Who’s excited for the return of the hit reality competition series Survivor? Survivor 49 will start airing on CBS in the fall, but we've already begun to look ahead to the show's upcoming fiftieth season. We've learned quite a bit about Survivor 50 since its announcement, like who will be competing and a release window. Recently, a Survivor alum has even weighed in with a bold prediction on how he thinks the game will unfold.
Rob Mariano, also known as Boston Rob, is recognized in Survivor history as being the first person to have participated as a contestant in five separate seasons of the show. He competed on Survivor: Marquesas, All-Stars, Heroes vs. Villains, Redemption Island and Winners at War. He secured his first and only win during Redemption Island, earning him the title of Sole Survivor and a $1 million prize. He also appeared as a mentor on Survivor: Island of the Idols, along with fellow Survivor legend Sandra Diaz-Twine.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight (ET), Boston Rob spoke with co-host Nischelle Turner while on the beaches of the Bahamas. When asked by Turner about why he didn't return for Survivor 50, he stated that he feels truly fulfilled with his Survivor journey and wanted to give other players the chance to shine. Turner then segues into mentioning one of the key contestants for season 50, which is The White Lotus creator Mike White.
Boston Rob called White's addition to the cast "smart casting." From a gameplay perspective, he told Turner that he thinks none of the players will want to vote him out because everyone will want to stay on his good side in hopes that it could lead to a potential cameo on The White Lotus.
"Smart casting because obviously The White Lotus is on everybody’s mind right now. From a strategy point of view, who’s going to want to vote him out? Everybody’s going to be wanting a cameo in the next White Lotus. If I were him, I would be dangling that up there.”
Although Boston Rob said this in a joking manner, it makes sense, and I wouldn't be surprised if some players actually keep this strategy in mind going into the competition.
The Survivor 50 cast is made up of 24 returning players, including two Survivor 49 contestants who have yet to be revealed. In addition, Jeff Probst returns to host. We shared the entire cast below.
- Jenna Lewis Dougherty
- Colby Donaldson
- Stephenie Lagrossa Kendrick
- Cirie Fields
- Ozzy Lusth
- Benjamin "Coach" Wade
- Aubry Bracco
- Chrissy Hofbeck
- Christian Hubicki
- Mike White
- Angelina Keeley
- Rick Devins
- Jonathan Young
- Dee Valladares
- Emily Flippen
- Q Burdette
- Charlie Davis
- Tiffany Nicole Ervin
- Genevieve Mushaluk
- Kyle Fraser
- Kamilla Karthigesu
- Joe Hunter
- Survivor 49 player
- Survivor 49 player
The cameras on Survivor 50 stopped rolling on June 30, with a confirmed premiere on CBS sometime in February 2026. Stay tuned to GeekSided for any new updates on the Survivor franchise.
More to check out on GeekSided right below: