It was always inevitable that this day would come, the day we learned so many of our favorite Survivor players will not be back for Survivor 50.
On one hand, it's a simple math problem. There are only 18-20 spots in the Survivor 50 cast. There are more than 700 people who have played Survivor. There are way more than 18-20 icons and legends.
On the other hand, there's a lot of history between these players, Jeff Probst, CBS, and the other parties. Things have been said. Things have happened. I don't think all of the players have always been right, but I also know that the show has been -- and continues to be in some respects -- on the wrong side of history.
So, let's get to it! By my unofficial calculation, there are 10 players who have officially ruled themselves out for Survivor 50. We don't know if they weren't interested in playing or if they were cut by production in each case, but it definitely seems like some of these players were cut after being told they looked like they could return.
Here are those 10 players:
- Benjamin "Coach" Wade
- Parvati Shallow
- Spencer Bledsoe
- Rome Cooney
- Jesse Lopez
- Carolyn Wiger
- Natalie Tenerelli
- Jessica "Figgy" Figueroa
- Caryn Groedel
- Wanda Shirk
- Russell Hantz
We'd already heard from Coach and Parvati by the time Spencer dropped the news on social media. Largely, though, Spencer is the player who started a lot of these players going public when he was informed, after months of thinking he was coming back for Survivor 50, that he would not be invited to play.
Who else just got cut from season 50?
— Reiman Bledsoe (Spencer Bledsoe) (@reimanbledsoe) March 28, 2025
After being misled into feeling like a lock and then kept on ice since August, I get everyone voicing their rejection. We have lives, @JeffProbst.
I will be producing an episode of my docureality series — to be titled Healing from Survivor…
Then, according to Cinema Blend, we saw players like Natalie, Jesse, Caroyln, and Rome reveal they are not coming back. In the days since, Caryn, Wanda, and Russell have chimed in that they won't be back.
We've also seen Kass McQuillen, Boston Rob Mariano, and Tyson Apostol trolling about Survivor 50 on social media, too. It's been a lot for Survivor fans to take in over the last few weeks. There's also been tons of rumors about CBS getting involved and cutting many new era players who were in consideration. I don't know where that rumor started, but who knows if it's true? We'll just have to wait and see when the cast heads to Fiji in a few months!
After being led to believe I would definitely not be on season 50 due to over 5 years of no contact, Survivor called me out of the blue last week to confirm I will be on season 50.
— Tyson Apostol (@TysonApostol) March 31, 2025
As for who is playing Survivor 50, we have not heard any confirmation, but it sure seems like Cirie Fields is heading back for Survivor 50 after Parvati seemed to spill the beans on her podcast. Cirie didn't mention that she was heading back to Fiji, but it seems like she will be coming back.
There are many other players who remain quiet on social media and others who seem to be very interested in returning, but we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.
We'll continue to update this list of players who confirm they won't be on Survivor 50 as we find out!