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Jerri Manthey, Owen Knight, Jesse Lopez, Davie Rickenbacker and Kelly Wenworth all react to the Season 50 cast after not making the cut themselves, while Boston Rob reveals why he's MIA.
With somewhere over 700 contestants competing on Survivor throughout its 48 seasons on the air so far, there were bound to be some devastating omissions when it came time to cast Season 50 with all returning players.
But for some stars who didn't make the final cut, a few of the names selected for the milestone season are somewhat baffling.
CBS announced the lineup for Season 50 earlier this week, with both former contestants and longtime fans criticizing the network and Jeff Probst for leaning too much into the so-called "New Era" of gamers and gameplay with their choices.
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One big surprise was the lack of "Boston Rob" Mariano, considered by many to be one of the best players of all time. He, of course, has already played the game five times and, according to a statement he posted Friday morning, that's enough for him.
"Wow!!! I got all of your DMs and messages so so many thank you all!! ♥️ But literally don't be mad @survivorcbs and @jeffprobst early on they called and asked ... I just felt like I have played so many times and I am truly fulfilled with my Survivor Journey," he wrote.
"I wanted my spot to go to someone else that deserved another chance!" he continued. "I've gotten so much out of Survivor. it will always be a part of who I am! I’m eternally grateful. Like I said ..It's gonna be OK. I feel like something good is coming!!!🔥 #Survivor50"
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Jerri Manthey -- one of the show's first villains from Season 2, who returned for both Survivor: All-Stars and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains -- posted a video in which she appeared to be disappointed ahead of the cast announcement. She captioned the post, "SURVIVOR SEASON 50 #nuffsaid."
In the comments, favorite and Season 44 star Carolyn Wiger wrote, "You deserved to be there. And yeah I don’t care. I am saying deserved. Because you did." Survivor 47 alum Teeny Chirichillo added, "Shaking my head with you. You’re a legend Jerri ♥️" -- before Season 48's Mary Zheng wrote, "you will always be too good for them 🌸"
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Season 29 alum Kelly Wentworth -- who later competed on Survivor: Cambodia, and Survivor: Edge of Extinction -- also reacted to the cast with some disappointment.
"Sorry, it’s too 46/48/49 heavy," she wrote, complaining about the New Era contestants.
"I am happy for everyone that gets to play this amazing game again and I'm sure they will play their hearts out. But recency bias strikes again and I would be fine with that, EXCEPT for the way we were sold this season as being a celebration of FIFTY seasons," she continued. "I just don't feel that vibe at all from this. I'm still a Survivor fan. I'm still gonna watch. And yes, I'm still gonna be a sassy social media critic."
"Snubbing the 20s [seasons] completely but adding five people from the last two seasons when this is meant to be a *celebration* of the entire series is wild work," she added in an Instagram Story. "Should have let the fans vote on the cast."
Manthey commented on Kelly's post, sharing, "thank you... and yes.. it makes NO SENSE and it doesnt feel like a celebration whatsoever."
"And dont get me started on WHY Colby and not me..??" she continued, referring to fellow Season 2 star -- and runner-up -- Colby Donaldson, who is back. "can you IMAGINE.... Abi Maria and i on the same season???? OMG. Rob C.... is a true legend as well... not okay. Penner? are you kidding? seriously one of the best.... THANK YOU for your words of support and your mention. I love you. :)"
Over on X, Season 43's Owen Knight said that while he was "happy for my friends who made it" and "sad for my friends who didn't," he added the overall list left him "confused."
"Confused by the amalgamation of true legends, legends we don't need to see again, winners, and people we don't know yet. 1 from 41-44 and 11 from 45-49 is wild," he said. "Sad there's little Asian rep. We’ll see ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"
He concluded, "No offense to the 49 people but it’s literally impossible for us to be excited about them when Jesse, Omar, Rob C, Sean Rector, Malcolm, Carolyn, Shan, Frannie, Jerri, Abi, Amanda, etc are sitting at home."
One of those names, Jesse Lopez, also shared his disappointment after previously confirming he wouldn't be back.
"To be real, it stings," he posted to X this week. "But my kids still run around telling people I'm a Survivor all star with or without 50. Gonna keep doing shit to impress my kids & get that money baby!"
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Season 37's Davie Rickenbacker also took to social media to confirm he "got cut" from the final list.
"And yeah, that s--t sucks, I'm sad" he said in an Instagram video, sharing that he's in therapy and his therapist advised him to "take a break from it all."
"Yes. I'm still in therapy because of this bulls--t. That's what I've decided to do. It's been seven years since my stint on reality TV, made it to the final round and I'm tired of these hoes playing with me," he added with a laugh. "All I really wanted was to return and play in the 50 percent BIPOC era on a level playing field, all that we worked for."
He added that he's "really envious" of the crew who made it.
Meanwhile, watch Carolyn's reaction to the final cast below:
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