Two 'Survivor’ Fan Favorites Slam the Contestant Choices for Season 50

Last week, the official cast of returning players of Survivor 50 was revealed, and two of the most beloved castaways in the show’s history are not happy about it. Although Jeff Probst promised that the landmark season would honor all eras of the show, over 50 percent of the cast features New Era players, all of whom have competed in the last five years. This led former contestants Kelley Wentworth and Carolyn Wiger to air their frustrations about the cast, stating that not enough deserving players were included.

Kelley Wentworth Calls Out Jeff Probst

Kelley Wentworth is a three-time player of 'Survivor. — Image via CBS

Although Wentworth has no aspirations of appearing on Survivor again, she’s continued to create content for the show, especially about Season 50, where she’s outlined the importance of giving worthy castaways a second chance. Following the cast reveal, Wentworth explained on social media that she has respect for all the former contestants who were chosen to compete in the landmark season but feels Survivor missed the mark with most of their selections. The three-time player first complained about the number of New Era castaways returning from the same seasons, as multiple contestants were chosen from the 46th, 48th, and 49th editions of the show.

She also took issue with two former winners participating in Season 50, as Dee Valladares and Kyle Fraser are returning after just recently being crowned sole survivor. However, Wentworth’s biggest concern with Season 50 was the promise that Survivor made to their fans, which they didn’t honor, stating on Instagram: “Jeff has been telling us for months that this season is going to be a celebration of the entire series, of 25 years of us watching this show. And so I’m thinking, this is like legends. Full-on legends, the biggest names we’re going to see.”

Along with feeling betrayed by Probst, Wentworth also pointed out that not one contestant from Seasons 20-29 is included in Survivor 50, proving that the celebratory season is not a true representation of the entire series. The 38-year-old claimed that the theme of Survivor 50 should’ve been “New Era versus everyone else” to temper the expectations of both fans and herself. To close her argument, Wentworth noted that fan favorites such as Jerri Manthey and Rob Cesternino should’ve been cast in Season 50 instead of the abundance of New Era contestants that will be playing.

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Carolyn Wiger Individually Criticizes Cast of Season 50

When Probst revealed that Survivor 50 would feature returning players earlier this year, Wiger was one of the first New Era players that fans deemed worthy of another opportunity in Fiji, but she was unfortunately not selected. Following the cast reveal, Wiger decided to briefly provide her thoughts on every announced player for Season 50 on Instagram, claiming that she was pleased to see castaways like Genevieve Mushaluk and Christian Hubicki return but was dissatisfied with most of the other names revealed. Wiger specifically called out The White Lotus writer and director Mike White, stating that he’s “Too famous to be there” despite his impressive run on the show during Season 37. Similarly to Wentworth, Wiger is also frustrated that two former sole survivors would be returning and feels that players from Seasons 48 and 49 shouldn’t have been selected because of how recently they competed. Additionally, she expressed her contentment with legends like Cirie Fields and Chrissy Hofbeck returning, but other long-time fan favorites, such as Benjamin “Coach” Wade and Ozzy Lusth, she felt had played on Survivor enough and didn’t deserve another chance.

Although it could be argued that Wentworth’s comments are hypocritical due to playing three times or that Wiger is just upset because she wasn’t selected for Survivor 50, both women seem to share similar opinions with the audience. Fans wanted Season 50 not to include players who have already been given multiple opportunities and failed, or to feature an over-representation of New Era castaways. They were craving to see former contestants who were inches away from winning the million-dollar prize get a second chance at rewriting history. As Wentworth mentioned, Probst and CBS set the bar too high by promising the audience a season that would be a tribute to all eras of Survivor, with the inclusion of too many New Era players and overuse of legends, leaving a poor taste in the mouths of fans and former contestants.

Survivor is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.