‘White Lotus’ Creator Mike White Wants to Get Rowdy and Mischievous in His ‘Survivor’ Return

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Mike White is returning to Survivor — ready to outwit, outplay and quietly observe the chaos like it’s an episode of The White Lotus. The Emmy-winning creator of HBO’s acclaimed drama, who finished second on Survivor: David vs. Goliath back in 2018, returns for the franchise’s milestone 50th season premiering on Feb. 25 — trading in the Hollywood lifestyle for Fiji’s beaches, bamboo shelters — and another shot at the game he has always treated as both competition and character study, inspiring White Lotus.

The Hollywood Reporter caught up with White three days before the season began filming to discuss what drew him back to the island, while also revealing the former winner he was surprised didn’t make the cut and why dangling a White Lotus cameo is a dangerous strategy inside the game.

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So Mike, why did you decide to play Survivor again?

Survivor 50 is such a cultural milestone for anyone who has ever loved Survivorplayed Survivor or made Survivor. So I feel very honored to have received the Golden Ticket, the exclusive invitation. If it happened any other time in the last five years, I don’t think I would have been able to do it. But it just happened to land in a good, sweet spot for me. So it felt like maybe this is just what the doctor ordered.

Was there any hesitation on returning? Your work schedule is pretty full and your level of fame since you were last here has skyrocketed.

I’ve had more hesitation just about being depleted from my day job and this [waiting for the game to start] is all very taxing but it’s also so fun. So I’ve definitely had moments, especially in the last couple of days, where I’m like, “What am I doing?” But I’m definitely stoked to be here.

This is your second go around. What’s going to be different for you this time?

The first time I played, I wanted to have a great experience. I was afraid I’d get voted out early. This time around, I’ve already had the great Survivor experience so I’m feeling less fearful. I feel like I can swing from the hip a little more and just play loose.

Honestly, I feel like I might play more of a rowdy game. Unless I win, I can’t do better than I did last time, so it’s going to be hard to top my last season. I just want it to be an iconic season so I feel like I have some power here. It’s in the hands of a fan so I’m going to do my best.

Who do you hope to work with? You were on a season with Angelina and Christian so do you want to work with them again or are there other people you’re looking to connect with?

I definitely want to work with Angelina and Christian because I don’t know that many people but I have a feeling we’re going to be on different tribes. I feel like I’m more likely to work with some of the old school people as they’re more my age and I’ve been a fan for so long that I’d love to see those people go deep. Ozzy, Cirie, Coach for sure. I’m excited to play with those guys.

When you think of your game, who do you see as your biggest threats?

It’s hard to know off the bat, you kind of have to vibe people out but I feel that some people might feel like “What’s this guy doing here?” or think of me as some kind of wild card. Some people might be trophy hunting and I’d be a good head to put on the mantle. So maybe a guy like Charlie who it seems like thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room. I could see him trying to go for me.

[Editor’s note: Here’s what Charlie said about Mike during his pregame interview, “Who wouldn’t want to work with the famous Mike White? He seems like a really cool guy. I’m hopefully looking forward to the opportunity to get to know him.”]

On a scale of 1-10 what do you think your perceived threat level is and how do you manage that?

On a scale of 1-10 I’d say, an 8. There are other players that have played more aggressive and tricky, that are more impressive in a way. Everybody comes with a good resume. But I think most people think of me as affable but a stealthy strategist, as I had a lot of moves near the end of the game. I feel like that’s kind of going to be my MO this time. I don’t plan to come out guns blazing, I don’t feel with my background and personality that would be the right move.

Who do you think has the biggest target on their back entering the game?

Anyone who if they made it to the end, they would automatically win. Someone like Cirie or Ozzy, someone who has played the game a bunch of times. It would be such a great story and it would be hard for a lot of players to compete with them if they sat at the end with them.

What person/player did you think would be here but is not and it kind of surprised you?

Somebody that I felt should be here is Richard Hatch. It just feels like Season 50, you gotta bring back the guy that originally won. It would be so fun to watch him play now in this New Era and see what kind of player he would be. I’m kind of disappointed he’s not here.

As with any season with a returning cast there’s history between many of the players. How do you use those relationships to your advantage?

Having relationships that precede the game can obviously be a benefit but can also be a hindrance. Sometimes you can make promises you can’t keep. And a lot of emotion can come into play when you have strong friendships here.

For my game, I feel like it’s better for me to be perceived as someone who can play with anyone and not locked into some lifelong alliance. So I feel like I’m going to try to float a little bit.

What’s your strategy to win as of this moment, before the game starts?

I’m definitely here to have fun. I want to play a mischievous game. But I feel like it’s better for me, especially at the very beginning, to not seem like a power player. To feel like I’m everybody’s friend, kind of a fan of everyone, that I could be a number for anyone, and not too locked into some big alliance.

I already have kind of a high profile. When the show got announced we’re all in our rooms and a lot of it (news stories) was about me and I’m like, “Oh, this is not gonna help my game.” The hope is to put the spotlight on other people at the beginning.

That’s a good point. Your name came up a little bit (when the cast was announced).

I was kind of hoping they were going to announce the cast after they took away our phones and TVs.

You’ve joked about wanting to produce a season of Survivor and you’ve made suggestions about gameplay to Jeff in the past. Is that something you’d still want to do in the future?

As far as giving suggestions, since I am back in the mix for the show that stopped happening. I don’t talk to Jeff anymore about what should happen on the seasons. I’m excited to see what they come up with this time. But yeah, it would be a dream to curate the show.

But it’s one of those things where everybody’s an armchair quarterback. It’s easier said than done. Had I been running this show for the last 50 seasons I’d have run it into the ground a long time ago. Hats off to these guys. It’s a fantasy and it would be fun to curate a season but I’m definitely humbled coming here and seeing them in action and I realize just how amazing this group of producers and crew are and what they pull off every season.

Given the success of The White Lotus, and the fact that a few former Survivor players have made cameos, do you think that might help ingratiate you with other players or could it backfire and come off as a hack?

I’m definitely not going to be walking around dangling that. It was never about that. The people I put in the show are friends. It’s fun now as a tradition to try and pop a few Survivor cameos in there. But if the thought of it helps me that’s great. I do think I’m a douche if I’m the Hollywood producer being like, “Don’t vote me out or you won’t get that White Lotus cameo.”

What would it mean to you to win season 50?

It would be surreal. It’s already kind of like a weird, dream come true to have played Survivor but to be a part of this kind of monumental season, I feel like I’m really in the Survivor family. So to win would be almost too much. People would come to my house and burn it down I think.

Time for some rapid fire questions. Just say whatever the first thing is that pops into your head. What is a life lesson you took away from your time as a survivor player?

That I’m pretty useless in this world. I’m not good at making fires. I don’t know which plants to eat. I don’t know how to catch a fish and yet somehow I made it to the end.

What does that tell you about yourself, do you think?

I think the essence of the game is how to get what you want. I mean, and then there’s obviously some twists and stuff. You can find some idols that give you some help along the way, but I think you realize that the people who are good at figuring out how to get what they want are the ones who seem to succeed.

What’s the hardest part of playing Survivor that nobody talks about?

The hardest part is anything that doesn’t have the cameras on you. That’s my opinion. So when the cameras are on me, I feel like it’s like, okay, I’m bored, I’m hungry, but I’m suffering for America. I’m suffering for entertainment. There’s somebody who’s watching and cares just because of the nature of the camera. So it’s like the moments where you’re sitting in the tent before you have a challenge and you’re just like wet and dirty and nobody’s looking at you and nobody cares. And you’re like, “This sucks.”

Which Survivor player are you closest to?

Probably Angelina, just because we went through our first season, we literally were there from beginning to end. We started on the same tribe. We tribe swapped together. We were at the merge until the very end. So I feel like we have this kind of connection that is, yeah, I don’t have with anyone else in this world.

The last Survivor player you texted or called before you came out?

I texted with Kara Kay from my season.

What casting advice would you give to someone who wants to play Survivor?

My sense is they want likable people now. So I think leaning in toward your likability is helpful and then just being as authentically and specifically you. You know what I mean? It’s like you don’t want to be a carbon copy of someone else. You want to be uniquely you. The things that make you stand out as a specific type of person, and even if those qualities are not necessarily things that you think would be attractive to casting, but if it’s very unique to you, then I think that that helps.

Who’s on your Survivor Mount Rushmore?

Boston Rob. I would put Sandra, Poverty, Tony. I mean, these are the obvious ones. As for the players here, like Ozzy, Siri, Coach for sure. Excited to play with those guys.

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Ssurvivor 50 begins with a three-hour premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 8 pm on CBS, streaming on Paramount+. See how the cast is divided into their tribes here.