UPDATE (05/27/2025 at 3:15 p.m. ET): Survivor Season 2 alum Elisabeth Hasselbeck has confirmed that she won’t be part of the Survivor 50 cast. The full cast will be announced by CBS on Wednesday, May 28, on CBS Mornings.
Hasselbeck finished in fourth place in Survivor: The Australian Outback back in 2001. She went on to become a cohost of The View from 2003-2019 and Fox & Friends from 2013-2015. Hasselbeck responded to fan questions about her potentially returning to the reality competition show on Instagram stories this past weekend.
“No, I’m not doing Survivor. That is funny though. I’m not doing that. I’m gonna be back there with, like, snacks instead,” Hasselbeck wrote on her story over Memorial Day weekend 2025 in a post that has since expired. She panned the camera around to show her backyard and said, “I’ll be gardening … and working on some fun projects which I’ll tell you about, but it does not include Fiji or Survivor. I’m not doing that. I want to be with my family and a burger in the backyard.”
ORIGINAL STORY (05/05/2025 at 3:37 p.m. ET): With Season 50 of Survivor set to feature returning players from the past 49 installments of the show, fans are anxiously waiting for the cast list. Rumors about who will be headed to Fiji to participate have flooded the internet for weeks, and one name that’s been tossed around is Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
Hasselbeck was just 23 years old when she came in fourth place on Season 2 of Survivor in 2001 (the show was filmed at the end of 2000). Now, 25 years later, there are rumors she could be returning to the game that started it all before she became even more well-known for The View and Fox & Friends.
The rumor mill began churning after Hasselbeck did an interview with All Winners Survivor in March and spoke about the impact the show had on her life. “I think Survivor was a pivotal point just in my faith. I sort of thought I had it figured out enough, and I think when you’re without your comforts … though I knew it was finite, I went there really searching for what I was made of,” she shared. She also played coy when the subject came up during another interview a few weeks later.
Brad Gerhard/TV Guide/©CBS/Courtesy: Everett Collection
The conservative television personality doesn’t often talk about her time on the show, so this, among other online buzz, had people putting her on prospective Survivor 50 cast lists. Everything is just speculative so far, but since Hasselbeck has become a fairly polarizing public figure, there have been lots of mixed reactions among Survivor fans about her potential return.
“She is one of the most popular contestants of all time. She’s probably going to be on the season,” one person wrote on Reddit. Someone else said, “She’s arguably one of the most iconic contestants on the show.” An X user added, “Elisabeth Hasselbeck would be huge.”
However, those on the opposite end of the spectrum, someone wrote, “Absolutely do not want that screeching maniac on my TV again,” and, “Put her on and make her be first boot YESSSSSS.” Another person on X said, “if they really cast Elisabeth f**king Hasselbeck on Survivor 50 that’ll have to be it for me.”
A handful of Reddit commenters said they “doubt” Hasselbeck would return. After all, she turned down the chance to come back for Survivor: All-Stars in 2003 and has mostly distanced herself from the show.
Season 50 of Survivor is expected to premiere in February 2026. For now, there’s the rest of Season 48 to get through, as well as Season 49 in fall 2025.
Do you think Elisabeth Hasselbeck should be on Survivor Season 50? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Survivor, Season 48, Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS
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