When The White Lotus first debuted back in 2021, fans were quick to notice the surprise cameo of Survivor: David vs. Goliath’s Alex Merlino in the role of a waiter and bartender at the White Lotus Resort & Spa Maui. It was the first of many Survivor cameos in the hit show, hailing from Survivor alum Mike White, who has found a way to incorporate a handful of surprise cameos each season of his Emmy-winning drama.
It’s been a fun way for White, who will be returning to the world of Survivor as part of the Survivor 50 cast, to blend together his love for the game of Survivor with his career as a writer. In fact, White has revealed that his time on Survivor inspired the storytelling of The White Lotus, pulling from the dynamics he witnessed across his season on Survivor.
Following Merlino’s role in season 1, White has managed to weave in appearances from several of his Survivor: David vs. Goliath costars in the seasons that have followed. Angelina Keeley and Kara Kay both guest-starred together in the opening scene of season 2, while Natalie Cole, Carl Boudreaux, and Christian Hubicki cameoed across the show’s most recent third season.
White has found a way to sneak in at least one Survivor cameo every season of The White Lotus so far, and fans are dying to see the show’s host make an appearance in a future season. Unfortunately, it seems we might never get to see Jeff Probst guest star on HBO’s Emmy-winning drama.
Jeff Probst claims Mike White should ‘never’ put him on White Lotus
While Mike White has been able to convince six of his Survivor: David vs. Goliath costars to cameo on The White Lotus, it seems White will have quite an uphill battle ahead when it comes to convincing Survivor’s long-time host to trade in the beaches of Fiji for one of the exotic locales home to The White Lotus.
“Mike should never put me on White Lotus,” Probst argued when asked by The Hollywood Reporter if he would be interested in appearing on HBO’s hit series. While not a direct no, the fact that Probst is out here saying White should never put him on the show seems like an indirect no to us.
Although Probst might not have any interest in dropping into an episode of The White Lotus, he does truly appreciate and love how White has found a way to marry the worlds of his show with his connection to the Survivor family.
“I really love the cameos and how he uses people. And I think that, too, speaks to Mike as a person. He’s able to be one of the Hollywood elite, in terms of show creators, but he’s also able to do the show with people who are not from Hollywood, and then invite them into his world and say, ‘Why don’t you come experience what it’s like to be on the set of White Lotus for a day?’ and, ‘I’m going to put you in the seat.’ That’s incredible confidence and incredible generosity of spirit.”
Honestly, we couldn’t agree more! It’s so fun as a fan of Survivor to get to tune into The White Lotus and see who from Survivor White has managed to sneak into the show. Thus far, we’ve only seen players who competed alongside White in Survivor: David vs. Goliath appear, but with White set to appear on Survivor 50, perhaps the fourth season might see a few Survivor all-stars from the milestone season popping up on The White Lotus!
It would definitely be fun to see some of White’s Survivor 50 costars enter the world of The White Lotus, and we won’t at all be shocked if at least one or two players joke about a role on the show at some point in the season. We'll just have to see who White connects with during the milestone season!