Survivor is getting ready for a big celebration, and they’re inviting a whole bunch of old faves for it. Season 50 of Survivor will premiere in 2026, which is kind of unreal, if you think about it. Like, how many Tribal Council meetings is that? I don’t know, but you know who might? Survivor super-fan, former contestant, and Emmy-award-winning TV creator Mike White. In addition to creating The White Lotus and directing School of Rock, Mike competed in Survivor season 27 in 2018. And now he’s one of the castaways returning to be a part of the very special season 50 cast.

In addition to these two seasons of Survivor, Mike also competed on The Amazing Race twice and was in an episode of The Dog Whisperer. Clearly, the guy loves reality TV, and even though he’s the creator of one of the most popular and prestigious shows of all time, he’s still going back for more.

“Part of my job and my way of life is studying people and analyzing motivation and character,” Mike said to 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. 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.”

I’m sure the new season of Survivor will provide Mike with plenty of fodder for the new season of The White Lotus and beyond. Here’s the full rundown of the All-Star cast of Survivor season 50.