The White Lotus creator Mike White is returning to to iconic reality TV show
'The White Lotus' creator Mike White is returning for 'Survivor 50'
The 54-year-old writer and director - who competed on the reality show's 'David vs. Goliath' season in 2018 - will be back to help the CBS franchise mark its 50th anniversary alongside 23 other returning players.
On Wednesday (28.05.25), host and executive producer Jeff Probst told 'CBS Mornings': "Mike, after he finished playing, said, 'I want to play again'.
'When 'White Lotus' hit, and 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.' So we're happy to have Mike.'
Before 'Survivor' in 2018, Mike was best known for his work as a screenwriter on the likes of 'School of Rock', 'Nacho Libre' and 'Pitch Perfect 3'.
Three years after he made it to the end of the intense reality show, he found success as the creator, writer and director of anthology thriller series 'The White Lotus'.
He's cast a number of his fellow 'Survivor' alumni in the HBO series, which could endear him to the other contestants in the upcoming 50th season.
In 2021, Mike - who also appeared on 'The Amazing Race' in 2009 - opened up about his love for reality TV, and insisted taking part in Survivor' in 2018 wasn't done as a joke.
He told The New Yorker magazine: "'Survivor' is the only show I really devotedly watch, even though I get frustrated with it.
'Part of my job and my way of life is studying people and analyzing motivation and character. 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.
"And for me, as a writer of 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.'
However, at the time he didn't expect Jeff to want him back on board for another stint.
he said: "Probst is like, 'Let's be real—you're never going to go on the show again'. I was like, 'Really? Why?'
"We are friends. We've become more friends since I was on the show, and he's an impressive guy. I think the fact that we've become close is probably why he says that.
"I don't know. I don't think they want the Hollywood Goliath who knows Probst to win a season.
"Now that Probst knows I can get to the end, I don't think he wants there to be a chance of that happening again.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
13 hours ago
- Perth Now
Horror story behind girl's smiling photo
Half of young homeless Australians asking for a place to sleep are being turned away, figures from a leading NSW not-for-profit show, with one woman who got lucky in a 'million-to-one' chance now pushing for change. NSW organisation Yfoundations has taken to filming young homeless people as they search for a safe place to sleep, putting a face to the overwhelming demand for help. 'The popularity of shows like Survivor and Alone has turned survival into entertainment,' Yfoundations chief executive John Macmillan told NewsWire. 'This series confronts the raw reality too many young Australians face every day. 'Youth homelessness is not just a statistic; it's a human tragedy.' The content series is called Young and Alone. Organisation films young homeless people searching for safety 'We're fascinated by watching adults battle brutal conditions for fun, but survival isn't a social experiment for young people experiencing homelessness – it's a hard-hitting reality and the content series shines the light on this.' Sydneysider Natasha Ransford was saved by a 'million-to-one' chance, a youth refuge centre saving a bed while she was on school camp. Now nine years later, Ms Ransford, 25, is a youth worker at the very same refuge. 'No young person chooses to be homeless,' she told NewsWire. 'There are a lot of misconceptions that young people are just bad and that they get on drugs, or they don't want to listen to their parents, or they move out and that's why they become homeless. I want to challenge all those misconceptions.' Sydney woman Natasha Ransford works for the youth refuge organisation that took her in as a teenager. Supplied Credit: Supplied From ages 14 to 16, Ms Ransford was bouncing between her sister and her dad's house, as her mother's 'severe' alcoholism up-ended the teenager's home life. She found a home with Project Youth in Sydney's southwest. A scholarship from Toyota helped her finish year 12 while working part time, cooking and cleaning for herself after school. 'I had to grow up very quickly and it's been beneficial for me now,' Ms Ransford said. 'I've been paying rent since I was 16, I'm good with money and budgeting. I have a really strong work ethic. 'But to put that onto a 16 year old, it wasn't fair.' In year 10, dropping out of school to go and work seemed like the best option. Ms Ransford's mental health was in poor condition, and she had learnt to use alcohol as a coping mechanism. With the help of Project Youth, support from school and health care, she now holds a Diploma of Community Services and a Certificate IV in Leadership and Management. She was never forced to sleep rough, was able to go from the refuge to transitional housing, and now rents a place with friends. Across the country, there are estimated to be more than 43,000 young people experiencing or at risk of becoming homeless. NewsWire / Ian Currie Credit: News Corp Australia Ms Ransford identifies a turning point in her life – when Project Youth held a bed so she could go on school camp. 'I was 16 … I went in one afternoon and told them basically what was going on at home. 'Surprisingly, they had a bedroom available that night, which normally is very, very rare. 'I had year 11 camp the next day. 'I asked them if they could hold the bed for me until after I got back from camp. They did, which they wouldn't be able to do now just because the need has grown so much.' The youth refuge became her home, on a Saturday after school camp. 'The chances of that happening now would be like a million-to-one,' Ms Ransford said. 'I don't think any service can afford to hold a bed for three nights for someone. 'It's unfortunately the case of if you can get it that time, then you can. First in, first serve, but I quite often think that was a turning point in my life.' Yfoundations has launched a petition calling on the federal and state governments to make ending youth homelessness a national priority, with the development of a targeted plan and funding. 'For too long, the specific and complex needs of children and young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness have been assumed to be the same as those of adults and have not been explicitly addressed in government plans to address homelessness,' the petition reads.
West Australian
a day ago
- West Australian
What to Watch: Stranded On Honeymoon Island, Joh: Last King Of Queensland, The Bear, Ironheart & Squid Game
Let's face it, our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, and in this stacked TV landscape, it's taking increasingly wild reality formats to gain — and hold — our interest. Enter: Stranded On Honeymoon Island! As formats go, this one's an absolute doozy. It sees 12 Aussie singles paired up after a speed-dating event and packed off to marry one another. Not long after saying 'I do' they are turfed overboard (still in their wedding attire) from a boat floating somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, and must swim to a deserted tropical island — their home for the next 21 days! Yep — they are literally 'stranded on Honeymoon Island' . . . get it? 'Laying bare their past, stripping away emotional baggage and facing their fears head-on with nothing left to lose, they're about to take the biggest leap of their lives,' says an official release. Sign us up! Every few days a mysterious crate washes ashore, containing news from home, memories and games designed to help connect the couples with each other and the others also doing the experiment on nearby islands. They gather at Couples Cove regularly to discuss how things are going, and you know the tea will be spilt. If you've read this far and aren't immediately excited for this 'Survivor meets MAFS' concept, then this show is most definitely not for you. But for the rest of us — see you on the island! This feature-length doco sees actor Richard Roxburgh bring to life one of Australia's most controversial leaders. His dramatised scenes, directed by Kriv Stenders, are woven throughout the film, which takes a look at the divisive politician's life and time in office. Roxburgh gives a stunning performance, and for anyone with even a passing interest in this controversial figure, there will be much to absorb. Bjelke-Petersen is a towering presence in Aussie political history. One for history buffs and politics junkies alike. Based on the Marvel character of the same name, this miniseries is the 14th TV iteration of a comic book character from the Cinematic Universe — keeping up? This one's all about MIT student Riri Williams, who returns to Chicago after the events chronicled in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Dominique Thorne reprises her role from that film, and this is all about how her character gets mixed up with Parker Robbins/The Hood. If you are a Marvel fan, you'll know what that means. One for fans. The clock is ticking for Carmy and the crew to make things work at The Bear. But as we check back in with them for a fourth season, things are on a knife edge. If you've seen the trailers you'll know that Uncle Jimmy is turning the screws on them financially, and they'll need to band together to weather the storm. But is that even possible? There is a LOT of water under that particular bridge. I'm fascinated to see where they take us this season — here's hoping it isn't the show's last. To say this series has been a worldwide hit would be doing it a gross disservice — it's been nothing short of a global phenomenon. This third season is its last, and fans are eagerly awaiting the series drop (all episodes land at once), to find out how the disturbing story ends. Something tells us it's going to be nothing short of epic as Gi-hun (Player 456, played by Lee Jung-jae) and Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) square off one final time. This one's big — do not miss it.
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Sky News AU
Harry Potter and White Lotus star Jason Isaacs calls out the 'worst bully' he's ever worked with during his decades in Hollywood
Jason Isaacs has called out the "worst bully" he "ever" worked alongside throughout his decades in the Hollywood film industry. The actor, best known for playing villain Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series from 2001 to 2011, shared his candid thoughts about the "bad behaviour" he witnessed on sets in an interview with Vulture on Monday. Isaacs elaborated on a "prominent" film star who once pushed him out of a shot and said the snarky actor, who he chose not to name, "did worse". "Oh Jesus. Did worse than that. Was the worst bully ever and a global icon," Isaacs said. "Did all the old tricks of doing a completely different performance off-camera than on. "Yeah, it sucked. I'd never seen anything like it. Before, I would've licked the ground that this person walked on." The award-winning actor has seen it all after 37 years of experience in Tinseltown, where he starred in several major films, including The Patriot with Mel Gibson and, most recently, HBO's hit series The White Lotus. While there's no way of telling who Isaacs deemed to be the offender, his prominent co-stars also include Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis from the film Armageddon, as well as Dennis Quaid and Sean Connery in Dragonheart. In his wide-ranging interview, Isaacs described what he mostly judges on set as "bad behaviour", including "selfishness, cruelty and bullying". "People complaining to the person who's getting them dressed, who doesn't get in a year what they earn in a day to pick their filthy underwear off the floor," he said. "That, or not turning up, or going home early, or thinking they know better than the director, or being on crack and calling prostitutes to their trailer. I come across all that stuff." Asked why he chose to protect the privacy of who he described as abysmal actors, Isaacs said he's "not so stupid" as even to give a "clue". The English star said he recently interviewed an author and friend who encouraged him to write a memoir through which to spill his secrets. Isaacs responded by saying he would never release a book, not "in a million years until everybody I know is dead" because he has "stories". He said his fantasy of writing a tome and finally revealing the truth about the rogue stars he worked with might come true if he wins the lottery. Until then, he said there's "no value" in naming and shaming other than creating "masochism and sabotage", adding "acting is all about secrets." Elsewhere in the interview, Isaacs confirmed speculation The White Lotus stars get paid $40,000 per episode. He said the "very low price" for the industry is disproportionate compared to what actors usually get for staring in big TV shows. Nevertheless, Isaacs said the stars of the hit series "would have paid to be in it" or even "probably would have given a body part" for a role.
