Survivor 50 casting has been released, and it has caused quite a bit of commotion in the Survivor community at large. Former players have shared their heartbreak and being cut from the casting, and fans have shared their feelings about how the final breakdown of players shook out. By and large, most people are upset, which makes sense given the several hundred players who have been on the show in its 48 seasons and counting.
Survivor 50 was meant to be a celebration of the entire franchise, highlighting the best, most impactful, and most iconic moments of the game. When looking at the cast, though, it feels like something is missing. With half the cast coming from the last 7 seasons, and the entire 20s skipped altogether, it is hard to say that it is a complete celebration.
That is not to say the cast is bad. The majority of players on the show make sense in a nutshell. Rather, it is the blend as a whole that appears to be off. Still, with talk of who got snubbed from the cast, what often gets missed is that players would need to be cut to make room. Having just detailed five snubs from the cast, it is only fair to ask who they should have replaced.
The goal of this article is not to put down any players. Making Survivor at all is a massive accomplishment, and making an all-star season is an iconic moment. Every player on the cast made it fairly deep on their respective seasons, and there is no one who is a bad casting choice. The season is made up of players that should be interesting to watch, in one way or another.
That said, some players got snubbed, no question, and those five were written about, which means there are players who would be replaced. Not every member of the cast needs to be on the show. The reasoning may be their character arc, their legacy, or the success they had on their season. Whatever the reason, their spot could have gone to someone else, and while they deserve and have earned their spot, they do not need it. So, which players would be cut?
1. Q Burdette (Survivor 46)
I already highlighted this one in a larger article, but Q did not need to have a spot on the Survivor 50 cast. If we are looking purely at his personality, he is iconic and memorable, one of the standouts of the new era. The problem is everything beyond that. His attempting to quit twice, combined with his season leaks, would typically make him disqualified from a spot like this when so many others badly wanted the spot.
2. Kyle Fraser (Survivor 48)
I truly hate suggesting this cut. Kyle was a deserving winner, one of the more well-rounded in the show's history. He is likable, charismatic, and an incredibly strong gamer in all three aspects of Survivor. Three factors are working against him on this list, though; he already won, one of only two winners on a 24 player cast; his secret duo is also cast, making them both an obvious target; and he is one of three players cast from season 48, a season that was not viewed favourably by fans.
Putting all those aspects together, Kyle is absolutely deserving of a spot on the cast, but he is not a necessary part of the cast, and his spot could be used to better represent the overall franchise balance.
3. Dee Valladares (Survivor 45)
Much the same as Kyle, Dee is an incredibly deserving winner. In fact, she may be the best and most dominant of the new era. If anyone is an all-star, it is Dee. That said, besides Kyle, she is the only winner on the show. Survivor 50 is not really looking at winners, so her being on just paints her a target. The season could be a celebration of those who have not yet won, and it would not change the impact. Dee should have a chance to return with other winners, but it does not have to be this season.
4. Ozzy Lusth (Cook Islands, Micronesia, South Pacific, Game Changers)
It is understandable why Ozzy is on the cast. He was the first player to define the "jungle man" archetype, the Survivors' Survivor. He inspired youth, who watched him climb coconut trees, catch fish, and dominate immunity challenges. There is no question he is iconic. That said, he has played four times, and his story has been by and large the same every single time. There is no more character arc for him to achieve, and he is unlikely to bring anything new to the table. His spot could be used on someone with more growth to show.
5. One of the Survivor 49 spots
This may feel like a bit of a cop out, especially since none of us has seen Survivor 49 yet. It is entirely possible that both players had incredible or highly memorable runs on the show. That said, there are simply such an abundance of new era players, especially from the last few seasons, that redistributing the casting to cover a better balance of each of the 4-5 Survivor eras, feels like the most pertinent decision, and having two players that no one else on the cast has seen play before seems unfair. Just ask the cast of Heroes vs. Villains.