All Survivor Cameos in The White Lotus (So Far)

The White Lotus is, in my view, one of the best shows streaming on Max right now. It’s got everything: class and social divide, political commentary, Survivor contestant cameos… And it’s really that last bit that matters if I’m being real. Here are all of the Survivor cameos we’ve seen in The White Lotus.

Every Survivor Cameo in The White Lotus, Listed

There are a total of five Survivor contestants that have appeared in The White Lotus so far. They don’t take on main roles, and often only appear onscreen for a minute, if that.

Alec Merlino (Season 1)

In The White Lotus Season 1, Alec Merlino played one of the bartenders and hotel staff on the resort. No, he wasn’t the one who engaged in the deeply inappropriate affair with Armond. That was Dillon, played by Lukas Gage. He was the other one, the one who was in charge of finding Olivia and Paula’s bag on the beach.

Kara Kay and Angelina Keeley (Season 2)

Kara Kay and Angelina Keeley appeared in the very first scene of the first episode in The White Lotus Season 2. When Daphne sits at the beach ready to suntan, she talks to two women sitting next to her, and they briefly chat about their holidays. Those two women are none other than Mike White’s fellow alums from Survivor 37: David vs. Goliath.

Natalie Cole and Carl Bordreaux (Season 3)

At the time of writing, The White Lotus Season 3 hasn’t aired, but we’ve already gotten confirmation of who the new Survivor cameos will be. This season, we’re getting Natalie Cole and Carl Bordreaux, both big characters in David vs. Goliath.

Natalie may have been a fairly early boot, but she was remembered as one of the toughest and coldest competitors that season, infamously ignoring Angelina who asked for her jacket just as she was getting voted out. Carl, on the other hand, may have started the season as a rather meek and quiet player, but quickly emerged as a mafia boss-style character who took control of his alliance once things swung in their favor.

Why Are There Survivor Contestants in The White Lotus?

Oh I almost forgot. I suppose there’s a chance you might be wondering what the heck these ex-Survivor players are even doing on The White Lotus in the first place.

Series creator Mike White was actually a contestant himself on Survivor 37: David vs. Goliath. What probably started out as just him giving his fellow castaway Alec Merlino a quick acting gig on his new show evolved into a bit of a running gag among the Survivor community once Angelina and Kara entered the fray. The joke now is that Mike White is trying to feature all of his DvG alums on The White Lotus, and we’ll get as many seasons of the show as it takes to make that happen.

Look, it’s not impossible. We’re five down and only 14 more to go if we exclude White himself.

And those are all of the Survivor cameos in The White Lotus so far.