Contestants from Survivor have made appearances on Max’s hit The White Lotus, thanks the show’s creator and writer, Mike White, being a competitor in season 37. In Touch breaks down which Survivor stars have had cameos and speaking lines on the Emmy-winning series.

Which ‘Survivor’ Contestants Have Been on ‘The White Lotus’?

Mike’s lasting friendships from Survivor: David vs. Goliath resulted in him casting some of his fellow castmates on The White Lotus, including Alec Merlino, Kara Kay, Angelina Keeley, Natalie Cole and Carl Boudreaux.

Who Did Alec Merlino Play on ‘The White Lotus’?

Alec got the most screen time of any Survivor alum. He appeared on season 1 of The White Lotus as Hutch, a bartender and waiter at White Lotus Resort & Spa Maui. Alec was included in five of the six episodes of season 1, making his initial appearance in episode 2 by returning character Paula’s lost bag to hotel manager Armond. To date, he’s the only Survivor star to play a character with a name.

Kara Kay and Angelina Keeley Had Small But Pivotal Roles in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 2

Mike cast his fellow Goliath tribe members in season 2 of his show, which was set in Italy. Kara and Angelina played wealthy guests at The White Lotus, interacting with Meghann Fahy‘s Daphne in the season’s premiere episode.

The Survivor teammates were shown in the opening scene, as Angelina asked Daphne, “So, did you have a good time?” while telling her they were “so excited” for their vacation at the Mediterranean location. After some small chit chat, the trio parted ways and Daphne headed into the water for one last swim, where she found a dead body that became critical to the season’s plot. Angelina and Kara appeared again in the final episode after the body was found.

The ladies discussed how Mike cast them in an October 2022 interview with Vulture.

“I was a little frazzled. I was running late. As I sat down, he goes, ‘I’m putting you two in White Lotus.’ I was like, ‘Oh, that’s funny, let’s get some mimosas and lattes.’ Why would he let us goofballs anywhere near his set?” Angelina explained.

After telling them he was serious and flying the women to Italy, Angelina and Kara were shocked to find out they had speaking roles.

“Pretty early on we knew there was American Woman No. 1 and American Woman No. 2. He kept saying ‘opening scene.’ I was like, ‘Maybe we’re in the background, waving, drinking some cocktails,’” Kara shared. “Then we got a draft of the script and realized, ‘Oh we have lines, we’re going to say something. We’re going to be acting.’”

Natalie Cole and Carl Boudreaux Appeared in ‘The White Lotus Season’ 3

The duo played a couple walking to dinner at The White Lotus resort in Thailand, who had an interaction with Belinda, played by Natasha Rothwell. Massage therapist Belinda appeared in season 1 of The White Lotus, and she was spending time in Thailand to learn new spa treatments to bring back to the resort in Maui.

Belinda waved at the duo, as Natalie and Carl sat down for dinner. Later on the phone she told her son she “saw two Black people tonight, and they weren’t staff!”

When Did Mike White Compete on ‘Survivor’?

Mike appeared on Survivor in 2018, as part of the Goliath tribe. His profession was listed as “filmmaker,” as the season aired three years before The White Lotus season 1 premiered in July 2021.

In his show bio, Mike said his of his reason for competing on Survivor, “My primary motivation is playing the game. I’ve always, always wanted to play and see how I would do. Secondary is the absurd challenge of it all.”

He added, “I have the desire. I know the game. I am a student of human psychology, like what people say and how they behave.”

The Emmy winner made it all the way to the final tribal council, losing to Nick Wilson in a 7-3 vote, becoming the runner-up.