With over 700 people who have played Survivor in the last 25 years, there’s obviously a massive fan list of who we wanted to see hit the beach for Survivor 50. And we got 24 legendary castaways who recently revealed to Entertainment Weekly which players they wish had made it onto the island with them.
Some are surprising choices, others might be a little more expected, but all are icons that we would have loved to see play again as well. See who got the most votes to join the Survivor 50 cast, below.
16 castaways received one vote back onto the island—not enough to make it happen, but enough to remind us who some of our other favorite past players are.
Ethan Zohn (Survivor: Africa, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Winners at War) voted in by Jenna Lewis Dougherty because she wanted to see more winners on this season.
Ian Rosenberger (Survivor: Palau) voted in by Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick because he was so much fun for the few days they were on the same tribe.
Tai Trang (Survivor: Koah Rong, Survivor: Game Changers) voted in by Cirie Fields because he’s “an undercover savage.”
Ben Katzman (Survivor 46) voted in by Coach Wade because he’s his Survivor bestie.
Kelley Wentworth (Survivor: San Juan del Sur, Survivor: Cambodia, Survivor: Edge of Extinction) voted in by Aubry Bracco because of the history that comes with the phrase, “Wentworth. Does not count.”
Devon Pinto (Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers) voted in by Chrissy Hofbeck because the introduction of the final four fire-making twist robbed him just as much of the title of Sole Survivor as it did her.
Davie Rickenbacker (Survivor: David vs. Goliath) voted in by Christian Hubicki because of his enthusiastic and antic-driven take on the game.
Teresa “T-Bird” Cooper (Survivor: Africa) voted in by Rick Devens because of all the support she’s shown players over the years.
Mike Turner (Survivor 42) voted in by Jonathan Young because he thinks he should have won Survivor 42 and deserves a second chance to prove it.
Jesse Lopez (Survivor 43) voted in by Emily Flippen because she still remembers how good a player he is and thinks he deserves another shot to win.
Rob Cesternino (Survivor: The Amazon, Survivor: All-Stars) voted in by Q Burdette because he does so much for the Survivor community and is such a good strategist.
Hunter McKnight (Survivor 46) voted in by Tiffany Ervin because she would have loved to play with him again.
Earl Cole (Survivor: Fiji) voted in by Kyle Fraser because he’s the “OG” who would offer so much to the game now.
Boston Rob Mariano (Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: Redemption Island, Survivor: Winners at War) voted in by Joe Hunter because when you think about Survivor, you think about him.
Phillip Sheppard (Survivor: Redemption Island, Survivor: Caramoan) voted in by Kamilla Karthigesu because otherwise the fans are robbed of seeing him, Coach, and Q interact in the game together.
Malcolm Freberg (Survivor: Philippines, Survivor: Caramoan, Survivor: Game Changers) voted in by Rizo Velovic because it’s shocking he wasn’t already chosen.
Richard Hatch received two votes to return for Survivor 50
Only one castaway received two votes: Richard Hatch (Survivor: Borneo, Survivor: All-Stars). Both Ozzy Lusth and Mike White wanted to see the very first winner of the series return for the anniversary season, and for pretty much the same reason.
Ozzy said he wanted the original winner to be a part of Survivor 50 “in all his naked glory,” while Mike additionally emphasized that to celebrate 50 seasons you obviously have to invite the first person who won. He also called out Richard’s affinity for not wearing clothes by referring to him as “the original gay Machiavellian nudist” and saying it would have been awesome to have him out there.
Jerri Manthey and Carolyn Wiger receive the most votes
With three votes, the most requested player to join Survivor 50 is…a tie! Two iconic women were highly ranked to be voted into the game—one from the original era of gameplay and one from the new era.
The first player symbolically voted into the Survivor 50 cast is Carolyn Wiger (Survivor 44). Selected by Angelina Keeley, Dee Valladares, and Savannah Louie, these three ladies all agree that she would be so much fun to play with, but even more importantly, she’s an incredible representation of authenticity within the world of Survivor.
And joining her is the “original villainess” herself, Jerri Manthey (Survivor: The Australian Outback, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains), voted in by Charlie Davis, Genevieve Mushaluk, and the castaway who’s never played on a season without her before, Colby Donaldson. Colby—along with Charlie—wanted another chapter in their tumultuous Survivor history while Genevieve would love to see how differently her game is appreciated in 2025 than when she last played.
And while we know they won’t actually be joining our 24 castaways as they fight for another shot at the title of Sole Survivor, it’s fun to know that they’re just as big of fans of the show as we are. Makes me ever more excited for the premiere. The countdown continues, but there’s less than a month away!