Emmy Award-winning"The White Lotus"creator Mike White is trading luxury resort drama for tribal council strategy, returning toCBS's "Survivor"after his breakout second-place finish during season 37 launched him to Hollywood stardom. White headlines a cast of 24 returning players for the reality competition's milestone50th season, host Jeff Probst announced Wednesday on "CBS Mornings." Probst revealed he believed White could have won his original season. "I was there the night of the finale of Mike's season, and I thought he was going to win the game, and I felt like he sabotaged it a little bit," he said. "This is the guy that writes and directs White Lotus, which studies human behavior in the most fascinating way. He gets 'Survivor.'" And while White has been busy writing the Emmy Award-winning show, he always kept "Survivor" in the back of his mind. "Mike, after he finished playing, said, 'I want to play again.' And that was before 'The White Lotus.' Then 'The White Lotus' hit, and I thought, he'll never play again. But he kept texting and saying, 'I'm serious. If you do anything where you have returning players, I want to play again," said Probst. The cast represents contestants from 19 different seasons, including two players from the upcoming Season 49 set to premiere this fall. Season 45 winner Dee Valladares and Season 46's Charlie Davis are among the recent alumni selected for the anniversary season. Veteran players Colby Donaldson, who competed in Seasons 2, 8 and 20, and Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, featured in Seasons 10, 11 and 20, will return after extended absences from the competition. "We've done a lot of themes: heroes, villains, game changers, fans versus favorites, all winners," Probst said. "We've never said let's just taste a little of everything. That's why we put this group together, is every flavor, every era, every type of personality, and then when you let the fans be in charge of all of the creative, all of the game design, it really is up in the air for the first time since season one." "Survivor" premiered in May 2000 and has become one of television's longest-running reality competitions. The 50th season is expected to air in Spring 2026 on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. "Survivor" Season 50 castJenna Lewis-Dougherty: Seasons 1 (Borneo), 8 (All-Stars)Colby Donaldson: Seasons 2 (The Australian Outback), 8 (All-Stars), 20 (Heroes vs. Villains)Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick: Seasons 10 (Palau), 11 (Guatemala), 20 (Heroes vs. Villains)Cirie Fields: Seasons 12 (Panama-Exile Island), 16 (Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites), 20 (Heroes vs. Villains), 34 (Game Changers)Ozzy Lusth: Seasons 13 (Cook Islands), 16 (Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites), 23 (South Pacific), 34 (Game Changers)Benjamin "Coach" Wade: Seasons 18 (Tocantins – The Brazilian Highlands), 20 (Heroes vs. Villains), 23 (South Pacific)Aubry Bracco: Seasons 32 (Kaôh Rōng – Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty), 34 (Game Changers), 38 (Edge of Extinction)Chrissy Hofbeck: Season 35 (Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers)Christian Hubicki: Season 37 (David vs. Goliath)Angelina Keeley: Season 37 (David vs. Goliath)Mike White: Season 37 (David vs. Goliath)Rick Devens: Season 38 (Edge of Extinction)Jonathan Young: Season 42Dee Valladares: Season 45 winnerEmily Flippen: Season 45Q Burdette: Season 46Tiffany Ervin: Season 46Charlie Davis: Season 46Genevieve Mushaluk: Season 47Kamilla Karthigesu: Season 48Kyle Fraser: Season 48 winnerJoseph Hunter: Season 48Player #1 from Season 49 (premiering Fall 2025)Player #2 from Season 49 (premiering Fall 2025) Trump delivers Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery SpaceX loses contact with its Starship, spins out of control Israel kills senior Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, Netanyahu says