After the announcement of the Survivor 50 cast, several former contestants have come forward revealing whether they were contacted to be on the upcoming season, including actress Lisa Whelchel.
Whelchel, 62, confirmed in a new interview that she was not one of the players in consideration for the all-star season of the long-running CBS competition.
“I was not contacted,” she told Entertainment Weekly on Thursday, June 19.
As for the reason why she believes she was not contacted, she cited a previous interview with EW in which she said she was not interested in coming back to the show.
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“I think one of the reasons is because you did do the COVID [Survivor Quarantine Questionnaire] interview with me and I was very clear that I would never do it again,” she said, referencing the October 2020 comment.
In the past interview in question, Whelchel was asked whether she would play Survivor again if the opportunity were presented to her.
“No. I got what I wanted and, more importantly, what I needed, and I am forever grateful for that,” she said at the time. “I’m content to enjoy the show from the warmth, comfort and emotional safety of my own home, thank you very much!”
Whelchel, who starred on The Facts of Life from 1979 to 1988, competed on Survivor: Philippines in 2012. Both she and Michael Skupin were the runners-up of the season, while Denise Stapley earned the title of Sole Survivor and the $1 million cash prize.
Lisa Whelchel Tibrina Hobson/FilmMagicSadly, no players from Survivor: Philippines will be returning for Survivor 50. The contestants who did end up making it into the Survivor 50 cast include season 48 winner Kyle Fraser and The White Lotus creator Mike White. Other cast members who will be returning are a few big names from earlier seasons of the show like Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick and Colby Donaldson.
Another fan favorite noticeably absent from the Survivor 50 cast list is the legendary “Boston Rob” Mariano.
Mariano, 49, previously discussed why he was not interested in returning for another season of Survivor after competing on five seasons and mentoring on a sixth season.
“I don’t feel any desire to go back there and play the game again, especially where they’re just gonna use me for a little bit and vote me out,” he told TV Insider in May 2024.
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Mariano did give fans a glimmer of hope that he was not done with the show entirely, hinting that he would consider returning if Survivor underwent some kind of evolution.
“But who knows? Maybe if there’s a concept change or something I would consider it because they’ve given so much to me over my life,” he said.
Mariano most recently competed on season 3 of The Traitors, getting banished in the seventh episode. He also hosted the Deal or No Deal Island After Show With Boston Rob earlier this year.
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