Mike White has spent the bulk of his career in Hollywood under the radar, helming underseen critical darlings like HBO’s Enlightened and the indie film Chuck & Buck. But even before creating his own hit in The White Lotus, White made a big splash on a massively popular TV series. For years, the Emmy winner was a self-described Survivor “superfan” with a direct line to Jeff Probst, the iconic reality competition’s host and executive producer. They became friendly: White was even credited with convincing Probst to nix the series’ controversial “Redemption Island” format, which gave eliminated contestants a chance to get back into the game. White also spent years attempting to get cast himself.
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