With a record-breaking 24 castaways returning for a second, or, in some cases, third, fourth, or even fifth shot at the $1 million grand prize, “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” is quickly shaping up to be the most show-stopping, nail-biting, all-out brawl the longrunning CBS reality competition series has seen over its last 26 years on the air.
Returning players span the entirety of the series’ 49 seasons, from OG castaway Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, who appeared on the very first season of “Survivor” in the summer of 2000, to Savannah Louie, who just weeks ago became the latest player to acquire the “Sole Survivor” title.
That being said, with more than 750 former contestants vying for a spot on the milestone season, plenty of fan favorite castaways were reportedly “snubbed” during the casting process, falling short of making an appearance on the historic installment.
While longtime host Jeff Probst has spoken extensively about how difficult it was to narrow down the cast to just 24 players – still the largest cast the competition has ever seen – the players who were lucky enough to land a spot on the official Season 50 cast are now opening up about the former castaways they were hoping to see when they landed on the beaches of Fiji to start filming.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly in the hours before the game began, the official cast of “Survivor 50” got candid about the former players they believed deserved a spot on the landmark all-star season.
Colby, Charlie & Genevieve Call for the Return of ‘Survivor’s OG Villainess
GettyJerri Manthey arrives at the CBS “Survivor” 10 Year Anniversary Party on January 9, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.
Returning castaways Colby Donaldson, Charlie Davis and Genevieve Mushaluk were on the same page as they argued that Jerri Manthey – who previously competed on “Survivor: The Australian Outback,” “Survivor: All-Stars” and “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains” – should’ve returned for her fourth series appearance on Season 50.
While both Genevieve and Charlie referred to Jerri as an “original,” it was Colby’s call for the return of the first-ever “Survivor” villainess that tugged at longtime viewers heartstrings.
Donaldson competed alongside Manthey on all three of her previous seasons and, despite their “tumultuous relationship,” Colby told EW, “Jerri Manthey should be on this beach…it’s not gonna be the same for me competing once again and not having Jerri on the beach somewhere in some way.”
Tiffany, Chrissy & Christian Wanted to Play Alongside Former Co-Stars
CBSQ Burdette, Ben Katzman, Tiffany Ervin, Hunter McKnight, Jeff Probst and Kenzie Petty on “Survivor 46.”
Former alliances also came into play for other Season 50 castaways, including Tiffany Nicole Ervin, who said she would have “killed it” playing alongside her “Survivor 46” co-star Hunter McKnight, while “Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers” star Chrissy Hofbeck claimed that her “robbed” co-star Devon Pinto also deserved a second shot at the $1 million.
Meanwhile, Christian Hubicki lamented the fact that his “David vs. Goliath” co-star Davie Rickenbacker was left out of the final cast.
Jenna & Stephenie Called for Return of ‘Old School’ Allies
CBSEthan Zohn on the Edge of Extinction during ‘Survivor: Winners at War’
The trend continued with more established players like Cirie Fields, Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Stephenie LaGrossa-Kendrick and Aubry Bracco, all of whom expressed disappointment that their former allies hadn’t been invited back for the milestone season.
Jenna told EW that she’d hoped “Survivor: Africa” champion Ethan Zohn – who similarly joined her on the cast of “Survivor: All-Stars” – would be joining her on the Fijian beaches this season.
Meanwhile, Stephenie, who has previously competed on seasons like “Survivor: Palau,” “Survivor: Guatemala” and “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains,” wished that her OG tribemate Ian Rosenberger had been asked to return, telling EW: “Our time on Palau was cut too short.”
Cirie & Aubry Wanted a Full-Out ‘Game Changers’ Reunion on Season 50
CBSWoo Hwang, Abi-Maria Gomas, Kelley Wentworth, Jeff Varner and Shirin Oskooi on “Survivor: Cambodia.”
Cirie and Aubry, who previously competed against one another on the cast of “Survivor: Game Changers,” called for an all-out reunion as they expressed their disappointment that legendary players like Tai Trang and Kelley Wentworth hadn’t been invited to be part of the celebratory season.
“Tai is an undercover savage,” said Fields. “I think Tai should have been here on ‘Survivor 50.’”
While Bracco competed alongside Trang on both “Survivor: Kaoh Rong” and “Survivor: Game Changers,” she joined a plethora of “Survivor” fans in her belief that Wentworth deserved a spot on Season 50 following her legendary performances on seasons like “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” and “Survivor: Edge of Extinction.”
“I love Wentworth, but [I’m] honored to know and call Kelley a dear friend,” she told EW.
Coach & Jonathan Hoped Their Real-Life ‘Survivor’ Friends Would be Cast on ‘50’
CBSMike Turner
While on-screen alliances justified a number of the Season 50 castaway’s decisions, off-screen friendships similarly came into play, including Benjamin “Coach” Wade, who told EW he’d hoped his close personal friend and “Survivor 46” alum Ben Katzman had landed a spot on the milestone installment.
Similarly, Jonathan Young lamented the fact that “Survivor 42” finalist Mike Turner wasn’t invited back for “50.” Despite having competed on separate “New Era” seasons, Young and Turner have become fast friends off-screen, even travelling to Honduras together to build homes for the less fortunate.
Kamilla, Joe & Kyle Wanted More ‘Old School’ Representation
CBSJeff Probst awards Boston Rob Mariano with Individual Immunity on “Survivor.”
“Survivor 48” returnees Kamilla Karthigesu, Joe Hunter and Kyle Fraser called for more “Old School” representation as they revealed their respective hopes that legendary players like Phillip Sheppard (“Survivor: Redemption Island”), “Boston Rob” Mariano (“Survivor: Marquesas”) and Earl Cole (” Survivor: Fiji”) would’ve been invited back.
While a “Survivor 50” run would’ve marked Boston Rob’s sixth series appearance, Sheppard hasn’t celebrated a return since 2013’s “Survivor: Caramoan.” Meanwhile, Cole – the “Sole Survivor” of his original season – has never returned to the series after pulling off a so-called “Perfect Game” the first time around.
Mike & Ozzy Though ‘50’ Would Pay Homage to First-Ever ‘Survivor’ Winner
CBSRichard Hatch on ‘Survivor’
Speaking of firsts and former winners, both Mike White and Ozzy Lusth lamented the fact that the original “Sole Survivor,” Richard Hatch, wasn’t invited back to celebrate the series’ milestone 50th season.
Both castaways told EW that they’d been hoping to see the long-awaited return of Hatch “in all his nekkid glory.”
Dee, Angelina & Savannah Lament ‘Snubbed’ New Era Fan Favorite
CBS/Peacock/GettyCarolyn Wiger on “Survivor 44” and on “The Traitors” Season 3.
Dee Valladares, Angelina Keeley and Savannah Louie were similarly on the same page about the former castaway they were hoping to see on the beach for Season 50 – “Survivor 44” finalist Carolyn Wiger.
In the run-up to the official cast announcement last May, Wiger seemed like a shoo-in, though fans later speculated that she’d been cut from the cast after appearing on Season 3 of Peacock’s rival reality competition series “The Traitors.”
Regardless, Keeley referred to Carolyn as “the best new era character,” while Valladares said, “50 won’t be as entertaining without you.” Louie rounded out the trio’s symphony of support for Wiger, telling EW that the former castaway “embodies what it means to be real and vulnerable.”
Q & Emily’s Picks Were Busy Filming Other Reality Shows
CBSJesse Lopez
Rounding out the list, “Survivor 46” alum Q Burdette expressed his belief that “Survivor: All-Stars” fan favorite Rob Cesternino should’ve been invited back, while “Survivor 45” star Emily Flippen called for the return of “Survivor 43” finalist Jesse Lopez.
Despite being “snubbed” from the final cast list, both Cesternino and Lopez recently landed spots on other reality competition series, appearing on Season 4 of “The Traitors” and Season 2 of “Beast Games,” respectively in recent weeks.
Devens & Rizo Round Out the Cast with Out-of-the-Box Picks
CBSMalcolm Freberg in “Survivor: Game Changers” (2017).
Finally, “Survivor: Edge of Extinction” alum Rick Devens called for the return of “Survivor: Africa” star Teresa Cooper, also known as T-Bird, while recent “Survivor 49” finalist Rizo Velovic lamented the fact that “pretty boy” Malcom Freberg – who previously competed on “Survivor: Philippines,” “Survivor: Caramoan” and “Survivor: Game Changers” – hadn’t received an invitation to return for the anniversary season.
Be sure to catch the historic three-hour CBS premiere of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” on Wednesday, February 25 at 8:00pm ET.
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