Everything to Know About Everyone Cast in Survivor 50

This morning, CBS announced the full cast for the hotly anticipated 50^th season of Survivor, set to air in early 2026. It’s a first for the show, which normally waits much longer to unveil the players; not even the Season 49 cast is public yet, technically. But that’s the nature of a modern all-returnees season, where early leaks are likely to reveal who’s in contention even before the cast flies out to Fiji. And while viewers are certainly frustrated with some unappealing inclusions and notable omissions—why are there so many New Era players without any contestants from the 20s?—there are definitely enough stars here to produce something reliably enjoyable and celebrate the best competition reality series ever.

Seasons: Borneo (1), All-Stars (8)

Placed: 8^th, 3^rd

It wouldn’t be right to celebrate 50 seasons of Survivor without bringing back someone from the very beginning, and Borneo’s youngest contestant is an unexpected but inspired choice. At the time a 22-year-old college student and single mom of two, Lewis Dougherty (then just Lewis) was an endearing motormouth, but her most memorable and emotional moment came when she lost out on a video message from her daughters for the first ever Loved Ones Challenge. Seeing her play again now, at 47 years old, will help bring the series full circle.

Colby Donaldson

Seasons: The Australian Outback (2), All-Stars (8), Heroes vs. Villains (20)

Placed: 2^nd, 12^th, 5^th

The show’s first challenge beast and arguably its first “hero” almost eked out the win in his first go at the game, besting his on-and-off rival Jerri Manthey but losing to Tina Wesson. Subsequent appearances offered diminishing returns, especially during Heroes vs. Villains, where he went far but lacked the agency and much of the physical skill he once had. It remains to be seen whether he can adapt to today’s very different game—even in his third season, he couldn’t quite keep up with the strategic element—but it could be nice to see an old star, even if it’s difficult to avoid the feeling that Donaldson doesn’t belong on a season without Manthey.

Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick

Seasons: Palau (10), Guatemala (11), Heroes vs. Villains (20)

Placed: 7^th, 2^nd, 19^th

LaGrossa Kendrick has stayed in the reality-TV space since her late-aughts Survivor outings, competing in The Traitors and Snake in the Grass. But not everyone remembers just how beloved she was in 2005 for her underdog arc on Palau—where she became the last surviving member of the infamously decimated Ulong tribe—perhaps because of her villainous turn on Guatemala and a near-immediate exit on Heroes vs. Villains. Could she recapture some of her old magic and showcase the resilience that once made her a legend?

Seasons: Panama (12), Micronesia (16), Heroes vs. Villains (20), Game Changers (34)

Placed: 4^th, 3^rd, 17^th, 6^th

Often considered the best Survivor player to never win, Fields is coming into the game with a massive target on her back, perhaps more than any other returnee—especially thanks to her more recent win on The Traitors and an already-filmed appearance on the upcoming Australia V The World season of Australian Survivor. Her lethal social game almost got her to the end on her first two seasons, but doomed her early in the third—and in Game Changers, she became the victim of “Advantage-geddon,” a shark-jumping moment when she went home despite nobody voting for her. That suggests a natural rationale for an opportunity at redemption, and in some ways she’d be the ideal winner—though it’s hard to picture people letting her anywhere near a Final Tribal Council. By now, Fields might be bigger than Survivor.

Seasons: Cook Islands (13), Micronesia (16), South Pacific (23), Game Changers (34)

Placed: 2^nd, 9^th, 4^th, 12^th

Where does Ozzy Lusth go from here? An undeniable icon of the game and early challenge beast, he just barely lost to the savvy Yul Kwon on his original season before getting memorably blindsided by his ally/showmance partner Amanda Kimmel at the midpoint of Micronesia. And another bold performance in South Pacific—where he requested to get voted out just to beat Redemption Island and reenter the game—certainly didn’t help downplay his well-established threat level. Lusth has relied primarily on his physical strength for all four of his stints on the show, but it’s difficult to know if he’s capable of truly evolving his social maneuvering.

Benjamin “Coach” Wade

Seasons: Tocantins (18), Heroes vs. Villains (20), South Pacific (23)

Placed: 5^th, 12^th, 2^nd

The self-described “Dragon Slayer” is easily one of the strangest and most unique characters to appear on Survivor, maybe on reality TV overall: a quirky and spiritual guy with a penchant for telling tall tales (or are they true stories about a fascinating life?). On South Pacific, his bizarre but effective cult-leader persona earned him a place at the end, though his inability to own his manipulations lost him the game. Fourteen years later, is Coach back with any more self-awareness, and how will he cope without immediate access to power? Either way, it should be a whole lot of fun to watch.

Aubry Bracco

Seasons: Kaôh Rōng (32), Game Changers (34), Edge of Extinction (38)

Placed: 2^nd, 5^th, 16^th

Many still believe Bracco deserved the win in Kaôh Rōng, though her significant personal journey from anxious introvert to strategic powerhouse didn’t translate to a strong social game or convincing argument at Final Tribal Council. Bracco’s later performances on Game Changers and Edge of Extinction were under-edited and underwhelming, respectively, so Season 50 may be her last real chance to set the record straight on her capabilities.

Chrissy Hofbeck

Season: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers (35)

Placed: 2^nd

Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers was arguably one of the dullest seasons in the show’s run, remembered mainly for the official introduction of the Final 4 fire-making challenge and Ben Driebergen’s resulting win. At least Hofbeck played her heart out, tying a female record by winning four Immunity Challenges in a season and making it to the end—though the jury didn’t respect her social game. Few of the players in these mid-thirties seasons ever got a second chance to play, so this shot is long overdue.

Mike White

Season: David vs. Goliath (37)

Placed: 2^nd

Easily the name on this list with the most recognition outside of Survivor circles, actor-writer Mike White was already famous from School of Rock during his subtle but delightful appearance on the fan-favorite season David vs. Goliath in 2018. But he’s almost a household name these days, known most recently as the auteur behind The White Lotus. (He even gives cameos to several of his old Survivor castmates each season.) Beyond his smart eye for strategy and strong social game, it should be thrilling to see a celebrity of his caliber on the show again.

Angelina Keeley

Season: David vs. Goliath (37)

Placed: 3^rd

“Natalie, can I have your jacket?” Anyone who has watched David vs. Goliath remembers this question, spoken by the eventual second runner-up and directed toward the woman she just voted out. Keeley is an all-time Survivor character guaranteed to bounce interestingly off practically any cast member, lovably un-self-aware to the viewers and irritatingly so to her fellow contestants. This casting is another no-brainer, no matter the likelihood of Keeley improving on her zero-vote-finalist record.

Christian Hubicki

Season: David vs. Goliath (37)

Placed: 7^th

The New Era of Survivor may be replete with nerds and superfans, but few can compete with the star power of this widely loved robotics scientist, a long-desired returnee. At the merge on his first season, Hubicki was already becoming a significant strategic and social force, pulling off several big moves and making strong connections with castaways like Nick Wilson and especially Gabby Pascuzzi. He could stand a good chance of going even further on Season 50, now that he’s surrounded by other big threats.

Rick Devens

Season: Edge of Extinction (38)

Placed: 4^th

Devens got taken out only four votes into Edge of Extinction, but thanks to the season’s central twist, he eventually got to return to the game and become the biggest threat (or, to some, the biggest nuisance), setting the record for most Hidden Immunity Idol possessions in a season. With his continued involvement in the Survivor community—he became the first co-host of the podcast On Fire with Jeff Probst—Devens has long been expected to return for a second shot, though he’s certainly not one of the most essential picks here.

Jonathan Young

Season: 42

Placed: 4^th

Young was a Hulk on a season dominated by shrimps, standing out from sheer size and physical dominance alone. His somewhat condescending attitude and strong-male-solidarity angle eventually grated on some of his tribemates, though, and he lost at Final 4 fire-making. As one of the first true challenge beasts of the New Era, Young isn’t quite an out-of-left-field choice, but he’s also far from a modern icon. 

Emily Flippen

Season: 45

Placed: 7^th

Flippen started off on the wrong foot with the perpetually losing Lulu tribe on 45, where she wasn’t a great social fit at first. But her ally Kaleb Gebrewold helped her adjust her game and show her humanity (and humility) a bit more, enabling her to make it pretty far. It’ll be interesting to see if she takes a similar under-the-radar approach in 50 or if she re-emerges from her shell to make some bold plays—the latter would be more fun.

Season: 45

Placed: 1^st

Bringing back two winners may be an odd choice, especially given they’re both from the New Era, but Valladares could have more to offer. She played a dominant physical, social, and strategic game in 45, leading the Reba Four alliance and dictating many or most of the post-merge votes, but she rarely had to fight back or pull off many tricky maneuvers. She might have to play a bit more craftily in 50, where she’s around more people willing to go hard.

Quintavius “Q” Burdette

Season: 46

Placed: 6^th

On his season, Q was an unmistakable highlight of the New Era, a force of pure chaos and male ego with control issues and a confusing style of playing the game. (He asked his tribemates to vote him out two separate times.) But those flaws—and the bizarre charm that sometimes broke through—made him great TV. Should we expect him to pull off a win in Season 50? Highly doubtful. But will he add to the entertainment factor? Definitely.

Charlie Davis

Season: 46

Placed: 2^nd

If Q was the hurricane blowing through Survivor 46, Davis was a source of calm geniality at the center, constantly quoting Taylor Swift songs while obscuring his careful, clever gameplay. Many viewers believe he deserved the win at Final Tribal Council, but thanks to some juicy vengeance from the longtime ally he betrayed, Maria Shrime Gonzalez, he narrowly lost. Now he’s a natural choice to bring back; in fact, his threat level might appear lower among these bigger personalities than it would alongside all New Era players.

Season: 46

Placed: 8^th

Though Ervin made it to merge with a Hidden Immunity Idol and solid allies, she’s a bit random to bring back for a big anniversary season. Still, it should be amusing to watch her interact again with Q, the bane of her existence all through her pre- and post-merge.

Genevieve Mushaluk

Season: 47

Placed: 5^th

Mushaluk arguably played the biggest and most exciting game of Season 47, orchestrating the blindsides of tribemates like Kishan Patel and Sol Yi. But what also made her compelling was her stated disinterest in getting close to people, a decision she later regretted when her ally Teeny Chirichillo lost trust. Will Mushaluk spend more time on her social game this time around? And will she put her talent for big moves to use again, or shrink into the shadows?

Kyle Fraser

Season: 48

Placed: 1^st

This one is weird. We watched Fraser win $1 million just a week ago, so it’s hard to get too excited about seeing him again already. But at least he was a deserving winner, delicately balancing his “secret” alliance with Kamilla Karthigesu and his loyalty to Joe Hunter and Eva Erickson all the way to the end. With both Karthigesu and Hunter also returning for Season 50, it remains to be seen whether Fraser will try to distance himself and play a new game or stick with his proven allies.

Joe Hunter

Season: 48

Placed: 3^rd

Another tough sell. The most recent second runner-up definitely has his fans in the Survivor community, and his incredibly tight bond with Erickson (whom he helped through multiple autistic episodes) was occasionally quite moving. But many viewers found his loyalty-first approach and overly heroic edit eyeroll-worthy, especially when the rest of the cast refused to turn on him and let him walk to Final Tribal Council. He also has a good chance of making it to the halfway point this time around—he’s a physical asset to any pre-merge tribe—but whether we want to see that happen is another story.