Survivor Legend Says He’s ‘Pissed’ He Wasn’t Invited Back for Season 50 originally appeared on Parade.
Survivor fan-favorite Rupert Boneham is sharing his candid thoughts about not being asked back for Survivor 50: In The Hands of The Fans.
The four-time contestant said in an interview with TheThings that he is “hurt” and “pissed” about not being contacted for the monumental, all-returnee season.
“Oh my gosh. Why wouldn’t you have me on 50? If you can’t tell, I’m a little pissed they didn’t ask me.” he said. “I was so shocked and hurt and pissed that they wouldn’t even consider me.”
He also said he was “confused” by the decision given he is one of the most popular contestants to ever play the game.
“For years, when you would pull up Wikipedia on Survivor. For years, the only thing they would talk about was me.” he claimed.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Survivor host Jeff Probst said roughly 200 former players were contacted about participating in Survivor 50, though only 24 made it onto the cast.
“We went from 200 on a list to 100, to 80, to 50. And then those last 26, they were brutal cuts,” he said. “And they still are. There are so many people we could have put out there, but there are only so many people you can put on the show.”
When asked which players we would’ve liked to have seen on season 50, Boneham said there were lots of people he’d like to see play again, but that he struggled to name specific players since he couldn’t look past his own exclusion.
“I have trouble looking past them not even giving me the chance.” he said.
However, he did note that his winner pick for the season was his Survivor: All-Stars castmate Jenna Lewis.
“I always liked Jenna… I hope she does well. I would love to see her come back and win the whole thing. She sure deserves it.” he said.
Despite the disappointment of not being selected for Survivor 50, Boneham still has a deep passion and love for the show.
“I loved playing Survivor. I was a fan of Survivor from the first time I saw it. In Indiana, in February, I played a state fair Survivor in an eight-foot by 10-foot hut for ten days with ten people and made it to the end. I used that for my audition video going into the real game. I have always loved Survivor.”
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Survivor Legend Says He’s ‘Pissed’ He Wasn’t Invited Back for Season 50 first appeared on Parade on Jul 23, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
