'Survivor 50': A look back at sports figures who competed on the reality show

There have been over 600 players on "Survivor," which begins its 50th season Wednesday night on CBS. A look back at some of the biggest names in the world of sports who competed on the legendary reality TV show. 

JIMMY JOHNSON

CLAIM TO FAME: He coached the Dallas Cowboys to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the 1992 and 1993 seasons. Johnson, the first coach to win a national title in college (Miami, 1987 season) and then a Super Bowl, was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2020. In 2025, he retired from FOX Sports after a three-decade run as an NFL broadcaster. 

SURVIVOR SEASON: 21 (Nicaragua)

PLACEMENT: 18th 

SUMMARY: At the time, Johnson was the most famous sports celebrity to appear on the show, and he was recognized right away. A "Survivor" superfan, he told his tribemates he wasn't there for the money but for the experience. Still, he was seen as too big of a threat and voted off on Day 8. 

JEFF KENT

CLAIM TO FAME: Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2026, Kent was the 2000 National League MVP while with the San Francisco Giants. The former Met's 377 career home runs are the most by a second basemen in MLB history. 

SURVIVOR SEASON: 25 (Philipines) 

PLACEMENT: 10th

SUMMARY: Kent gave one of the most memorable exit speeches after being voted out on Day 22: "You know what [ticks] me off? I think I've made about 60 million dollars playing baseball and I want this [expletive] million dollars in this game. And it's not even a million bucks, it's 600 grand by the time [President] Obama takes it. I'm a Game 7 World Series loser. You know, I've played in the biggest games in the world and the worst games in the world but this just sucks."

JOHN ROCKER

CLAIM TO FAME: An MLB reliever who played most of his six-year career with Atlanta, he became infamous for making racist and offensive remarks about New York City residents and Mets fans in a Sports Illustrated article in 1999. 

SURVIVOR SEASON: 29 (San Juan del Sur)

PLACEMENT: 16th

SUMMARY: Rocker's reputation came back to bite him, as eventual winner Natalie Anderson called him out for his infamous comments and the two got into a heated argument in front of the whole cast before his ouster on Day 8. This season reintroduced the "Survivor: Blood vs. Water" format, and Rocker was joined on the cast by his then-girlfriend Julie McGee, who quit on Day 18. 

CRYSTAL COX

CLAIM TO FAME: Cox won a gold medal in the women's 4 x 400 relay at the Summer Olympics in 2004, which she was later stripped of in 2012 after admitting to doping. 

SURVIVOR SEASON: 17 (Gabon)

PLACEMENT: 6th

SUMMARY: Despite her Olympian status, Cox struggled in some of the more physical challenges and was involved in a number of heated confrontations with her tribemates. Still, she made enough strong bonds to make it to Day 36. 

CLIFF ROBINSON

CLAIM TO FAME: A Sixth Man of the Year Award winner and All-Star with the Portland Trail Blazers, the 6-10 forward averaged 14.2 points over an 18-year career and was one of the best three-point shooters in the game. 

SURVIVOR SEASON: 28 (Cagayan)

PLACEMENT: 14th 

SUMMARY: After using his basketball skills to win a challenge and prevent a plan to thwart his ouster, he couldn't save himself after switching tribes and was voted out on Day 14. 

SCOT POLLARD

CLAIM TO FAME: The 6-11 center won an NBA championship in 2007-08 with the Boston Celtics, his 11th and final season in the league. The 19th pick in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, he played most of his career with the Sacramento Kings and also was with the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers. 

SURVIVOR SEASON: 32 (Kaoh Rong)

PLACEMENT: 8th

SUMMARY: One of the season's "villains," Pollard was a strategic and outspoken force before things unraveled for him in the jury phase of the game. 

TOM LAIDLAW

CLAIM TO FAME: A 10-year NHL defenseman, Laidlaw was selected by the Rangers in the sixth round of the 1978 draft. He played seven years for the Blueshirts (20 goals, 99 assists) and then four years for the Los Angeles Kings. His post-NHL career included time as a motivational speaker. 

SURVIVOR SEASON: 39 (Island of the Idols)

PLACEMENT: 16th

SUMMARY: The first Canadian contestant on the show, Laidlaw survived a possible first-episode exit before being voted out on Day 14. "I am taking credit for being the first Canadian to play," he said in his exit speech, "and I guess if I'm going to take credit for that I have to take credit for  first Canadian being voted out as well." 

BRAD CULPEPPER

CLAIM TO FAME: An All-American at the University of Florida, the defensive tackle was selected in the 10th round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings and played nine seasons, including stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears. 

SURVIVOR SEASON(S): 27 (Blood vs. Water); 34 (Game Changers)

PLACEMENT: 15th; 2nd

SUMMARY: Culpepper's wife, Monica, appeared on Season 24 (One World) and the couple competed together on Blood vs. Water. Monica was a runner-up that season, which was the same spot Brad finished in during his return in Game Changers. 

ELIZABETH BEISEL

CLAIM TO FAME: A three-time Olympian, the swimmer won a silver (400-meter individual medley) and bronze (200 backstroke) at the 2012 Games. She has won nine medals overall in world competition, including four golds. In 2001, she became the first woman to swim Block Island. 

SURVIVOR SEASON: 39 (Island of the Idols)

PLACEMENT: 9th

SUMMARY: Beisel was part of the majority alliance in her tribe and a strong competitor in the challenges, which was part of the reason she was viewed as a threat and voted off on Day 30. 

GARY HOGEBOOM

CLAIM TO FAME: Hogeboom, who went by "Gary Hawkins" to keep his NFL past a secret, had a 10-year career as a quarterback, first with the Dallas Cowboys and then the Indianapolis Colts and Phoenix Cardinals. He started 37 total games, including 13 in his final year, 1989 with the Cardinals, when he had career-highs of 2,591 passing yards and 14 touchdowns. 

SURVIVOR SEASON: 11 (Guatemala)

PLACEMENT: 7th

SUMMARY: Hogeboom is the answer to the "Survivor" trivia question, "Which player was the first to find a hidden immunity idol?" The show first introduced them that season, and Hogeboom became the first to find and then play one. That kept him in the game for a couple of more votes before he got the boot on Day 30.  

ETHAN ZOHN

CLAIM TO FAME: A soccer goalkeeper at Vassar College, Zohn played professionally in the U.S. minor leagues (Hawaii Tsunami and Cape Cod Crusaders) and in Zimbabwe (Highlanders Football Club). He also was an assistant coach for the men's and women's soccer teams at Fairleigh Dickinson University. 

SURVIVOR SEASON(S): 3 (Africa); 8 (All-Stars); 40 (Winners at War) 

PLACEMENT: Winner; 11th; 18th 

SUMMARY: After winning the third season of "Survivor," Zohn used part of his $1 million winnings to co-found Grassroot Soccer, "an adolescent health organization that uses soccer to engage young people around navigating their most pressing health challenges." A fan-favorite, Zohn returned for two "all returnee" seasons but didn't fare as well (only two players in "Survivor" history have won the show twice). 

NOELLE LAMBERT

CLAIM TO FAME: The U.S. Paralympic track and field athlete has set multiple American records in the 100-meter sprint and long jump in the "T63 classification" (athletes with a single above-knee amputation or equivalent impairment who compete using a prosthesis). She competed in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo and then in the 2024 Games in Paris. At the Paralympic team trials in 2024, she became the first American woman to surpass 5 meters with a 5.06-meter jump. In 2025, she earned her first medal at the World Championships, a bronze in the long jump. The motivational speaker founded The Born To Run Foundation, which "provides specialized prosthetics to young adults and children who want to live a fun and fulfilling life."  

SURVIVOR SEASON: 43 (Fiji)

PLACEMENT: 8th

SUMMARY: Lambert is the third amputee to compete on "Survivor," following Chad Crittenden (Season 9) and Kelly Bruno (Season 21). She is the first to win an individual challenge, one of the most memorable moments from Season 43. All of her tribemates celebrated her achievement, and they also recognized what a huge threat she was and voted her out later that episode on Day 19.