Mike White is Returning for ‘Survivor 50’ With One Goal: ‘To Create an Exciting Season’ (Exclusive)

Survivor 50 came at the perfect time for Mike White. One of the busiest men in Hollywood had just finished filming Season 3 of The White Lotus when he got the call to go back to a very different island full of twists and deceit. But it’s clear the 54-year-old is still in storyteller mode, something he hopes to weaponize to make sure he’s a character in everyone’s tale. As a Survivor fan first and foremost, Mike’s primary goal seems to be less about his own success, and more about the season’s. So while the months leading up to Season 50 may have been “in the hands of the fans,” now it’s in the writer/director’s hands, and he’s hoping to end with quite the literal money shot.

Read on for my interview with Mike, and check in with Parade daily for interviews with this season’s contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 50 premieres on Feb. 25 with a three-hour episode on CBS.

Survivor 50 interview with Mike White

So I want to start with the fact that you told Jeff, after your first season, no matter what was happening in your life, you would come back to Survivor.
I don’t know about “no matter what.” But I mean, Jeff once was like, “Oh, you’re never coming back.” And I’m like, “You don’t know that! I’ll definitely come back, unless you don’t want me back.”

Suffice it to say, there’s a lot going on in your life right now! So what was your reaction when you were actually given the offer to play again?
Well, first they just kind of said, “Would you be available right now,” which is June of this year. And, I mean, honestly, if they’d said almost any other time in the last five years, it would have been a no. I was like, “Wow, that’s actually the one time I could probably do it.” Because I’m on a kind of a mini-hiatus from White Lotus. And I was like, “I don’t know if I have it in me.” I’m pretty depleted from shooting and doing that show. But I was like, “Maybe this will help me.” I’m a little burned out. So to get away from the show, my show, and immerse myself in something that’s totally different, I mean, just for my own selfish reasons.

Plus, when I heard Christian and Angelina were coming, I’m for sure coming back. I don’t want them to have more fun than me! And also, [it’s] Survivor 50. I mean, I am a genuine watcher from the first episode of the first season. And now it’s part of my life, and Jeff is a friend. I feel like I’m part of a Survivor family, and I feel like it’s cool to be able to participate in it. And so, yeah, I just felt really flattered that they would want me. And obviously I’ve had some, like, anxiety about it. But, obviously, I’m also really stoked.

It’s a family reunion, in a manner of speaking.
iI’s a big deal for the culture. 50, that’s no joke. And especially in this culture where it’s like shows don’t seem to last more than a season. To have this as a perennial kind of constant in the culture is no small thing.

So I know you also did two seasons of The Amazing Race with your dad. Do you feel there’s a different approach to a second season of a show compared to a first season?
I mean, I gotta say the second season of Amazing Race was just a general dumpster fire. I realized very early [that] my dad was not physically up for it. And I had put people on furlough for this show, Enlightened, so I could go on. I’d done a lot to go, and within two days, it was like, “We can’t do this.”

And also, there was just something about it too, which is my fear this time too. When you first are doing it with people who’ve never played before…sometimes when people come back, they lean into the personality they’re supposed to have. And it feels a little more canned or something. So the second season of Amazing Race, it felt more like I was on a reality show than it was like I was getting a chance to play this game I’ve always wanted to play. And my hope is this season of Survivor that I will still feel like, “I’m here. I’m getting to play America’s game, basically, and with people who are really into the game.” And it avoids that feeling of like, “Oh, we’re just America’s Survivors,” like it’s a job or something.

Well, do you think there are people out here who are going to be looking for another job with you? I imagine you’ve thought about people trying to work with you to jockey for a spot on The White Lotus. Is that something you want to steer away from, or wield like a cudgel?
I mean, honestly, being here, I don’t really want to think about White Lotus. I don’t want to talk about White Lotus. I don’t really see myself dangling that. The truth is, I don’t really know what anyone’s perception of me is. So, yeah, maybe people will be nicer to me because of it, or maybe people will have some kind of beef about that or something, or thinking, “Why is he here?” It’s hard to know. If I assume, it’ll probably not be necessarily a bad thing. But I could also see it be like,”We don’t know who to vote for. Oh, Mike doesn’t need the money. Maybe just get rid of him. He’ll be fine.”

Let’s talk about your previous season, specifically how it ended. You’ve talked at length about the fact that you feel you backed down at the final Tribal Council. You felt, given the “David vs. Goliath” theme, if a Goliath had won, your house would be egged. Are you taking a similar narrative approach to this season, considering how many narratives are out here on the island?
I mean, I definitely think that being a storyteller is pretty much my only skill set. I realized last time [that] I’m a pretty useless individual. I can’t catch a fish. I’m not good at building a shelter. I don’t know what plants to eat or not to eat. I don’t know things, because I don’t live in the real world, like this world.

But I also feel like that is a skill on Survivor that actually is helpful. Being able to see people in their narrative, and be able to articulate that, and kind of get in people’s heads about who might be a threat, or what’s an interesting story. Because everybody wants to be the winner of Survivor, but they also want to be the star of the show. And I’ve had so much practice flattering actors and trying to make people feel like they’re the star of the show. And I feel like that’s something that I do know how to do.

You know how to basically pitch, “How can I be a supporting character in your story?”
And compared to David vs. Goliath, which was the story of underdogs versus the heels, I got cast as a Goliath. When I voted out the first person in David vs. Goliath, I cried so bad, because it felt like we’re crushing somebody’s Survivor experience in kind of a nascent stage. I feel like this time, everybody’s had fun. They’ve all done well. They’re now just gluttons getting a second helping at the buffet. And I don’t feel like I’m gonna be about, “Is this the right thing to do?”

I just think that our mission here is to create an exciting season. And I feel like that’s what I want to do. I want to win, but I also feel like winning is my version of winning would be to keep it exciting and then still somehow win it. But keeping it exciting means maybe keeping players in who are to others a huge threat, and somebody that you definitely want to take out. I feel like it’d be fun to sit with Cirie and Ozzy at the end. So that feels like maybe a different strategy than maybe some other people might have.

Well, let’s get into that. We’re gonna play a game called “Friend or Foe.” I’m going to give you a name of someone on the cast, and you have to tell me if they’re someone you want to work with, or someone you see as an enemy or threat. Starting with Jenna.
Friend. I feel like it’d be so fun. I mean, as somebody who watched the first season, it would just be a great story to have her go deep. And she has a vibe where there’s something scattered and goofy about her that I think is funny.

Colby.
Colby, I feel, is a great story. He’d be somebody I’d want to work with, but I also like him. I’m vibing him. He seems maybe a little grumpy, I can’t tell. It’s hard to know when in these things, because he’s a little reserved.

Stephenie.
Stephenie, again, I’m old school. She’s got a cool Survivor story, and she seems like she should be cool to work with.

You mentioned Cirie before as someone possibly in your Final Three plans. Give me your thoughts on her.
She’s the perennial heartbreak of Survivors. I feel like Survivor owes her one. And it feels like these late-game twists have owned her multiple times, and she’s played such great games. So, nothing would make it a better season than to have her somehow pull it off. I think she’s got an uphill battle, but I’m not gonna be the one trying to pull the rug out from under her.

How about Ozzy?
Definitely Friend. Actually, he’s probably the only other person besides Christian and Angelina that I know outside of the game, because he was a manager of a restaurant in LA, so I had struck up a friendship with him. And like Cirie, I feel like he’s had such an interesting journey on Survivor. And I feel like to have him get this at this stage of his life, and it would just be cool.

Coach.
I can sense he’s got a good sense of humor. But he also played a very kind of “honor” [game],  or at least he talks that. So I don’t know. I am loyal, actually. But I don’t really like, “to the end, brother!” [Gesures dramatically.] That kind of stuff.

Aubry.
I would definitely work with her. I don’t think she’s a Foe.

Chrissy.
Chrissy, she has a little bit of a more maternal Angelina vibe. She’s gonna try to run the show in this kind of warm mother way, which I might bristle against. I don’t want a mother out here.

Let’s get into your fellow David vs. Goliath representatives. What’s your take on Angelina?
Angelina is a real friend. She was somebody I went through the entire David vs. Goliath with, Day 1 to Final Tribal Council. She’s like my Survivor girlfriend. So nothing would make me happier than if we would be on the same tribe and go through it again together. So  definitely a Friend. But Angelina only knows one speed. And she’s gonna Angelina, and so I can’t be responsible for her game. If she blows up her own game, that’s on her. I’m not gonna go down with the ship.

Talk to me about Christian. He did vote for you to win, but you also played a large part in his boot.
Has he talked to you? Has he said something? Yeah, Christian and I are friends outside of the game. But yeah, I definitely feel like it would be a great story if he somehow got his revenge on me. I love Christian, and it was never personal. And I feel like I don’t have a lot of friends out here, so I actually see him as a Friend. So it’s nice to see him here. And so I hope, if we’re targets for each other, it’s like, “Keep your friends close, keep your targets closer.” I hope we can at least pretend to work together.

How about Rick?
Rick Devens, I feel like he seems so nice. In this pregame, he’s like a Labrador Retriever. He just constantly wants to make eye contact; he’s smiling. And there’s something about that, like, makes me want to vote him out. Just because I feel like he’s working so hard to [be] this kind of avuncular, harmless dad. But I’m sure if I actually hung out with him, I would like him a lot. I would totally probably be wanting to work with him.

Let’s move into the new era, starting with Jonathan.
Jonathan, I hope he’s on my tribe so we don’t have to go to Tribal Council. I have some weird feeling that I am gonna be on a tribe with him. I don’t know, I just have this intuition that he’s gonna be on my truck. But he seems cool. He’s literally a giant. LIke I got in pretty good shape. I’m in better shape than I was when I came seven years ago. Then I get here, and I’m seeing these guys, and I’m like, “Oh my God.” It’s like if Jack and the Beanstalk was like a biblical story, like a giant Jesus showing up.

[Laughs.] How about Dee?
Dee, I feel like…I don’t know. Especially like the winners of these later seasons. You’ve had your fun; you can go.

Emily.
She seems interesting. I don’t even remember how well she did. I didn’t do full recon, but she has a Ren Faire, like she’s a fair maiden playing a harpsichord, look to her. ​​But was she a good strategist? I don’t even remember. Anyway, I would take her as it comes. If she’s cool, I’m cool.

Charlie.
Charlie definitely seems like “guy who’s the smartest guy in the room” vibe. He’s probably been smart and good at everything. And then he does really well in Survivor, and now he’s gonna come back. So, yeah, he might be somebody that I would probably be okay voting out.

Related: The 50 Best ‘Survivor’ Challenges Ever — According to the People Who Made Them (Exclusive)

Well, you talk about not doing recon. How about someone who is known for playing hide and seek in Q?
Q is the most handsome. He’s so good-looking. I would just keep him around to stare at. He’s also kind of interesting to watch because he’s got a little crazy eyes going on.

Tiffany.
Tiffany seems cool. We’ve been in the same vans this whole week, so I’ve spent a lot of time sitting next to her. She seems cool. I don’t know. I’d like to get to know her.

Genevieve.
Genevieve, I feel like she played such a good game, and so heavily strategic. I feel like I would probably be like, “I’m not a good strategist. Help me.” But something tells me she might have made herself a target because she played such a kind of clinical strategic game that it’d be hard to feel like you could trust her.

Let’s talk about some of the recent faces on our screens. What are your thoughts on Joe?
Joe, I feel like one of these three in this season has to go early. It’s so clear that they all work together. They were just working together. There’s no daylight between the season. So he seems like a great guy, but one or two of those should go.

Does Kamilla fall in that pecking order as well?
Well, Kamilla, it’s funny. Because her vibe here seems like she looks like a girl who’s waiting for her parent to pick her up from school and she’s in detention. She’s not very animated. She looks kind of down. And I’m like, “Wow, you just were the star of the last season.” She looks like, “Wait, what am I doing here?” Like she’s in trouble or something. So I’m curious to get to know what she’s like outside of this pregaming thing. But, I mean, I really liked her on her season. I would work with her.

Kyle.
Kyle would be probably my first vote-out. It’s not even personal. But again, there’s a lot from that season; they have this blood bond. And then he just won? You’ve had your fun. You were just here. You were just on TV, winning. You’re not missing out if you go home.

Any thoughts on the 49 players?
The guy Rizo, he has kind of a “McLovin” vibe. I have a feeling he’s like strangely confident, even though he has kind of a gawky [look]. He’s also very young; he seems like he’s maybe 18 or something. And then Savannah, she seems like maybe a Parvati nesting doll. She looks like she could fit inside Parvati. Like a little Parvati mini me or something, but she seems very poised; she’s very self-contained. And something about that, I think, is interesting.

Which previous player do you wish were out here on the island with you right now?
Well, definitely Richard Hatch, just because it’s like the first season. I mean, if you want to see anybody try to play this new era, it would be Richard Hatch. So, yeah, I guess I wasn’t expecting to see him, but I would have been stoked to see him.

Finally, what celebrity or fictional character would you bring out for a Loved Ones visit? This is an interesting situation for you, because a celebrity could actually be your loved one.
I mean, because she’s my friend, Jennifer Coolidge, I’d probably bring out. Or Molly Shannon. Just because they’re close friends, and also would be so funny to have in this situation and scenario. I almost even asked them, and then I was like, “Nah, they would probably feel like they needed to do it. I wouldn’t want to put them through it.

Would Jen get on the boat?
Jen would probably get on the boat. I don’t know how well she’d get off the boat.

When I spoke to you the day after the David vs. Goliath finale, you talked about playing Survivor to “keep chasing that adventure.” And it’s safe to say you’ve gone on plenty since. So what does it mean for you to embark on a new adventure in a very familiar setting?
I mean, honestly, nobody’s gonna like me to say it. But I feel like I’ve hacked the culture. Because I feel like there’s probably a lot of celebrities or whatever who probably watch Survivor and just be like, “I can’t do that.” And somehow being able to do my creative stuff and be completely engrossed in that, but then also be able to do something like this, I’m such a pawn in someone else’s game. Honestly, I’ve just been feeling so lucky to be here.

And also it’s like you realize, your life is like decorating a house. After some point you like, you realize there’s so many layers of stuff you’ve built up over time. And I guess that’s there’s a satisfaction to that, where you look back, and you’re like, “Wow.” I just keep taking these chances, and then they continue to sort of pay off somehow in some deeper way for me. And coming back here now, it’s obviously an adventure. But also, it’s a weird homecoming too. And because it’s 50, it feels like it’s meaningful to all the people involved. And to be able to participate in that with those people, it’s moving almost.

It’s “In the Hands of the Fans.” So I feel like I owe it to, I don’t know if it’s the fans on Reddit or these message boards, whatever. But I feel like it’s my duty to, yeah, obviously play an interesting way, but also try to keep the people in who are also playing interesting ways, and keep it as exciting as possible for everybody.