Survivor recently ended its 40th season entitled Winners at War, which saw the series’ prior winners return to vie for a $2 million prize. Among the champions to compete were some veterans of the game, including Boston Rob Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine. After an exhausting season and retirement claims, we're still left with a question: are the contestants who said they are retiring actually retired? Jeff Probst weighed in.
Ahead of Survivor’s latest season, Boston Rob Mariano declared that he would be retiring from the game, but have fans of the CBS series actually seen the last of the contestants that feel their time is over? Tribal Council builder extraordinaire and Survivor host, Jeff Probst has some thoughts and, when asked if there are contestants he would like to see back, he said:
Season 40 was so emotional and so draining that I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of those who retired might reconsider a year or two down the road. I know some of them are done for good, but I think there might be a little bit of hope for someone like Jeremy [Collins], Tyson [Apostol], Natalie or Sarah. Honestly, I'd take any of them back. These are the best of the best!
Unfortunately, Jeff Probst didn't really get into specifics when discussing retired competitors with ET. Still, it's nice to see that he did express hope for Jeremy Collins, Tyson Apostol, Natalie Anderson, and Sarah Lacina, to make potential comebacks. It's also important to note that Natalie was Season 40’s, runner-up.
Tony Vlachos ended up winning the Survivor season despite his disappointment in the finale’s voting. The fact that Jeff Probst looking to Tony’s runner-up and four other contestants for a potential return down the line is promising, but will the Edge of Extinction be extinct by the time they make this hoped-for comeback? We'll have to wait and see, but some are already eager to see it go.
Regardless of whether those players come back or not, it seems as though Boston Rob could be calling it for real. After so many seasons on Survivor, Winners at War may just be the season to end all Boston Rob seasons. Jeff Probst didn't seem to understand why no one voted him off earlier in the season. However, what appeared to be some kind of immunity did not lead to the purported retiree winning.
Meanwhile, fellow Survivor veteran and winner twice-over, Sandra Diaz-Twine, decided to end her run this past season, leaving the Edge of Extinction after getting voted off the island. Jeff Probst was complimentary of Sandra’s decision and her legacy on the show. Was Winners at War the last season for Sandra? Time will tell for sure.
If everyone that Jeff Probst wanted back actually returned for another round of Survivor, does that mean another all-star season could be ahead? Probst’s comments certainly do not do away with the possibility. Survivor’s host has had high praise for Winners at War, calling it the “best season” of the series’ run.
It would make sense if Jeff Probst wanted to see another season along the lines of Winners at War. Doing so could actually entire some of those retirees to actually return. Survivor has a way of reeling those who have “survived” back in, so it would not be surprising if the series manages it.
Survivor will be back with new seasons on CBS at a later time and date. While you wait for the reality competition’s return, you can check out this summer’s premieres.
