‘The White Lotus’ Creator Mike White to Compete On CBS’s ‘Survivor 50’

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Parker Posey’s character, Victoria Ratliff, expressed in season three of HBO’s ‘The White Lotus‘, that she doesn’t believe her age requires a life filled with discomfort.

However, the acclaimed Emmy-winning show’s creator, Mike White at 54 years old, has chosen to take on the challenging reality of participating in CBS’ Survivor once more, a competition he has faced before.

In this sentence, I have used “competing” instead of “participating”, and changed “not for the first time” to “once more” for a smoother read.

Among the 24 veterans, David will be participating again in the 50th season of the long-running reality show. He previously appeared on the series during its 37th season, “David vs. Goliath,” where he reached the runner-up position in 2018.

Mike expressed his desire to play the game once more following its conclusion, as reported by Jeff Probst on CBS Mornings. Initially, I thought he wouldn’t be interested in playing again after ‘White Lotus’ became popular. However, he persistently contacted us and made it clear that if there was an opportunity for returning players, he wanted to participate once more. We’re glad to have Mike back with us.

On one side, it might appear that White, with his renown and wealth, could find himself at a disadvantage in a competition where participants vote each other off for a $1 million reward. However, White has previously employed several former ‘Survivor’ contestants on his HBO series, which could potentially influence the thoughts of his fellow competitors who might wish to stay in his favor.

For a while now, White has openly admitted his fascination with reality TV shows, explaining to The New Yorker in 2021 that his participation in the CBS program wasn’t intended as a joke or a publicity stunt. He confessed, “Survivor is the only show I truly follow, even though it sometimes infuriates me.” He further added, “A significant part of my work and lifestyle involves observing people and deciphering their motives and character traits. Despite being on the most fabricated reality show, I still believe that the participants are real people and more intriguing than some well-written fictional characters. As a writer of drama, I strive to create characters as complex, unpredictable, and engaging as those found in reality television.

White also predicted that Probst would never let him compete on the show again.

Probst stated something along the lines of ‘Let’s face it—you won’t return to the show,'” he recounted. I responded with ‘Seriously? Why?’ because we are friends and our bond has grown stronger since my time on the show, and I consider him an impressive individual. I believe that our friendship might be the reason for his comment. I’m not sure, but I think they don’t want the giant from Hollywood who is acquainted with Probst to win a season. Now that Probst is aware of my potential to reach the end, I doubt he wants a repeat of that scenario.

As a die-hard fan, let me tell you who’s back in the game for this upcoming season! We’ve got Jenna Lewis-Dougherty from season one, Colby Donaldson from season two, Stephenie Lagrossa Kendrick from season 10, Cirie Fields from season 12, Ozzy Lusth from season 13, Benjamin “Coach” Wade from season 18, and Aubry Bracco from season 32! These veterans are ready to battle it out once again.

In every season of The White Lotus, there’s a specific scene where White is often spotted by viewers on social media platforms, laughing with a glass of wine as he discovers an idol on screen.

@cbssurvivor

Idol hunting is no easy feat!😉🍷 #Survivor

♬ original sound – Survivor

Survivor 50 will premiere in Spring 2026.

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2025-05-28 17:24