Since Survivor premiered in the year 2000, the show has been around long enough that new fans have to figure out which seasons to watch first. On top of those new fans, Jeff Probst’s beloved reality show also has many long-time fans who remember who was medically evacuated first and know that some players refused to return. Most of those fans who know how to rank seasons, can name the best players ever, and can list the best winners have been looking forward to Survivor 50.

When the cast for Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans was announced, it was revealed that Genevieve Mushaluk was returning. After Genevieve’s casting was announced, the reasons why she is a major threat to win Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans became clear.

Genevieve Mushaluk’s First Time Playing Makes Her A Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans Threat

Anytime there is a Survivor season with returning players, it can be hard for fans to predict who is the most likely to win. After all, when fans already have emotional connections to certain players, their view of that person’s likelihood to win can be skewed.

Unfortunately for anyone trying to predict what will happen during Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, that season is even harder to predict. The reason that is the case is because the season has very complicated dynamics and 24 different players.

Even though there are so many options to consider, there are good reasons to bet on Genevieve Mushaluk. The most basic reason why fans should have faith in Genevieve is how she played for the first time.

Looking back at how she played the first time, there are many aspects of Genevieve’s game that show she is a major threat.

The first thing to consider about Genevieve’s first season is how much she accomplished. After all, even though it is admirable that Genevieve came in 5th place during her first season, that only hints at the full story.

For example, knowing that Genevieve came in 5th place doesn’t reveal that she played a major role in Survivor 47’s biggest move, Operation: Italy.

In order for Operation: Italy to work, Genevieve needed to lie directly to Teeny Chirichillo’s face. Despite the fact that she’d grown to care about her tribemate, Genevieve did a great job convincing Teeny to believe her lies.

Not only that, Genevieve pulled off one of the most impressive social moments in recent Survivor history.

During Survivor 47, Rome Cooney and Sol Yi were incredibly skilled at getting under each other’s skin. As a result, the two men seemed like they couldn’t wait to try to get each other voted out as soon as possible.

However, when Genevieve decided that Kishan Patel was a threat, she did the seemingly impossible. Genevieve brokered a peace between Rome and Sol and got them to come together and help her vote Kishan out.

The second reason why Genevieve’s first season makes her a threat to win Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans is because of her mental state during her first season. For those that don’t remember, Genevieve struggled to figure out how she wanted to play during Survivor 47.

When the season began, Genevieve stated that she wanted to play with as little emotion as possible, so she could be free to make cold strategic decisions. However, after Genevieve recognized that she was still feeling bad, she switched things up and began to play with some heart.

Keeping in mind that Genevieve was figuring out how she wanted to play, everything she accomplished during Survivor 47 is even more impressive.

When she shows up for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, however, Genevieve Mushaluk should have a much better idea of how she wants to play. That makes it tantalizing to imagine how great Genevieve might do now that she understands herself and the game better.

Genevieve Mushaluk Former Castmates Respecting Her So Much Proves She Is A Huge Threat

Throughout the history of Survivor, many successful players burned a lot of bridges by the end. When someone plays like that, that can be a huge liability if they ever get to play a second time. After all, returning players who know that someone is a jerk are likely to want them out early or lack respect for them. With that in mind, it is worth noting that Genevieve Mushaluk has earned the respect of her Survivor 47 castmates.

In May 2025, a fan on the r/survivor subreddit posted an image from Rachel LaMont’s Instagram stories. The image consisted of photos of Genevieve with the following words superimposed over them. “This is now a Genevieve stan account” Clearly, Rachel believes in Genevieve since she uploaded that image on the day that the cast for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans was announced.

The same day, Teeny Chirichillo also gave Genevieve their seal of approval. In a post on X, Teeny wrote about why they were so happy Genevieve would be playing during Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.

“After FTC of 47 wrapped I walked around the set and told each and every producer “thank you for putting me on the same season as Genevieve” .. so happy she’ll be representing our season on #Survivor50”

In November 2024, Sol Yi was interviewed by Global TV about Survivor 47. During that discussion, Sol praised how great he thought Genevieve was as a Survivor player.

“That’s ultimately why Genevieve, you know, The Terminator that she is, knew that. ‘Sol is in tight with everybody.’ I don’t think me getting Rome out was the motivating factor. Here it was. She’s a smart, smart player, one of the best Survivor players ever in my opinion.”

If Genevieve’s former castmates walked away from the game with that much respect for Genevieve, that speaks volumes about how big of a threat she is.