Let’s start with those who weren’t selected.
First and foremost, Mike Holloway of Worlds Apart wasn’t eligible to participate because he ended up winning his season. Otherwise, he likely would have been included simply due to recency bias and fans remembering him more than a lot of the other guys on the ballot.
Worlds Apart was the most recent season, but strangely, only Shirin and Joe were picked while Carolyn and Max were passed on. I remember being shocked that Carolyn didn’t get chosen because she was a good player in Worlds Apart and made it to the end. Fans obviously didn’t feel the same way though.
Here were the contestants not given a second chance on Cambodia in order from when their season aired:
- Teresa Cooper (Africa)
- Shane Powers (Panama)
- Natalie Tenerelli (Redemption Island)
- Stephanie Valencia (Redemption Island)
- Jim Rice (South Pacific)
- Mikayla Wingle (South Pacific)
- Troyzan Robertson (One World)
- Sabrina Thompson (One World)
- Brad Culpepper (Blood vs Water)
- Max Dawson (Worlds Apart)
- Carolyn Rivera (Worlds Apart)
The theme of the ballot seemed to be a combination between the old school players getting picked as well as those who had played in the last two years.
There were a few pre-merge boots in those not chosen, including Stephanie, Mikayla, Brad, and Max. Out of this bunch, I would have most liked to see Stephanie return because she was feisty on Redemption Island and it’d have been nice to see her get a chance without having to play with Russell.
Sabrina wasn’t picked, but Survivor Reddit has mentioned on multiple occasions that she stopped campaigning due to a family emergency. I’d have loved for Sabrina to have been a part of this season because she was a part of One World where Kim flat out dominated and it’d have been interesting to see if Sabrina took charge more her second time around.
Jeff told those not picked that he hoped they’d get a second chance someday, but no one on here has except for Troyzan and Brad. Both guys appeared on Game Changers and made it to the end, only to lose to Sarah Lacina.
It’s doubtful anyone else listed here returns because they wouldn’t be remembered by the casual fan base and most have honestly probably moved on with their lives.