Despite getting zero jury votes on finale night, Xander Hastings received plenty of love from Survivor 41 fans. He was the underdog with a major power in the game, (even amid all of the changes) and liked to play with his heart on his sleeve – perhaps too much. Some viewers, though, were lusting after the 21-year-old for the entire season on social media. The finalist addressed that fact recently and shared how he feels about dating following his stint on the show.
The fan adoration for Xander Hastings was, truthfully, giving Survivor Joey Amazing vibes. (Hastings for sure has the same hair.) When discussing the magnitude of it on Brice Izyah’s Survivor News podcast, the conversation inevitably turned to the Survivor 41 finalist’s dating life. He confirmed that he was indeed single but was more general about what he’s looking for, saying:
I suppose, yeah, I am ready to mingle. I’m never a doors-closed kind of guy. It could come from anywhere, anytime, so I'm just keeping my eyes and ears open for whatever comes next. See what life hands me... It's all about the feeling. If we click, if we connect, and there's just some chemistry there, then that's what matters. I don't have any type. It can come from anywhere. It's just like, if we feel it then we feel it, and why ignore that?
We know for a fact that Xander Hastings has somewhat of a type if it means fellow castmates who tried to blindside him out of Survivor 41. In a deleted scene from the show, he actually admitted to having a crush on his Yase tribemate Liana Wallace the entire time. Wallace later responded to the revelation in a post-game interview with Entertainment Weekly that Hastings was a "sweetheart."
As for whether or not he would date one of the legions of Survivor 41 fans that loved to watch him play, Xander Hastings said he hadn't considered it before but won't “rule out” the prospect entirely. The host also asked if he responds to DMs, which Hastings revealed was a “hard” task toward the end of the season because most messages would complain that he was “robbed” of winning by Erika Casupanan. (One fan has even started up a GoFundMe campaign to right the perceived wrong against him.) The Florida native was frank, though, that he “can't respond” to messages of those kinds.
A major corner of his adoring fanbase also includes the LGBTQ community, who affectionately refer to him as “Xaddy.” The Survivor 41 contestant said he “totally” embraces all the love. He noted how he and his bromance in Ricard Foye would have no problems getting the “warmth going” on cold nights on the island. The fan-favorite continued that the idea of “showing homophobia” was “so foreign” to him, adding:
I think [Xaddy] is fun. I love playing along with it. It's great to just, anything that gets the community involved and makes it more fun and keeps Survivor going. You know, 20 more years! Let's just keep it going...I think it's because I like really firmly believe that, if you're comfortable in your sexuality, it shouldn't matter what someone else’s sexuality is. You can be comfortable around them.
As for the game itself, the most shipped after player in Survivor 41 is down to try for the million dollars again. But in the interim, Xander Hastings’ DMs are open to the interested girls, guys, and thems out there.
