Jesse Lopez confirms he will not return for Survivor 50

Unless you've been living under a rock, you might have noticed a stir recently within the Survivor community, particularly among past players, regarding Survivor 50. As the final cast is still being decided, plenty of players are "up for grabs" to play in Survivor's upcoming milestone.

However, several Survivor players have also been dropped, and they're not happy. Spencer Bledsoe, Carolyn Wiger, Rome Cooney, Natalie Tenerelli, and Jessica "Figgy" Figueroa are a few who have publicly stated on their social media that they will not return. While a few of these might be a bigger surprise than others, there's another player in particular who's been vocal about their disappointment regarding being told they won't come back—and that is Jesse Lopez from Survivor 43.

In case someone needs a refresher, Jesse was a strategic force to be reckoned with during his season. Jesse, alongside ally Cody Assenmacher, dominated the Vesi tribe and successfully managed to continue to pull the strings throughout most of the season. Being seen as a dangerous pair, Jesse and Cody were continuously targeted but to no avail. Unfortunately for Cody, Jesse recognised the danger of getting to the final tribal council with his number one ally and managed to blindside Cody at the final six with Cody's own idol. After Cody left, Jesse was the most significant threat left in the game and would've had an fantastic shot at the win had he not lost against Mike Gabler at the final four fire-making twist.

Being one of the most recognised faces of the New Era, it would've been evident that Jesse was a shoo-in to play once more. In fact, I even endorsed Jesse for a Survivor 50 draft for Inside Survivor. However, Jeff Probst and company didn't think the same, and Jesse was dropped from contention. Jesse didn't waste a second publicising this on his social media.

While Jesse's tweet might seem in jest at first, as the Avengers: Doomsday cast was released the same day, reality soon came crashing in. Several former players and fans, such as Eliza Orlins from Survivor: Vanuatu and Survivor: Micronesia and Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt from Survivor 44, tweeted in response that they were shocked by this decision.

While it's not surprising for Survivor to make controversial decisions, it's pretty egregious to see a few of them as of late, mainly with a highly anticipated season like Survivor 50. From titling this season as "in the hands of the fans," but then having fan favorite players getting dropped, or having fans vote for twists, but the wording when it comes to voting time being twisted to sway fans in a particular way, it's production will interfere if they see it fit. That is fair since it's their show, but they shouldn't do a disservice to viewers and fans by discarding their opinions.

A strong Survivor cast is what makes a season, particularly when it comes to an entire returnees one. Regardless of the twists, themes, and advantages put in place, the show thrives when the players are engaging, well-rounded, and have agency. For instance, Survivor: Heroes vs Villains and Survivor: Cambodia are two seasons well remembered for the people who played in them, as opposed to Survivor: Game Changers or even Survivor: Winners at War, where there were questionable casting choices amidst even more confusing twists thrown in their mix.

Time will tell whether this was the right decision, but I'm disappointed Jesse won't return to Survivor 50. Here's hoping not too many other great players get the same treatment.