Mike White explains why he’s on Survivor when he should be writing The White Lotus

The White Lotus creator Mike White defended his decision to go on Survivor rather than write the hit HBO show's fourth season, saying he needed a creative reset.

The multiple Emmy-winner is competing in the latest season of the long-running CBS survival reality show, called Survivor 50.

White previously competed in Survivor: David vs Goliath in 2018, finishing as the runner-up after 39 days in the game.

The White Lotus fans may be wondering why the writer of the hit HBO satire is choosing now, of all times, to go to Survivor, which sees participants stranded in remote locations to test their endurance and strategy over several weeks.

White explained that the very nature of the reality show was the reason he chose to participate. “To be totally honest, one of the appeals of coming here is I need to stop thinking about The White Lotus. I love it, but I also feel like it's a fire hose into my mouth of feedback on the show coming up,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

“And I want the next season to be inspired,” he said, meaning The White Lotus. “I want it to really be great and not just trying to fulfill another slot or something. And I think the only way it can be that is if I really get a reset.”

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The White Lotus follows a new group of wealthy vacationers staying at the fictional White Lotus hotel and their interactions with each other and hotel staff in the lead-up to a generally shocking death. The first season, which premiered in 2021, took place in Hawaii, the second in Italy and the third in Thailand. The fourth season is set to head to France.

While no plot lines or character arcs have been revealed yet, the satire series has cast Helena Bonham Carter, Chris Messina, and Steve Coogan, along with Alexander Ludwig, Caleb Jonte Edwards, AJ Michalka, and Marissa Long in unspecified roles.

White described Survivor as so “immersive” that he “can’t really think about something else”. “If I go away and take a little vacation or whatever, I'm going to be talking on the phone and thinking about the show the whole time,” he said.

During his time on the show, White became known for his sharp comedic timing, whether it was lamenting not bringing an eye mask, overindulging in red wine during a reward, or cursing a tree after walking into it.

He acknowledged the popularity of The White Lotus had opened him up to a level of scrutiny he felt “a little eaten up” by.

“Obviously, the show did well and people are into the show and it's a bigger success than anything I ever had. But putting something out in the world these days is very fraught if you are sensitive. You know what I mean? It's the ratings, the critics, the TikTok – there's just so much. And I have to say, by the end of this last run, I just feel a little eaten up, a little chewed up,” he said.

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He added, however, that while he used Survivor to remind himself not to take himself too seriously, he was subconsciously aware that being on the show was also opening himself up to scrutiny, albeit of a different kind.

“Somehow in my mind I was like, ‘Oh, I'll sneak away and I'll have this anonymous experience away from all this attention’. But I'm just setting myself up,” he explained. “Because you think it's hard when you put out a show? White Lotus producers will go on Reddit and be like, ‘Oh, someone is saying this about the thing.’

“I’m like, ‘Try being a reality contestant and having people talk about you that way.’ It gives you a tough skin.”

White also confirmed in a TVLine interview that he hadn’t started writing the fourth season yet.

“No, so after we play the game, I’m gonna start scouting for Season 4, so I don’t even know where it’s shooting,” he said.

Season 50 of Survivor is titled “In the Hands of the Fans” and will feature a line-up filled with fan favorites.

The season, which does not premiere until February 2026, will showcase former contestants from as far back as the inaugural season in 2000, as well as players from season 49, which is set to debut this fall.