Between in-person events, podcast appearances, watch parties and more, the community of former Survivor players has never felt so interconnected. It’s obvious there’s a close affinity between many castaways and a particularly special bond amongst multi-time players and legends of the game. Unfortunately, it’s also become clear over the last few years that the aforementioned closeness doesn’t always extend to longtime host Jeff Probst and the producers, and if there was any doubt about that friction, beloved fan favorites Tyson Apostol and Parvati Shallow ripped off that band-aid.
If you’re plugged into the Survivor community on social media, you’ve no doubt noticed it over the last few years. There’s been an undercurrent of negativity directed toward Jeff and the producers from many former players. Some of it has been about the format of the show and gameplay related decisions, and those squabbles have felt healthy and entirely normal. Those of us who love Survivor should have different opinions about game mechanics and three tribes versus two.
Unfortunately, a lot of it has gone beyond that and felt very personal. It’s obvious there are legitimate hard feelings amongst many former players. Some of that has been about the show’s casting process. Probst and the producers promised Survivor 50 would honor the legacy of the show. More than a hundred former players were reportedly contacted to participate, but some of the biggest names in the history of the show apparently didn’t even get a basic check-in or didn't get one until they complained on social.
Some of those who were contacted later said they felt deceived or lied to by producers who allegedly told them them to clear their schedules because they were locks to be cast, only to cut them later. One popular former player made it to the end of the casting process and was allegedly never even informed she was cut.
In addition, Probst made some negative comments about former players going on other reality competition shows. He made it clear that unless you’re a Cirie-style legend of the game, if you go on The Traitors, Big Brother, House Of Villains or other similar programs, it will be held against you in the casting process. Both fans and former players very loudly pushed back on his comments, to the point where Jeff actually came out and apologized and said his perspective was wrong.
Let the record show that apology has definitely not fixed the issue with everyone though. Parvati was a guest on Tyson’s podcast The Pod Has Spoken this week. The two talked about how much they’re enjoying Survivor 51 and the so-called Open Era. Much of the conversation was quite positive, but when the subject of returning to Survivor came up, it got a lot more negative. Tyson made it clear he’s very unlikely to ever return, and Parvati said there’s not any amount of money that would get her back on the US version.
Parvati was reluctant to talk about specifics and said people should read between the lines, but she did eventually offer a few thoughts. She said she’s still frustrated about Jeff saying he’s less likely to cast people who have been on other shows and said it’s particularly frustrating that Survivor pretends some people like Boston Rob, Michele Fitzgerald, Dee, Rick Devens, Cirie, Tyson and herself aren’t born to compete and go on these shows. She also said she doesn’t feel like those involved with the show treat her with the “kindness” she feels she deserves.
I just want to be treated with kindness and respect. That’s it. That’s all I ask for. That’s what I give to others.
Tyson was clearly on board with her comments and said he feels the same way. He, however, put it in more practical terms. He said Survivor has this weird perspective on loyalty that even if they’re not paying you, you should remain committed to Survivor and be loyal in case they want to use you again in the future. He said that’s particularly frustrating because the show doesn’t pay very well and doesn’t even pretend to be thankful for your contributions.
Other shows pay way more. They say, ‘Thank you. We couldn’t have done this without you’ rather than ‘you’re welcome for the opportunity.’ Your welcome for the opportunity doesn’t feel as good as thank you. We couldn’t have done this without you.
I have no idea what Survivor’s finances look like, and I’m not going to comment on whether they should be paying bigger appearance fees for returning players. That’s a decision way above my paygrade, but I will say that Probst and company need to figure out how to mend fences with a lot of these former players. If it was just one or two, I wouldn’t necessarily draw the conclusion that it was the fault of production, but when so many players consistently make negative comments and say they’ve been treated poorly, it feels like a larger pattern.
Even if they don't actually play again, I want a world where Tyson and Parvati and legends like them make the occasional appearance on the show or during a finale or on an official podcast. I want a world where players going through the casting process feel like they're being treated fairly and honestly. I want a world in which the best players on Survivor go crush other shows like Dee and Devens on Big Brother and Cirie and Carolyn on The Traitors and then return back to their original home. I want a world in which there's more positivity around Survivor.
