Mike White Says He Was “Blindside” by Survivor 50 Elimination

The puppet master’s strings were cut and his time on Survivor 50 has ended.

In a surprising twist on the March 18th episode of White Lotus, creator Mike White was eliminated. This happened after Christian Hubicki, his closest ally on season 37, voted against him.

I was completely surprised, especially because I was friends with most of the people on that tribe before the show even started,” the Emmy winner told Gayle King, Nate Burleson, and Vladimir Duthiers on CBS Mornings on March 19. “I felt like I was in a good position, and I honestly don’t know what went wrong. I was just trying to understand what happened.”

He added, “I was very confused.”

Mike, who often described himself as the one pulling the strings on the show, unexpectedly found himself in danger of being voted out after changing his vote at the last second. He’d originally planned to eliminate Angelina Keely, but instead voted off Emily Flippen. Christian learned of this switch and immediately worked to turn the rest of his tribe against Mike.

I’ve been watching Christian play, and honestly, Mike just doesn’t get why he keeps choosing to partner with the female players. Mike keeps comparing the game to something casual, like being on a playground, and he still can’t wrap his head around Christian’s strategy. It’s frustrating to watch him miss the point!

He explained that his friend seemed upset, asking why they’d rather play with Emily than him. He wasn’t overly bothered by it, saying he thought he’d be a fun person to include in the game and didn’t feel particularly betrayed.

Regarding Christian Hubicki potentially missing out on a cameo in the next season of The White Lotus, Mike White reveals that Christian actually filmed some scenes for season three already.

Mike, 55, joked that the contestant appeared on last season’s show and seemed to have gotten what he wanted from it. He suggested the contestant then decided he didn’t need to continue.

Mike realized he’d been mistaken to believe the show’s contestants wouldn’t be influenced by his popularity from the HBO series when playing the game.

He admitted he’d hoped to distance himself from being known as ‘the guy from White Lotus.’ He wanted to see how people would treat him if they didn’t know who he was, hoping to shed that label and just be himself. But he quickly realized people still saw him that way. He explained that when you become well-known, you naturally wonder how people will react to you when you’re not associated with your famous role.

He admitted he’d hoped to leave that part of himself behind, but came to understand it was simply a core part of who he was – something he couldn’t change.

Following the conclusion of the Fiji season, production for season four of The White Lotus is now underway in the South of France. The new season will feature a talented cast including Chris Messina, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Coogan, and AJ Michalka.

As for what fans can expect from the star-studded season? Something new.

He hinted that the new season will have a larger cast and be unlike any previous season. He also expressed excitement, saying he thinks it will be a lot of fun.

For more on Mike and the cast of Survivor 50, keep reading…

Season 37 (DAVID VS. GOLIATH)

Seasons 12 (titled Panama-Exile Island), 16 (Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites), 20 (Heroes vs. Villains), and 34 (Game Changers) are all memorable installments of the show.