut in the company. He made his debut on January 21, but was interrupted by A.J. Styles. The two feuded for several weeks, and on February 25, Fairplay brought in Lex Luger to get revenge on Styles and cost him the NWA World Tag Team Championship. He made brief, non-wrestling appearances in 2005 at both Final Resolution and Destination X.