'White Lotus' Creator Mike White Is Returning To 'Survivor'
White originally finished second during season 37 of "Survivor."
Mike White, the creator and writer of HBO Maxâs âThe White Lotus,â is returning to âSurvivorâ seven years after he originally appeared on the reality competition show.
âSurvivorâ host Jeff Probst announced Wednesday on âCBS Morningsâ that the 50th season of âSurvivorâ will air in spring 2026 with a cast made up of 24 returning players, including White. During Whiteâs original season, âSurvivor David vs. Goliath,â he finished second and had already made a name for himself in the screenwriting world.
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Probst said Wednesday on âCBS Morningsâ that casting the 50th season was like casting the ultimate all-time movie. The host recalled that as soon as White finished his first season, he said he wanted to play again.
âWhen âWhite Lotusâ hit, I thought heâll never play again,â Probst said. âBut he kept texting and saying, âIâm serious. If you ever do anything where you have returning players, I wanna play again.â So weâre happy to have Mike back.â
White went on to cast some of his âSurvivorâ competitors in âThe White Lotus,â including Alec Merlino, who appeared in five episodes as Hutch during the first season, Angelina Keeley and Kara Kay, who played rich guests in Season 2, and many others.
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Probst has said that White was able to finish second on his season because heâs a âvery clever human,â adding that it was âfun to watch him.â
The 50th season of âSurvivorâ will include former players spanning the 50 seasons, including Colby Donaldson, Cirie Fields, Emily Flippen, Tiffany Ervin and Kyle Fraser.