CBS announced the fullSurvivor 50castearlier this week, and there was one name on the list that I did not expect to see at all.
Aftermultiple Instagram postsabout why he IS NOT going to be onSurvivor 50,Benjamin "Coach" Wade, also known as The Dragon Slayer, is, in fact, going to be onSurvivor 50!
I was honestly shocked to see Coach's name among those playingSurvivor 50.And, it's not because I don't think he's a good player or anything like that. It's becausehe told fans multiple timesthat he was not coming back forSurvivor 50!
Like, look at this dramatic video announcement from Coach. He basically says there's no way that he's going to leave his family to playSurvivor 50. His legacy is set in stone, he said!
There's another post from Coach that says "I'm retired" in the video with the caption "#survivor50." That was only two months ago. Around that time, we were also learning that many other formerSurvivorplayers were cut from the cast.
Coach is returning to the game for the fourth time. His best finish was inSurvivor: South Pacificwhen he finished runner-up to Sophie Clarke. I'm interested to see how Coach's perspective has changed or evolved. There are a lot of big threats in the game. I don't know if I would consider Coach to be one of them, but we'll have to wait and see.
I also don't think I'm alone in wondering what happened. Was Coach pulling everyone's leg? Or, did he tell casting that he wasn't interested until he was interested? Perhaps, we'll learn more about Coach's involvement. Right now, though, he's off in Fiji filmingSurvivor 50as I'm writing, so it's not like we can just go and ask him what the deal was.
My working theory is that Coach was always in contention to return. Based on how many players who got cut in the last few months, there were more than enough players who didn't need any convincing to return forSurvivor 50.It's obviously great to have Coach in the mix. He's one of those players who can be this kind of enigma among a tribe that provides ample opportunity for conflict, friction, and story. That's whatSurvivoris all about at the end of the day, too. It's about the story.
There were more than a few surprises in theSurvivor 50cast list, of course. It was meant to be a big surprise for fans who have been watching for more than two decades. Clearly, Coach is one of the biggest surprises to be heading back to playSurvivorfor the 50th season.
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