With 24 returning players, the cast of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” is larger than any other the long-running reality competition series has seen during its 26-year tenure on CBS.
While the record-breaking line-up includes franchise legends like Cirie Fields and Ozzy Lusth, as well as “New Era” champions like Dee Valladares, Kyle Fraser and Savannah Louie, few fans have been entirely pleased with how the finalized cast stacked up against their expectations.
Notable exclusions from the cast, which was designed to encompass the overarching legacy of “Survivor”s last 49 seasons, included iconic castaways like Parvati Shallow, “Boston Rob” Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine, as well as fan favorite players like Carolyn Wiger, Jerri Manthey, and “Survivor: China” finalist Amanda Kimmel.
In the run-up to Season 50’s premiere, longtime “Survivor” host Jeff Probst spoke at length about productions’ reasoning for excluding players like Shallow and Mariano – citing their participation in the franchise’s last returning-players season, “Winners at War” – as well as the “grueling” casting process that left former castaways like Wiger and Manthey on the cutting room floor.
Now, with less than two weeks left until the golden anniversary season makes its historic three-hour CBS debut on Wednesday, February 25, Probst has revealed that Amanda Kimmel actually was invited to compete on Season 50, but ultimately turned down the offer to return.
Amanda Kimmel Declined Season 50 Return Due to ‘Scheduling Issue,’ Says Probst
CBS/GettyAmanda Kimmel made her “Survivor” debut on the cast of “Survivor: China” in 2007, dominating the season alongside her ride-or-die ally, Todd Herzog, who ultimately defeated her and fellow finalist Courtney Yates in a 4-2-1 Final Tribal Council vote.
Kimmel returned to the competition the following year, joining castaways like Parvati Shallow, Cirie Fields, Natalie Bolton and Alexis Jones in forming one of the most notorious all-female alliances the series has ever seen: The infamous Black Widow Brigade.
After picking off their male competitors one by one, Amanda once again found herself sitting at Final Tribal Council, this time next to Parvati, who ultimately defeated Kimmel in a 5-3 vote.
Most recently, Kimmel joined the cast of 2010’s “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.” As a member of the “Heroes” tribe, Amanda was able to secure power in the tribe by allying herself with returning “Survivor: Tocantins” champion J.T. Thomas. When J.T. was targeted by the “Villains” tribe at the Merge, however, she spent the rest of the season scrambling for power and safety.
Ultimately, Kimmel finished the all-star season in ninth place, having her torch snuffed by Probst for the first time in her 100+ day “Survivor” career.
According to the host/executive producer, Kimmel’s impressive legacy meant that she was at the top of everybody’s list when it came to casting “Survivor 50.”
“Everybody wanted [her] back. We wanted her back,” Probst told TVLine in the days before filming began last summer. “We asked her to play. She wanted to play, but it was a scheduling issue and she couldn’t do it.”
‘Coach’ Wade Claims Kimmel Dropped Out Because of Ex-Boyfriend Ozzy Lusth
GettyWhile Amanda herself has yet to confirm or deny the host’s claims that she turned down the spot due to a so-called “scheduling conflict,” Season 50 castaway Benjamin “Coach” Wade offered an alternative explanation for Kimmel’s absence from the anniversary installment.
In a new interview on Rob Cesternino’s “Rob Has a Podcast,” Wade reported that Kimmel actually dropped out of the season to avoid competing alongside ex-boyfriend Ozzy Lusth.
The pair’s short-lived “showmance” started on the cast of “Survivor: Micronesia.” While they confirmed at the season’s 2008 live finale that they were still together, their relationship ended shortly thereafter, with Lusth reporting in a 2021 interview on the “Drop Your Buffs” podcast that he’d actually had a girlfriend back home while filming the season.
Despite the indiscretion, Lusth and Kimmel reportedly dated for “maybe six, eight months” after filming wrapped.
“It just never quite worked,” said Lusth of the relationship. “The passion of the island, the jungle love, the fighting out way for a million dollars was amazing, and I just didn’t see our personalities sync up correctly. It didn’t end up working out.”
While Ozzy was able to admit his faults in the relationship, it seems the fling is still a sore spot for Amanda, who reportedly backed out of the “Survivor 50” cast after realizing that production was dead-set on casting Lusth.
“[Production] wanted to choose someone else over Amanda,” claimed Coach on Cesternino’s podcast earlier this week. While he didn’t name Lusth specifically, the suggestion is clear.
What’s the REAL Reason Amanda Kimmel Said ‘No’ to Season 50 Return?
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Of the “old-school” players returning for the landmark season, only Ozzy, Coach, Cirie Fields, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick and Colby Donaldson have played the game with Kimmel on a previous season.
While Amanda’s relationships with Stephenie and Colby – who similarly competed on the “Heroes” tribe on “Heroes vs. Villains” – are non-descript, her friendships with Coach and Cirie are more notable.
Kimmel and Fields were both integral members of the Black Widow Brigade alliance on “Micronesia.” Meanwhile, Kimmel and Coach were both members of “The Dragonz,” an impromptu rock band formed by a portion of the “Heroes vs. Villains” jury. The band similarly included both Courtney Yates and J.T. Thomas.
By process of elimination, Coach is almost certainly referring to Lusth, Kimmel’s only remaining “Survivor” connection on the Season 50 cast, and the only one with whom she has bad blood.
At present, Amanda has not commented on the exact reason she declined a spot in the upcoming competition, leaving fans to speculate; Was it really a scheduling issue that pushed Kimmel out of the finalized Season 50 cast? Or, was it her disinterest in reuniting with Ozzy that kept her from returning for what would’ve been her fourth “Survivor” appearance?
For now, the answer will remain a mystery.
Fans can catch the historic three-hour premiere episode of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” when it airs on Wednesday, February 25 at 8:00pm ET, exclusively on CBS.
