The Survivor 49 Players Most Likely To Come Back For Another Season

Survivor 49 is officially in the books, and while there was some grumbling from fans during the season about the pre-merge being the same thing we've seen before, I suspect the fanbase will view it with increasing fondness over time. I’m not saying it’ll rival Cagayan, Micronesia or Heroes vs Villains, but I think five years from now, most of us will remember it as a clearly better than average season filled with memorable personalities and more than likely, quite a few players who returned and played again.

We know Savannah and Rizo are, of course, returning for 50. Their widely spoiled inclusion in the milestone season’s cast was a big talking point amongst fans while 49 was airing, as it removed the intrigue around several close votes since we knew they obviously made deep runs. I think there’s a strong chance they won’t be the only ones returning for another season over the next few years though.

Survivor played the entire New Era (seasons 41 through 49) without a single season filled with returning players, but that’s about to change. The Survivor 50 cast will obviously include a ton of legends, and the fanbase is very loudly pushing for another returnee season, given how many favorites didn’t make that cut. It’s hard to imagine a world, as an example, where we don’t see 44’s Carolyn again. So, let’s talk out who from 49 we might see return.

Guaranteed Returns: Savannah and Rizo

We all know these two are coming back for Survivor 50. When the cast came out, I complained loudly about all the New Era inclusion, but honestly, if half the cast was going to be from the most recent nine seasons, including Savannah and Rizo feels right. They were the most distinctive personalities on one of the best New Era seasons, and both of them played very hard.

We’ll have to see how often we get returnee seasons over the next decade, but if the show starts pumping them out regularly, there’s a chance we could see these two a lot. I think Rizo especially with his goofy, happy-go-lucky personality and willingness to gamble could turn into a very popular reality star that shows up on other competitions like The Amazing Race, as well.

Probable Return: Sophi B

Fans remain frustrated that she didn’t use her Knowledge Is Power advantage to steal her ally Rizo’s idol, but apart from that, Sophi B played an incredibly strong game. I think she’ll be remembered as having one of the best social games of the entire New Era, and she clearly won a few votes away from Savannah because of her strong Tribal Council performance.

I think at some point sooner rather than later we’re going to get a Survivor Second Chances season, and as long as it comes within the next few years, it’s hard to imagine Sophi not being chosen. Survivor 49 will be remembered specifically for the Tres Leches alliance, and since the other two are definitely coming back, I think the show makes an effort to work her in too.

Reasonable Chance To Return: Jake

Fans were a bit mixed on The Shoe Bandit. Personally, I thought Jake was a lot of fun to watch and one of the most distinctive personalities of the pre-merge. Others thought he was a bit obnoxious and overly goofy. Either way, he was in a good position within his tribe when he BITTEN BY A SNAKE.

Survivor has historically brought back a lot of players who had to be medically evacuated under unusual circumstances. Skupin fell into the fire during Australian Outback and was brought back. Bruce came back for Survivor 45 after he had to be removed on the first day of 44 for a concussion. Both James Clement and Penner came back a third time after injuries forced them to be evacuated during their second appearances. Given how Jake went out and how much behind the scenes airtime the show gave to everything that happened, there’s a reasonable chance we see him again.

Outside Chance To Return: Nate

Nate was one of the strongest players on Survivor 49. He built good relationships with most of his fellow castaways and seemed poised to make a deep run. Unfortunately, nerves about Rizo’s idol convinced the majority of players to vote him out as a just in case measure since he was extremely close with the Tres Leches trio.

Given all his success producing Marvel movies and the fact that he’s a much older family man, it’s unclear if Nate will ever play Survivor again. He’s got better, more profitable things to do with his time than chase reality television fame, but if he were ever interested in returning, I think the show would strongly consider it. Host Jeff Probst had glowing things to say about him on his podcast after his elimination, even going so far as to say he could have won the game.

Other Possibilities:

Anyone who makes a deep run in the game is always at least a small threat to return. Sage, in particular, was an extremely influential figure on the season, and while she ended up being a one vote finalist, her impact on the game was much bigger than your standard third placer. It’s unclear, however, if she actually enjoyed being on the show. She didn’t talk about it much on her socials while the season aired, and to this point, she hasn’t really done much exit press.

Jawan is another interesting player that I could see getting a look. He had close relationships with a lot of players, and I thought his confessionals were always passionate and compelling to watch. I’d be open to seeing him play again. I also enjoyed watching Kristina and Sophie, but given they both had less confessionals than players eliminated before them, I’m not sure the show itself is interested in bringing them back. MC was obviously a challenge beast, but she also felt underseen for stretches of the season, which makes her an unlikely returnee.