White Lotus star interested in playing Survivor after Emmy loss

Mike White is probably most well-known these days for his work as the creator, writer, and director of the hit HBO series The White Lotus, but many in the Survivor community know him from his iconic runner-up finish on Survivor David vs. Goliath. White was also cast in Survivor 50, and now, one of the stars of The White Lotus wants to join White as a Survivor player.

Walton Goggins, who was nominated for an Emmy for his role as Rick in The White Lotus season 3, was asked if he'd ever want to play Survivor on the Emmys red carpet by Entertainment Tonight. And, guess what, Survivor fans? Goggins is so down!

Here's what Goggins said when asked if he would compete on Survivor:

"Oh, are you kidding?" Goggins said. "I've known (Jeff) Probst a very long time. Sign me up, season 51."

I don't know about you, but it feels like Survivor is making a comeback in the mainstream a little bit. It's been a while since Winners at War. The new era has been popular, but Survivor 50 has a lot of people excited. The moment with Eva Erickson and Joe Hunter, who were also present at the Emmys, in Survivor 48 was such a huge moment that transcended the series. Jeff Probst has been very open, more than usual, with his excitement about the franchise, and it just seems like things are on the up with Survivor.

Unfortunately, Goggins didn't win the Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, but it's great to see Goggins throw his hat in the ring for Survivor 51, even if he is joking. Let's be real; it's amazing that White was able to work it into his schedule to play Survivor 50. Goggins, on the other hand, has a lot of different projects in the works. He's literally never been more famous, or so it seems, so I don't think he's going to put Fallout or anything else on hold to head to Fiji next spring to play Survivor 51.

But, at the end of the day, this is a wake-up call CBS needs to do a celebrity season of Survivor. It doesn't need to be the full 26-day game. Give me a cast of 12 in a 14-day game or something like that. Expedite it to get more people involved! Survivor has been around long enough that there are people like Goggins who probably couldn't commit to a full season but want a taste of that experience.

Goggins was also asked about how White performed on Survivor 50, but Goggins did not answer the question for obvious reasons. Wouldn't that be wild if he was like, "oh, Mike won." Like, that would never happen!

Listen, I would love to see Goggins out in Fiji for Survivor 51. I do think we're going to be seeing more people interested in playing Survivor than ever before heading into Survivor 50, but Goggins tops the list for me. Let's get him out to Fiji if he can swing it!

We'll share more news about the Survivor 51 cast as we find out. It probably will not be announced until next fall, but we'll learn the cast in the spring when those new players head out to Fiji.

Stay tuned for more information about Survivor 49, which premieres on Wednesday, Sept. 24, and Surivor 50 premieres in February 2026.