Why Elisabeth Hasselbeck will never return to ‘Survivor’ after Season 50 rumors
Elisabeth Hasselbeck insisted that she’ll never leave her family to play “Survivor” again.
The former “View” co-host appeared on the talk show’s companion podcast, “Behind the Table,” on Wednesday and revealed if “Survivor” producers have asked her to return to the CBS competition series.
“They have,” the 48-year-old told “The View” producer Brian Teta.
But Hasselbeck, who appeared on “Survivor: The Australian Outback” in 2001, has always turned down a second chance offer.
“Solid no. Solid no, every single time,” she shared.
Teta then asked Hasselback if she got the call for “Survivor 50,” which features 24 returning players including fellow Season 2 alum Colby Donaldson.
“I think maybe there was an indirect ask,” the conservative commentator explained. “I think they had known… I had trained them to know.”
“I don’t think I could leave the kids,” she added. “I barely want to miss a game today that I know is going on.”
Hasselbeck shares daughter Grace, 20 and sons Taylor, 18, and Isaiah, 16, with her husband, former NFL pro Tim Hasselbeck.
Hasselbeck was 23 years old when she became America’s sweetheart from her fourth-place finish on “Survivor.”
She got cast on “The View” in 2003 and served on the panel in 2013. She returned to the show this week as a guest co-host, replacing fellow Republican Alyssa Farrah Griffin, who is on maternity leave.
Last May, Hasselbeck took to social media to shut down rumors that she was going on “Survivor 50.”
“No, I’m not doing ‘Survivor,’” she said in a video with her pool in the background. “That is funny though. I’m not doing that. I’m gonna be back there with, like, snacks instead.”
“I’ll be gardening … and working on some fun projects which I’ll tell you about, but it does not include Fiji or ‘Survivor,’” Hasselbeck continued. “I’m not doing that. I wanna be with my family and a burger in the backyard.”
On “Behind the Table,” Hasselbeck explained that being a “Survivor” castmate gave her “great training ground” for “The View.”
“What better preparation than 39 out of 41 days in the Australian Outback with nine out of the ten deadliest snakes, than for the prep that you’ll need to get at the table at ‘The View’ and debate hot topics everyday for ten years,” she said with a laugh.
“I think ‘Survivor’ did me well for that,” she added.
Become a Page Six Hollywood Insider for the best stories, commentary and analysis in the business of entertainment.
Daily newsletters, weekly podcasts and exclusive events will bring you all you need to know to stay in the know.
Hasselbeck also recalled only having “two skills” before landing in Australia for the adventure of a lifetime.
“I had nothing. I didn’t camp, I didn’t know anything,” she explained.
“I was on the plane ride to ‘Survivor,’ I took out my shoelaces and practiced tying knots,” she remembered. “I had a book. I learned how to fish from a book and tie knots, which was our structural support.”
