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Mike White is making the most of his Survivor superfan status.
The creator of The White Lotus is one of the returning players who will compete on Survivor‘s 50th season.
White has appeared on the legendary reality competition series before. He has even cast other contestants as extras on The White Lotus.
Fresh from the storytelling excellence and captivating plot of Season 3, White is prepared to rough it.
Mike White is returning to ‘Survivor’
On Wednesday, May 28, host Jeff Probst revealed that 54-year-old Mike White is returning to Survivor.
Years ago, before helming one of HBO’s most talked-about success stories, he competed in 2018.
That was merely Survivor‘s 37th season, “David vs Goliath.”
White came in second place at the time.
Some only do Survivor for a chance at winning — or at least hoping for opportunities that come with fame.
White does not need either. His success on The White Lotus has seen to that.
He has a well-documented passion for reality television.
He even instructed some of the Season 3 cast to watch Southern Charm for inspiration for their characters.
‘The White Lotus’ isn’t holding him back
Host Jeff Probst spoke to CBS Mornings about Mike White returning to the competition.
“Mike, after he finished playing, said, ‘I want to play again,’” he recalled.
“When White Lotus hit, and I thought, ‘Well, he’ll never play again.’”
Probst continued: “But he kept texting and saying, ‘Look, I’m serious. If you ever do anything where you have returning players, I want to play again.’ So we’re happy to have Mike.”
As some reporting has already pointed out, White could have both advantages and disadvantages as he returns to the series.
See, the show isn’t really about survival skills.
For that, you appear on something like Alone. Survivor is about mind games, whether it’s making friends or outmaneuvering enemies. Or both.
Some contestants may have an easy time voting off the HBO showrunner.
Others might be eager to endear themselves to the man who has repeatedly cast Survivor alums in cameo roles on The White Lotus.
50 seasons is a huge deal
Obviously, Mike White is not the only returning Survivor competitor. He is one of 24 returning players for the milestone season.
While he’ll likely be the only one casting future HBO extras or finding inspiration for more jaw-dropping The White Lotus plotlines, he’ll be just one competitor among many.
White was already an actor before.
Now he’s one of the most famous showrunners on the planet. It will be interesting for his fellow devotees of the reality series to watch how this dynamic plays out.
‘The White Lotus’ Creator Mike White Returns to ‘Survivor’ For … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
