Trenton Corn’s dream Survivor season 50 cast

Survivor season 48 is set to air on February 28th & while I’m VERY excited for my favorite show to return, I can’t help but to think about the possibilities of what could come in Survivors 50th season

I know I’m the sports guy, but another hobby of mine is watching Survivor with my wife, Courtnee. Much social media discourse in the Survivor world has been about speculation on what could happen in season 50 and I thought to myself; “I have my own website, why don’t I just write about it?”

So here’s my prediction on the cast of Survivor season 50: Eras.

So, What do we know? Jeff Probst announced that the season will be casted by all returning players.

Many fans want season 50 to be a celebration of Survivor with players from ALL eras and while I would bet on that to not be the case (I would suspect season 50 will include new era players from season 41 & beyond), that’s exactly what I’m going to attempt to accomplish here.

Keep in mind I have to keep the CBS BIPOC mandate, where at-least 50% of the cast must be of people of color.

When making this star studded cast, I tried to be as realistic as possible. Which means schedule conflicts from fan favorites such as Tony Vlachos and Cirie Fields (who are appearing in Australian Survivor vs the World in late 2025) won’t allow them to be on the show.

Speaking of which, I tried to steer clear of contestants who’s made return appearances in the past, to prevent fatigue from fans and to give other great players a chance to cement their legacy.

Without further ado, here’s my dream cast for Survivor 50!

Tribe A:

Vecepia Towery (59):

There’s currently a lot of social media push by fans to have season four (Marquesas) winner, Vecepia Towery to return in season 50. The girl who beat Boston Rob head to head hasn’t returned to the island since her victory in 2002 and although she probably wasn’t the most popular winner in Probst or productions eyes (Evident by her lack of an appearance on Winners at War), I don’t know if they can ignore the fan’s outcries or look past the very first ever African American winner in a season where you’re highlighting and remembering the shows history.

Andy Rueda (31):

Jeff Probst announced that a season 47 cast member already has a season 50 invitation, which has had fans buzzing as to who it could be. Names like Rachel, Rome and Teeny have been mentioned, but based on comments Jeff has made, that name very well could be Andy Rueda. He’s very entertaining and a fan favorite of production for that reason, but could struggle on a returning season, due to his track record of flipping back and forth on alliances.

Charlie Davis (27):

Charlie played a strong game in season 46. However, he finished runner up to Kenzie Petty, who’s one of the weaker winners of the modern era, in my opinion. As a co-host with Jeff Probst on the “On Fire” podcast, I believe he’s a fan favorite and has an inside track into getting a second opportunity in season 50.

Rick Devens (40):

Season one co-host of “On Fire”, Rick Devens was on a controversial season of Survivor (Season 38, Edge of Extinction), but mainly because it had a bad ending that ended with him not being the winner. A modern day Russell Hantz, Devens has the Survivor record of FOUR immunity Idols found in a single season. In addition, Devens had four immunity challenge wins as well, creating a very strong resume to return in season 50.

Shantel Smith (37):

One of the best new era strategists, Shantel Smith finished 8th in season 41, but showcased enough to me to warrant a return. Her interviews were very entertaining (who can’t forget her evil tune?), which I’m sure production loved and they’ll also covet her social prowess, strategic blindside moves and advantage usage. You need someone to stir stuff up & that’s exactly what Shantel brings to the table. It would be interesting to see if she leans into her “villain” persona her second time around.

Angelina Keeley (35):

Angelina appeared in season 37 (David vs Goliath) and is most famous for giving up her shot at immunity for rice for her tribe, which set the precedent for the rice negotiations we see today. She was simply entertaining from start to finish of her season, which has Jeff and the production team licking their lips.

Tribe B:

Earl Cole (53):

Earl Cole is one of my favorites and one of the most underrated Survivor players of all time, as he was the shows first ever unanimous winner in season 14 (Fiji). He’s been asked to return to the show numerous times, as he most recently had to decline a return on Winners at War due to the birth of his daughter. It’s obvious that production wants him to play again desperately and hopefully the stars align this time around.

Jesse Lopez (33):

Playing in season 43, Jesse Lopez played one of the most cutthroat seasons in the modern era history, with a shocking blindside to ally Cody Assenmacher, which put a massive target on his back and effectively prevented him from winning the game. Can he keep his foot on the gas in a season full of returning players?

Chrissy Hofbeck (53):

Speaking of challenge beasts, Chrissy Hofbeck was the runner up of season 35 (Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers), largely due to her record tying, FOUR immunity challenge wins for female contestants. She deserves a chance to return, considering that a rather.. unique twist to the ending of season 35 likely cost her a million dollars.

Brice Johnston (38):

Brice didn’t last long at all on season 28 (Cagayan: Brawn vs Brains vs Beauty) so this might be a head scratcher to many who are expecting a star studded cast. However, in his short time on screen, Brice’s personality made an impact on the production team, not to mention the fans. One of the most prevalent members of the online Survivor community, it makes sense to have him return if Probst really is valuing the fan’s opinions on the season.

Lauren Beck (35):

Another Integral social media presence amongst fans, Beck actually played a very strong game in season 39 (Island of the Idols) compared to Brice and due to that combination, seems to have a lot of momentum to be casted.

Nadiya Anderson (38):

Nadiya was the first person voted out in season 28 (Blood vs Water), so this might be a bad pick to many, but I’ve wondered what she could do with a second chance. In a season where we’re celebrating history, Nadiya has a chance to MAKE history in her pursuit to become the first sibling duo to both win the title of sole survivor (Her sister Natalie won San Juan Del Sur and is one of the most underrated female contestants of all time).

Tribe C:

Dee Valladares (28):

The sole survivor of season 45, Dee Valladares played things safely, but used her very strong social game and immunity challenge success to ultimately dominate the game from start to finish thanks to her core alliance. Continuing my well rounded trend, Dee would be the third winner to join my season 50 cast and the only one from the new era. With an All-Star cast and a target on her back, Dee is going to have to take risks in season 50.

Domenick Abbate (46):

Domenick came as close to anyone can without winning, as the jury split votes 5/5 with him and his number one, Wendell (in season 36, Ghost Island), resulting in third place finalist Laurel Johnson breaking the tie and giving Wendell the victory. His fake idol play to keep him in the game was epic, proving just how advanced he was strategically and socially, not to mention his strength in challenges as well.

Jonathan Young (32):

Jonathan from season 42 is one of the best challenge performers in not only the modern era, but in the shows HISTORY. He became the last member of the jury in his season, but in a cast of returning players, it would be interesting to see how his game would shake out, considering he wouldn’t be the only threat on the island and wouldn’t have to play the role of “provider” for his tribe mates. This ultimately could help his social game where he made mistakes along the way.

Carolyn Rivera (63):

Mama C is one of the most vocal past players pushing for a return in season 50 and as a former runner up in season 30 (Worlds Apart), she deserves a second crack at it. Jeff Probst has mentioned that he wants “joyful” returning players that want to be on season 50 and are excited about it, which is why I think Carolyn has a really strong chance of getting in.

Cydney Gillion (32):

When trying to build out this roster of returning players, I wanted to create the BEST season of all time. Players who not only represent every era of Survivor history, but players who are very well rounded. That’s where Cydney comes in. She was in season 32 (Kaoh Rong) and not only was she impressive in challenges and a massive threat in that department, but is a great strategist as well, as she orchestrated a blindside on Nick Maiorano & was on the winning side of five straight votes at one point during her season.

Greg Buis (49):

If we’re celebrating history, can we go without going back to where it all began? And what better direction to go than the first ever individual immunity challenge winner and jury member? I know that he was a bit immature at times and probably left a sour taste in Jeff Probst & productions mouth for not taking the game seriously, but he was highly entertaining and was reportedly contacted to return in Survivor: Second Chance, but had to drop out due to work commitments. He wants to return which is what Jeff wants to see in returning players, production is apparently willing to have him back and he connects us back to where it all began. It just makes too much sense to not have him in season 50.

Final tribal:

Another fun twist and idea I came up with (hit me up CBS), was the introduction of the “Winners idol”. With each tribe having one previous winner, they’re shocked to find an idol planted in their bags, that’s good through their first tribal council, since they’re major early threats. They can use that on themselves, but could also use it socially to build trust and create the numbers moving forward in the game. HOWEVER, another twist with the idol is that if they wanted to, they could lose their vote in their first tribal council and then the idol becomes live for their first three tribals.

If I had to pick a top three and a winner of this season (complete shot in the dark), I’d have Dee, Carolyn (Who we’ll say was in a Mama J 2.0 alliance) and Cydney, with Cydney receiving the most jury votes to become the sole survivor of season 50: Era’s.

What do you guys think of my cast prediction for season 50? Who would you add/remove? Or who would you want to see? Let me know if you want me to make more of these in the future!