Seriously, why have no Survivor Guatemala players ever returned?

Recent news surrounding Survivor Guatemala’s Rafe Judkins teasing his new series, it got us wondering why nobody from his season ever returned.

Yesterday, when researching a story for our sister blog App Trigger, I came across an article on IGN focusing on a The Wheel of Time script teased by its showrunner. Little did I know that the showrunner in question was Survivor Guatemala’s Rafe Judkins; the third-place final boot of the season and one of the show’s great confessional narrators.

It was quite serendipitous, as I had just finished Survivor Guatemala last week. It was the first season where just two players returned in a group of first-time castaways, making it the perfect research season to re-watch ahead of season 38’s Edge of Extinction. It’s also a great season to experience a brand new landscape for the show, being in stark contrast to modern Fiji-only seasons.

It also got me thinking about a question that has been itching away for years; why has there never been a Survivor Guatemala newcomer who has returned in a future season? I worded the question that way purposefully, as I do not count Stephenie LaGrossa’s cup of tea on Heroes vs. Villains as someone from the show returning.

Though Rafe Judkins himself would be a great option to return, being a showrunner seems like a full-time job that won’t give him ~50 days off. However, there are a ton of other great players that could return.

For example, Judd Sergeant was a great character that could easily bring his loudmouth personality and his aggressive gameplay into the modern game. Brian Corridan is another solid choice, as he was a solid strategist in an era where they were few and far between. Amy O’Hara was a competitive beast before injuries slowed her down, and Brandon Bellinger was a great, snarky guy with a Midwest farmer charm to him.

The fact that nobody from Survivor Guatemala except for Stephenie LaGrossa appeared in a future season remains one of the greatest crimes of the show’s history. The fact that Danni Boatwright allegedly came close to being cast for Game Changers remains a bitter pill to swallow, too.