Why the creator of The White Lotus is returning to reality TV

The White Lotus creator, Mike White, is heading to Fiji – but not to film his hit HBO series. White will star as a contestant in the 50th season of Survivor, competing against other returning players for a $US1 million ($1.55 million) prize.

The news may be a surprise to some fans who know the 54-year-old writer-director only from his Emmy award-winning show, but it’s something followers of reality TV have anticipated for years. White, then known best for School of Rock, first appeared on Survivor in 2018 (three years before The White Lotus).

Jeff Probst and Mike White on the 13th episode of Survivor: David v Goliath in 2018.Credit: CBS via Getty Images

He came second in that season, themed David v Goliath, and has been high on everyone’s wishlist of players to return to the series. Not that anyone thought it would happen.

“Mike, after he finished playing, said, ‘I want to play again’,” the show’s longtime host Jeff Probst told CBS Mornings. “[Then] when White Lotus hit I thought, ‘well, he’ll never play again’. But he kept texting and saying: ‘Look, I’m serious. If you ever do anything where you have returning players, I want to play again.’

“This is the guy that writes and directs White Lotus, which studies human behaviour in the most fascinating way. He gets Survivor.”

In fact, White has spoken a lot about how the series influenced The White Lotus, from the subject (bickering Americans dropped in remote locations) to the editing and music cues.

He’s also given a number of Survivor contestants cameos in each season.

“Survivor is the only show I really devotedly watch,” White told The New Yorker in 2021. “I still feel like, even on the most contrived reality show, the people are human and they’re more interesting than some of the most well-scripted drama.

“I aspire to do what reality television already does. To create characters that are surprising and dimensional and do weird shit and capture your attention.”

Survivor wasn’t even the first reality show White appeared on. He also competed with his father on The Amazing Race in 2009.

“People who play Survivor will be more haunted by the experience than someone who plays Amazing Race,” White told Indiewire in 2018. “Survivor, you have a lot of time to sit and stew in your juices.”

White’s competition this season includes Colby Donaldson, Ozzy Lusth and Cirie Fields. Fields is also in the coming season of Ten’s Survivor: Australia v The World.

And what does this mean for The White Lotus? While the show has been renewed for a fourth season, there are no details on cast, location or filming dates yet. With Survivor 50 filming in coming months, this could be the perfect opportunity for White to gather new material.

Survivor 50 is expected to premiere in 2026. Survivor: David v Goliath is on Paramount+.

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