Jeff Probst shares the one former Survivor player who could become a producer
By Bryce Olin
If Mike White wants a job on Survivor, Jeff Probst revealed a future a producer of the series might be in store.
On a recent episode of On Fire with Jeff Probst, Probst was asked by a fan if production members could play on the show or if they were banned from auditioning. Probst shot down that idea, but he did admit that there could be a way for former castaways to work on the show.
Probst used one former player as an example of one former Survivor player who could, in theory, join the series as a producer in the future if the stars aligned, basically.
"A former player becoming a crew member, which is also very unlikely, that's not completely out of the question," Probst said. "For instance, if after Mike White completes what we all hope will be a decades-long run of White Lotus, he said, 'Hey, Probst, I'd be interested in being a producer on the show.' And, we happened to have a producing slot that we were looking to fill and there wasn't anybody already in our producing ranks who was in line, which is also very unlikely that would happen. Then, in that specific situation, who knows? Mike White could join the producing ranks of Survivor."
Probst pointed out that this was very unlikely to happen, and he was sharing an example of what could be a scenario where someone like White is open to joining the crew. It also should be noted, according to Entertainment Weekly, that White and Probst have an existing relationship that started well before White was cast on Survivor.
For those who don't know, White is one of the most iconic of the more recent Survivor players. White played one of the best seasons of Survivor, Survivor: David vs. Goliath, which was the 37th season of the series. He actually finished runner-up to Nick Wilson, but there were many fans who believed White should have won the season.
White is also the writer and star of the hit film School of Rock, as well as the creator of The White Lotus, one of the hottest TV shows of the last few years, among many other shows and movies. White is an incredible storyteller. The way White articulates ideas is impressive. You can see, watching Survivor: David vs. Goliath, how smart White is. I'm sure White would be a fantastic addition to the Survivor production team, especially with his previous experience as an executive producer and showrunner for scripted TV shows.
Honestly, I'm hoping that White is one of the former players being considered to join the cast of Survivor 50, the next season that will feature returning Survivor players. White would be a huge target. He's a legend, and it would so awesome to see if he could pull through and win Survivor 50 after coming so close in David vs. Goliath.
Unfortunately, we don't know if White would want to play Survivor again. And, it's more than likely that he'll be working on another season of The White Lotus at that point. It'd be doable, I think, for White to take a few months off to play Survivor, but who knows?
Stay tuned for more news about the Survivor 50 cast!