Latest news with #Survivor
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Boston Rob reveals why he turned down 'Survivor 50' casting: 'I have played so many times'
Boston Rob Mariano is taking full responsibility for his absence from the Survivor 50 cast list. The five-time Survivor player and one-time winner posted a lengthy statement to his Instagram on Friday revealing why he turned down a spot on the coveted milestone season's cast list. "Wow!!! I got all of your DM's and messages so so many thank you all!!" Mariano wrote. "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." The legendary player, who was the first to ever hit five seasons on the long-running CBS series, added that he hoped dropping out of season 50 would allow someone else to get another chance at the title of Sole Survivor. "I wanted my spot to go to someone else that deserved another chance!" he wrote. "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!!!" Survivor 50 won't air until 2026, but host and showrunner Probst already announced the full cast on Wednesday. The supersized group of 24 returning players is the series' biggest cast ever, featuring contestants going all the way back to season 1 of Survivor: Borneo (Jenna Lewis-Dougherty) as well as two yet-unnamed competitors from Survivor 49, which just filmed a few weeks ago and will air this fall on CBS. The cast also features two legends competing for the fifth time, Cirie Fields and Ozzy Lusth, tying Mariano's record as the most seasons ever played. Other notable returning players include The White Lotus creator Mike White and recent winners Dee Valladares (Survivor 45) and Kyle Fraser (Survivor 48). Mariano previously told Entertainment Weekly that he was ready to field Survivor 50 alliance requests. "I'm stirring it up on social media like I like to do," he said in 2024. "So slide into the DMs, all you former players, and we'll let you know whether or not you can get in the alliance or not. Actually, talk to my secretary, Sandra [Diaz-Twine]. She's fielding all the requests." However, he previously told EW a few months earlier that he was not open to appearing on the show the way it's currently constructed. "I mean, in what capacity?" he said. "As a contestant playing with everyone else, it just feels like we've been there and we've done that." . He added that he was still down to appear on the show either in a mentor role again (as he appeared on the Island of the Idols season) or another way in which he will not be immediately eliminated due to his massive threat level. "I've always said it would take some kind of unique format change to make me go back and compete over there," he said. "Something would have to happen, otherwise we're faced with the same situation where they gang up on me and want to get me out, or keep me around for a little bit, or whatever... I think there would have to be a pretty dynamic format shift to get me excited to get back out there." Mariano also recently competed on Peacock's The Traitors and NBC's Deal or No Deal Island, but came up short of winning either series. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Survivor 'Alum Jerri Manthey Is 'Devastated' She Was Cut from Season 50 All-Star Lineup: 'Utter Disrespect'
Survivor alum Jerri Manthey is sharing her reaction to learning she would not be participating in the franchise's milestone 50th season In a video shared to Instagram, Manthey admitted she felt "disrespected" and "disappointed" that she wasn't cast despite being a recognizable figure in the franchise The television personality revealed that she was done with the franchise and would no longer be watching or participating in future seasons of SurvivorJerri Manthey is saying goodbye to Survivor for good. On May 28, Survivor host and showrunner Jeff Probst unveiled the all-star cast that will be competing in the show's milestone 50th season and Manthey's, 54, name was noticeably absent. Manthey became a household name when she debuted in Survivor season 2 in 2001. Set in the Australian outback, she became the franchise's first true villain and became a standout contestant for her antics. She eventually returned for Survivor: All-Stars, where she was met with boos by the audience during the season's live reunion episode. In a cameo video shared to her Instagram, Manthey shared an in-depth reaction to not being cast in the upcoming season, which will soon start filming and air in early 2026. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jerri Manthey (@jerrimanthey) 'I'm devastated as well, as you can imagine,' she admitted. 'The outpouring of support and encouragement from everybody online has just been so helpful in helping me start the process of healing, but I'm not going to lie: I am pissed, I'm disappointed, I'm sad, and I sometimes am asking that very same question too: How am I going to get through this?' Manthey said she's been "sitting with my own thoughts and processing what happened," and admitted she felt "utter disrespect" for being left out of the moneumental season despite spending the "past 25 years of my life, which is almost half of my life, involved in, supporting, being a part of making an effort to be a part of the Survivor community." The television personality added that she's faced hardships since starring in season two, but through all that she's "sacrificed" and "given up in my life" for the show, she felt "underappreciated" for her efforts. PEOPLE has reached out to CBS for comment. She wondered if her age had anything to do with her casting. 'Being a woman in your 50s is already sometimes difficult enough, because I've always heard the saying that when you get into your 50s, you become irrelevant, nobody notices you anymore, and I can feel that," she said. "And this is actually proof that it is happening.' Since learning of her snub, Manthey admitted that her time on Survivor was officially over. 'My Survivor chapters are closed," she revealed. "It was very clear that what Jeff Probst and [executive producer Matt Van Wagenen] thought was that I should be grateful because I am the only person to experience a three-season character arc. Oh! I should just be so grateful for that. But you know what? You know what's even better than that? Watching someone come full circle." "And that is what I was robbed of," she continued. "That is what was stolen from me. I don't know what else to say other than I just need to figure out a way to get through this.… Personally, I am done watching it. I am not going to watch any of it anymore. I refuse to support a franchise that doesn't support and get behind its pivotal people.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Manthey also clarified that she believed there were other casting mistakes and highlighted a few of Survivor's iconic female contestants that were not included in the upcoming season. 'There are so many amazing women. Not just myself. But other people," she said. "Maria! Maria is an amazing strong woman who was robbed of her win and deserved another chance. Abi-Maria! Can you imagine if Abi-Maria and I were on the same season? That would be epic. Karla! Karla is another one. If you want to go new era, get the women who kicked f---ing ass!" "Come on! This is so upsetting! Not just because I am not on it, but because who is and who isn't," she added. Read the original article on People
West Australian
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
You'll have to wait for more of The White Lotus, creator Mike White is competing on Survivor first
When The White Lotus wrapped up its third season in April, its creator Mike White gave an interview in which he talked about the pressure to start pre-production for a fourth season. 'We were supposed to start scouting in April, and I was like, 'You guys, I haven't been home in three years',' he told The Hollywood Reporter. Maybe White doesn't like to be home, because the writer and director has just joined the 50th season of Survivor as a contestant, which is sure to pack him off to some locale far from Los Angeles. It might seem like a surprising and rogue move, but it's actually classic White. He competed on the show's 37th season, and was runner-up, and with his dad Mel was twice on The Amazing Race, in 2009 and 2011. The man loves reality TV. Survivor host Jeff Probst announced White's casting on CBS Mornings, revealing, 'Mike, after he finished playing, said, 'I want to play again'. 'When The White Lotus hit, and I thought, 'Well, he'll never play again'. But he kept texting and saying, 'Look, I'm serious. If you ever do anything where you have returning players, I want to play again'. So, we're happy to have Mike.' As you can glean from his spiky, uncomfortable and comedy-forward shows and movies, White is not a conventional Hollywood type. Who else could've gone from a writers room to a Survivor set, and come in second place? When he joined Survivor in 2018, he already had a successful career with credits on Dawson's Creek, Freaks and Geeks, created Enlightened and wrote the screenplays for School of Rock, Beatriz at Dinner, and a raft of other comedies. In 2021, he recalled to The New Yorker when he joined The Amazing Race for the first time. 'I remember I was at a party at Courteney Cox's house – I'm not really good friends with her, but I was there. And I was just about to go on Amazing Race, and Jennifer Aniston was there, and I was so proud and excited. 'I was like, 'I'm going on Amazing Race with my dad'. I could see Jennifer Aniston's eyes being like, 'Why the f—k'. That's not anything that anyone aspire to, to be a reality contestant.' On that season of Amazing Race, the 18th, White and dad Mel finished sixth when they were eliminated on a leg in Thailand. White said one of his initial hesitations about shooting the third season of The White Lotus there was because of those elimination memories from Amazing Race. The pair returned two years later but was eliminated on the third leg and finished in 10th. Like White, Mel was also a writer but his involvement in the performing arts was different. He was a prominent clergyman in the Evangelical movement and had written and ghost-written projects for the likes of conservative firebrands Pat Robertson, Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell. In 1993, Mel came out publicly as gay and published a memoir, Stranger at the Gate: To Be Gay and Christian in America, but was essentially cut off by his former friends in the church. Because of his family history, White grew up attending Christian churches and camps, but turned to eastern philosophies, which he put to use in The White Lotus, during a stressful period while showrunning his series, Cracking Up in the mid-2000s. A devoted Survivor fan – '(It's) the only show I really devotedly watch' – White looks to the drama of Survivor to fuel his own TV writing. He told The New Yorker in 2021, 'Part of my job and my way of life is studying people and analysing motivation and character. 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. '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 sh-t and capture your attention.' With another season of Survivor soon-to-be under his belt, White will have plenty of more inspiration for the next season of The White Lotus.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Boston Rob Turned Down ‘Survivor 50' Offer Because ‘I Wanted My Spot to Go to Someone Who Deserved Another Chance,' Tells Fans: ‘Don't Be Mad'
'Survivor' announced its cast this week for the show's 50th season, but not every fan was too pleased with who got invited to come back. While the return of 'The White Lotus' creator Mike White and fan favorites like Cirie Fields and Ozzy Lusth generated excitement, the omission of iconic players like Rob Mariano (aka Boston Rob), Parvati Shallow and more left many fans scratching their heads as they wondered why so many players from older seasons of 'Survivor' were not included. Boston Rob, whose reality show career has flourished in recent years with appearances on 'The Traitors' and more, has now taken to Instagram to explain his absence from 'Survivor 50.' It turns out the show did ask him to return, but he made the decision to opt out in order to give other players their chance to return to the 'Survivor' spotlight. More from Variety 'Survivor 49' Cast Includes 'Black Panther' Producer and Former Marvel Exec Nate Moore Jeff Probst on Why He Worried 'Survivor' Was 'Doomed' After Season 1, What Season 50 Gameplay He Hopes Fans Vote For and Whether a Live Finale Could Return Jeff Probst's First-Ever Tears on Air Bring 'Survivor' to a Season High of 4.5 Million Viewers 'Wow!!! I got all of your DM's and messages so so many thank you all!! But literally don't be mad,' Boston Rob wrote in a message to fans. ''Survivor' and Jeff Probst 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. I wanted my spot to go to someone else that deserved another chance!' 'I've gotten so much out of 'Survivor,'' he added. '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!!!' Boston Rob is one of 'Survivor's' most prolific contestants and the only one to compete on five seasons of the show. He debuted in Season 4, 'Survivor: Marquesas,' and placed 10th, before returning for the first time in Season 8's 'Survivor: All-Stars' and being the runner-up. He appeared on 'Survivors: Heroes vs. Villains' (13th place) and won 'Survivor: Redemption' before serving as a mentor on 'Survivor: Island.' His last appearance on the show was Season 40, 'Survivor: Winners at War.' 'Survivor 50' will feature 24 returning players and will premiere on CBS in Spring 2026. The milestone anniversary season promises to 'push the series into uncharted territory and impact the players like never before.' For the first time, the game is also being planned by the fans. Earlier this year, fans were able to vote on key elements of the game, including on whether there will be idols, whether fire making will remain and whether the live finale and reunion show will return in Los Angeles. The 'Survivor 50' contestants will compete for a $1 million cash prize. See the full 'Survivor 50' cast here. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Boston Rob Mariano (@bostonrobmariano) Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
New York Post
13 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
Inside the seven-figure business of proxy betting in Las Vegas
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information. So, you want to be a pro sports bettor. The place to be, then, is Las Vegas. NFL season contests such as Circa Survivor, Circa Millions and Westgate Super Contest offer massive paydays — upwards of $6 million — at buy-in rates of $1,000, as the world's top professional bettors compete for bragging rights on top of big money. 'This is the crown achievement as a bettor to show you are the best,' Matty Simo, a founder at Football Contest Proxy, told The Post. 3 Big money is on the line at these Vegas contests. Getty Images Beneath all of the glitz and glamour of the contests, which include dreams of winning big and competing with some of the sharpest bettors, are the runners who make their picks at the counter of a Vegas betting operation. At Circa Sportsbook, picks need to be made at the counter, meaning the bettor needs to be in town. Even with the advent of smartphones and the growth of mobile sports betting, what seems like an easy task isn't readily available, paving the way for a whole different option. Proxy businesses have popped up throughout Sin City, allowing bettors to pay a fee — usually between $200 and $300 per season — to go to Circa, Westgate or other sportsbooks to make Survivor or against the spread picks each week. The odd ecosystem is worth in the seven-figure range each season. 'Twenty years ago, we only had 12 clients,' co-founder Toni Law said. 'Now, we have 3,000 and growing each year.' 3 Maxx Crosby stands at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Getty Images Participants need to be in Las Vegas to sign paperwork at the sportsbook for their desired tournament and then give permission to the proxy service to make picks on their behalf. The Circa Survivor contest had 13,000 entries last year, a total only expected to rise in 2025. It's not always easy, however, with non-football life happenings getting in the way at times. Betting on the NFL? During the COVID-affected 2020 season, bettors missed entries or didn't get what they were expecting as the virus wreaked havoc on NFL players and bettors, with spreads sometimes moving as much as six points in either direction. 'Wonky things happen sometimes,' Simo said. 'There are thousands of emails, tickets go in, picks are made, and it's a grueling schedule.' The fee for making picks varies by day of submission, with Saturday being the most expensive day for proxy picks, but also giving the player the most time to make a decision. 3 Jalen Hurts and the Eagles won the Super Bowl. AFP via Getty Images The schedule is through holidays, and oftentimes on Thanksgiving the casino treats the large set of Thursday and Friday games as it's own week, making it an even busier time for the proxy services. The 2025-26 football season should be a landmark one for the contest goers, as Circa announced a new contest for extreme sharps, with a $100,000 buy-in that guarantees a minimum $1.5 million prize pool. The Post's Doug Kezirian placed 14th in the 2023 Circa Million, among other strong finishes in the vast sports betting tournaments. Why Trust New York Post Betting Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he's showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
