One thing that sets Jeff Probst apart from many other celebrities is that he has almost always addressed controversies head-on. However, it can sometimes take him some time to discuss issues that are making viewers upset. The backlash to how Survivor 50: In the Hands of Fans’ casting was handled was a perfect example of that, since Probst has only just truly broken his silence on the subject.
Jeff Probst Finally Responds To Anger Over How ‘Survivor 50’ Was Cast
Photo by Robert Voets/CBS via Getty Images
On May 28, 2025, Jeff Probst announced the majority of the cast for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans. At the time, many fans of the show were aware that several iconic former competitors felt burned by going through being cut from the season.
One example of the fan anger over the cuts is reflected in a r/survivor Subreddit post about what Jerri Manthey had said about being cut from Survivor 50. The second most-upvoted response to that post argued that the team behind the show didn’t deserve to cast her after how Manthey, 55, had been treated. “You know what? Jeff and production don’t deserve her. Put her on The Traitors.”
On January 20, 2026, Vanity Fair published an article after interviewing Probst, 64, about the upcoming season. The reality show host had previously addressed topics related to Survivor 50’s casting, like why Parvati Shallow wasn’t chosen, the “new era” dominance, and how hard the process was. However, he had never really discussed the backlash to how the casting process was handled. After being asked about cut players speaking out about being upset, Probst expressed how much that bothered him.
“It hurts my heart. People think I probably don’t care—that somehow I’m immune from it. No. I’m a deep-feeling person.”
Several Cut ‘Survivor 50’ Players Spoke Out About Their Frustrations
Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic
In March 2025, Cinema Blend reportedon the past stars who were speaking out about being cut from Survivor 50 at that time. That coverage revealed that Carolyn Wiger and Jesse Lopez had both slyly referenced being cut without being explicit. On the other hand, Natalie Tenerelli wrote a lengthy Instagram post about going through the casting process while being a new mother, only to be cut. Spencer Bledsoe, who now goes by his middle name Reiman, didn’t hide being frustrated in an X post he published.
Who else just got cut from season 50?
After being misled into feeling like a lock and then kept on ice since August, I get everyone voicing their rejection. We have lives, @JeffProbst.
I will be producing an episode of my docureality series — to be titled Healing from Survivor…
— Reiman Bledsoe (Spencer Bledsoe) (@reimanbledsoe) March 28, 2025
Of all the cut players who addressed the situation, Jerri Manthey was the most outspoken. Manthey posted a video on Instagram in which she stated that she felt she’d been treated with “utter disrespect” and described how that made her feel.
“I’m devastated as well, as you can imagine. 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?”
The most recent person to discuss being cut from Survivor 50 publicly has been Rob Cesternino. After he was eliminated during The Traitors season 4, Cesternino, 47, spoke about Survivor 50 in a series of interviews. One example of that was when he told Gold Derby that he wanted to be on the landmark season and would still return to Survivor in the future.
“I told them yes to Survivor 50, and I would say yes to go play Survivor again. And I don’t anticipate that happening anytime soon. But, I feel like that would be a very cool full circle way for my reality TV career to go is after all this time to go back to Survivor. But, I’m not going to hold my breath.
