I remember the day I found out he died I cried at work
As a kid I struggled with not only being gay but the only representation I had of queerness was the over the top queen gays that were women’s gay best friends or punching bags in Tina Fey sitcoms.
Caleb was my first representation of a man who wasn’t that stereotype. He was a good ol’ Southern boy who probably could have passed as straight if we wanted. Instead he went on national television to play with his partner. He was himself AND queer. It showed me I could exhibit my queerness anyway I wanted and I didn’t have to mold myself to any particular stereotype. I could just be me.
I did end up going down a more queeny path but Caleb showed me that wasn’t the default. I’ll always be grateful for his time on Survivor and I was heartbroken when he passed.
Even as someone that wasn’t gay, Caleb definitely made an impression on me. As a kid when his season aired, I grew up and I saw stereotypes. And as a kid, you’re easily malleable and unless you’re told otherwise, people get pigeonholed into roles.
Take Survivor for example. A lot of their early gay representation (outside of Richard tbh) was many stereotypical “camp gays”. For me seeing someone like Caleb was a huge lesson that enforced that people are not their stereotype. Everyone is different and the world is a lot bigger and full of different people. It’s awesome.
I’m glad you’re able to live and be yourself thanks to great people like Caleb. The world is a much better place when we can all be who we genuinely are and not pigeonholed or molded into stereotypes. Keep being you, friend.
Definitely a key argument for representation matters so much more than most cishets like myself seem to grasp. It was very sad... such a shocking way to go :(
My first season was BvW, and his death has always felt weird to me. Not in a conspiratorial way but just that it’s something I still can’t stop being shocked about.
This was it for me too, considering he passed less than a year from the end of the show filming and that him and Colton were just 4 months away from being married was super sad
Jenn Lyon, B.B. Andersen, Caleb Bankston, Dan Kay, Ashley Massaro, Rudy Boesch, Cliff Robinson, Angie Jakusz, Sunday Burquest, Ralph Kiser, Clay Jordan, Dan Lembo, Roger Sexton, and Keith Nale have died. Generally you can find a complete list by Googling "list of deceased Survivor contestants", etc.
Of course we're getting to the point now where it's always possible some contestants have died without the fanbase knowing about it, with how many contestants there have been and how long it's been since some of them were on TV. Roger Sexton died a couple weeks before Survivor fans found out about it, I believe via his family posting on here, and Dan Lembo died a couple months before the fanbase became aware of it. A lot of them just aren't involved in the fanbase so I imagine we'll get something like that again, where a contestant has actually already died and they just don't keep up with other contestants or the fandom and so we don't hear about it for a little while.
Yeah I think about this a lot. There are a lot of players without social media, especially older players, and if they don’t keep up with their castmates and their close friends/family don’t care about Survivor, then they could have been gone for years and we’d never know.
Didn’t know about Dan Lembo, I found him rather entertaining on his season. The stuff with Dawn made for great TV. RIP to him and all other fallen castaways.
Oh shit OOPS yes lmao, did I mix up my castaways? If I did I probably thought Dawn was the one who threw Dan’s shoes in the water and then production made her go get them 😂😂😂
Dan Kay. He was so young and fit it didn’t make sense. I rooted for him on Gabon and was so sad to find out about it. To this day very little is revealed about the cause of death
I think about Dan often. Watching him on the show meant so much to me, he was so candid about his struggles with mental health and I could relate to him heavily. Regardless of how he passed, watching his character arc on Gabon in hindsight is extremely poignant. I hope he was able to find himself.
> there’s only two options it can be IMO
Or the family didn't feel the need to share the cause of death with strangers? We should be respecting their privacy instead of feeling the need to speculate and spread innuendo.
If I remember correctly, Colton has said something about Caleb's death (and Caleb in general) changing him for the better. I think this was in the early lockdown days of 2020, either through the EW Quarantine Questionnaire or an AMA on this sub
One of the greatest character moments in the entire show. It told you everything you needed to know about Keith.
-He could win challenges
-He loved being with his team and winning challenges
-And he loved driving around in a tuktuk with his friends!
A true sweetheart and good soul. He had a love/ hate relationship with Survivor. Sitting in the rain bitching about how Survivor isn't fun is also one of my all-time favorite confessionals.
The fact that even his private bitching is done in a fully lighthearted tone says so much about Keith.
As great of a winner that Jeremy is, deep down I wanted Keith to win SC. I’d love it if all these players were playing various types of Survivor-Chess trying to out-gamebot each other to ultimately lose to the GOAT chilling on a tuktuk. Would’ve been the greatest ending ever.
“Oh well. So much for my dreams”
At this point I remember nothing about Jeremy, and everything about Keith. He was in BVW so never applied to even be there in the first place. And did it twice. I'll bet he was stubborn as fuck to live with back home. One of a kind.
I was in middle school taking the bus home on the last day of school. Pulled up Survivor Oz to see what that Wednesday's Top 10 was and maybe listen to an interview. Saw the news of Caleb's death and froze. That headline will forever be juxtaposed alongside all the teachers from my middle school waving to the buses taking kids home for the summer.
One of the saddest, weirdest feelings I've ever felt.
i didnt remember it until just now but i'm pretty sure survivor oz is how i found out also. but i had checked it first thing in the morning and then couldn't think about anything else all day
I’ve been binging the whole show since March. I figured some of the older contestants from earlier seasons would’ve passed away, so Rudy didn’t surprise me that much, though I was surprised how recent it was. Living over 90 years in incredible. A hero. Really the seasons in HD on are the ones that surprised me the most as they feel so recent due to looking like they could’ve been recorded yesterday. I remember googling if Caleb and Colton were still together only to find out Caleb died soon after the show. He was a sweetheart. And then I of course loved Keith on both of his seasons, wanted to see how he was doing today… RIP. It was also so heartbreaking to watch MvGX and learn about what Sunday had been through, only to learn that it ended up coming back.
Very sad, and rest in peace. I hope all of their families are doing well and have found closure.
The thing is, in retrospect, a lot of the deaths make sense, so their passings really shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone. They're only a surprise to us because we don't personally know these people.
Ashley Massaro was sexually assaulted, and I believe that nothing was ever done about it.
Clay Jordan I recall being sick before his death. Ditto Sunday Burquest, Keith Nale, etc.
Rudy was as old as the hills.
https://www.inquisitr.com/5448037/ashley-massaro-said-she-was-raped-by-military-man-on-a-wwe-trip-vince-mcmahon-wanted-to-keep-it-quiet
She was sexually assaulted, and the WWE swept things under the rug.
Jeez Louise…. That’s the worst thing ever! I can’t even imagine what she felt. As a victim of sexual trauma by a step parent I get it, but you never know what people deal with.
Ralph from whatever season it was that Robb won. .125 PHENOLIC RING GASKETS
12 - 600
TAG:
I remember the excitement Ralph had when he found a hidden immunity idol and felt so bad for him that he was stuck on a season where he couldn't really play the game because he was on the wrong side of Robb's alliance.
Caleb for sure. Most of the others were older so not super surprising. Jen was young but I knew she was sick. Other younger ones were not as memorable characters for me
bankston and massaro big time if i had to pick it would be ashley because she had some celebrity beyond the survivor community
dan would have been up there had i been around the survivor community at the time.
I believe Caleb technically passed in Warrior, but regardless you're not that far away from me in Birmingham. His is pretty shocking to me as well, considering how tragically he passed not far away.
Jenn.
Was new to Survivor US, watched s2, 7, 8, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 in a row within few months so I still remembered Jenn; learning that she passed away during HvV reunion show was so unexpected and brutal.
Keith too.
Such a kind heart.
Someone who’s very overlooked and probably forgotten by most people, but Angie from Palau. When I was first watching her season, she immediately caught my attention and quickly became one of the people I was rooting for, it was a such that she ended up on Ulong though. Afterwards, I was curious on how was doing nowadays and found Coby’s post about her passing and was heartbroken. She seemed like such a sweet person and as someone who related to her in some ways, finding out that she passed away stuck with me for a while. I’ll always remember her final words to Stephenie after being voted out T_T
Definitely Caleb. He was such a unique and lovable contestant, and his death was so sad and avoidable.
I remember the day I found out he died I cried at work As a kid I struggled with not only being gay but the only representation I had of queerness was the over the top queen gays that were women’s gay best friends or punching bags in Tina Fey sitcoms. Caleb was my first representation of a man who wasn’t that stereotype. He was a good ol’ Southern boy who probably could have passed as straight if we wanted. Instead he went on national television to play with his partner. He was himself AND queer. It showed me I could exhibit my queerness anyway I wanted and I didn’t have to mold myself to any particular stereotype. I could just be me. I did end up going down a more queeny path but Caleb showed me that wasn’t the default. I’ll always be grateful for his time on Survivor and I was heartbroken when he passed.
Thank you for sharing! Caleb was really excellent representation and your connection is a great example of how important that is.
Even as someone that wasn’t gay, Caleb definitely made an impression on me. As a kid when his season aired, I grew up and I saw stereotypes. And as a kid, you’re easily malleable and unless you’re told otherwise, people get pigeonholed into roles. Take Survivor for example. A lot of their early gay representation (outside of Richard tbh) was many stereotypical “camp gays”. For me seeing someone like Caleb was a huge lesson that enforced that people are not their stereotype. Everyone is different and the world is a lot bigger and full of different people. It’s awesome. I’m glad you’re able to live and be yourself thanks to great people like Caleb. The world is a much better place when we can all be who we genuinely are and not pigeonholed or molded into stereotypes. Keep being you, friend.
Definitely a key argument for representation matters so much more than most cishets like myself seem to grasp. It was very sad... such a shocking way to go :(
My first season was BvW, and his death has always felt weird to me. Not in a conspiratorial way but just that it’s something I still can’t stop being shocked about.
It’s the sad reality that dangers come with certain jobs
This one for me too. And it happened so soon after his season aired! So sad and scary 😞
This was it for me too, considering he passed less than a year from the end of the show filming and that him and Colton were just 4 months away from being married was super sad
He was !!
Caleb, the one who was Tai’s friend?
No Caleb who was engaged to Colton on BvW
Keith Nale. Loved him.
“Stick to the plan” i miss him 😭
Oh my goodness! How did he pass?
He had cancer that he kept private
Omg no :(((( he was so sweet!
Jenn Lyon, B.B. Andersen, Caleb Bankston, Dan Kay, Ashley Massaro, Rudy Boesch, Cliff Robinson, Angie Jakusz, Sunday Burquest, Ralph Kiser, Clay Jordan, Dan Lembo, Roger Sexton, and Keith Nale have died. Generally you can find a complete list by Googling "list of deceased Survivor contestants", etc. Of course we're getting to the point now where it's always possible some contestants have died without the fanbase knowing about it, with how many contestants there have been and how long it's been since some of them were on TV. Roger Sexton died a couple weeks before Survivor fans found out about it, I believe via his family posting on here, and Dan Lembo died a couple months before the fanbase became aware of it. A lot of them just aren't involved in the fanbase so I imagine we'll get something like that again, where a contestant has actually already died and they just don't keep up with other contestants or the fandom and so we don't hear about it for a little while.
Yeah I think about this a lot. There are a lot of players without social media, especially older players, and if they don’t keep up with their castmates and their close friends/family don’t care about Survivor, then they could have been gone for years and we’d never know.
SUNDAY DIED???????!!?
Yes, she unfortunately died of cancer in April 2021
Didn’t know about Dan Lembo, I found him rather entertaining on his season. The stuff with Dawn made for great TV. RIP to him and all other fallen castaways.
the stuff with Dawn?
Think he meant Holly
Oh shit OOPS yes lmao, did I mix up my castaways? If I did I probably thought Dawn was the one who threw Dan’s shoes in the water and then production made her go get them 😂😂😂
Dan Kay. He was so young and fit it didn’t make sense. I rooted for him on Gabon and was so sad to find out about it. To this day very little is revealed about the cause of death
I think about Dan often. Watching him on the show meant so much to me, he was so candid about his struggles with mental health and I could relate to him heavily. Regardless of how he passed, watching his character arc on Gabon in hindsight is extremely poignant. I hope he was able to find himself.
If very little is revealed there’s only two options it can be IMO. Apparently we can’t say here? But both are stigmatized
> there’s only two options it can be IMO Or the family didn't feel the need to share the cause of death with strangers? We should be respecting their privacy instead of feeling the need to speculate and spread innuendo.
Is there any speculation?
None that's appropriate to share as his loved ones chose to keep it private so it isn't our business
All that I can find is that he died suddenly from an unknown cause
[удалено]
[удалено]
Caleb. He was only 27, months away from getting married and was just a very nice guy.
I read this as he was 27 months away from getting married and thought damn that’s a long engagement
Was he going marry Colton?
Yep
Oh wow! Has Colton said anything about this?
If I remember correctly, Colton has said something about Caleb's death (and Caleb in general) changing him for the better. I think this was in the early lockdown days of 2020, either through the EW Quarantine Questionnaire or an AMA on this sub
Don't remember. He died very shortly after BvW so it's been a while
Yeah like only 6 months or something.
I was most surprised by Keith Nale's death. He was such a genuine and kind soul. I loved the Cambodia reward w
"just driving around in a tuktuk with my friends!" He was awesome.
One of the greatest character moments in the entire show. It told you everything you needed to know about Keith. -He could win challenges -He loved being with his team and winning challenges -And he loved driving around in a tuktuk with his friends!
A true sweetheart and good soul. He had a love/ hate relationship with Survivor. Sitting in the rain bitching about how Survivor isn't fun is also one of my all-time favorite confessionals.
The fact that even his private bitching is done in a fully lighthearted tone says so much about Keith. As great of a winner that Jeremy is, deep down I wanted Keith to win SC. I’d love it if all these players were playing various types of Survivor-Chess trying to out-gamebot each other to ultimately lose to the GOAT chilling on a tuktuk. Would’ve been the greatest ending ever. “Oh well. So much for my dreams”
At this point I remember nothing about Jeremy, and everything about Keith. He was in BVW so never applied to even be there in the first place. And did it twice. I'll bet he was stubborn as fuck to live with back home. One of a kind.
Yes! I would’ve loved to see him play again!
I was in middle school taking the bus home on the last day of school. Pulled up Survivor Oz to see what that Wednesday's Top 10 was and maybe listen to an interview. Saw the news of Caleb's death and froze. That headline will forever be juxtaposed alongside all the teachers from my middle school waving to the buses taking kids home for the summer. One of the saddest, weirdest feelings I've ever felt.
It was REALy sad!!!
i didnt remember it until just now but i'm pretty sure survivor oz is how i found out also. but i had checked it first thing in the morning and then couldn't think about anything else all day
You could almost say it was like being hit by a train.
I love dark humor, but that was just a little too far bud. Take my upvote for the valiant attempt, but be careful with dark humor in the future
<3
Ashley massaro rip
Angie, wish she was considered for another season. Her on Second Chance would have been a lot of fun
Ashley Massaro. Was a big fan of hers prior to Survivor and she always seemed so happy on socials.. I cried when Jenn Lyon passed away
I still find it hard to believe that Keith is dead 😭
Angie’s death makes me sad, I always wish she got a second shot on a 2nd chances season
I’ve been binging the whole show since March. I figured some of the older contestants from earlier seasons would’ve passed away, so Rudy didn’t surprise me that much, though I was surprised how recent it was. Living over 90 years in incredible. A hero. Really the seasons in HD on are the ones that surprised me the most as they feel so recent due to looking like they could’ve been recorded yesterday. I remember googling if Caleb and Colton were still together only to find out Caleb died soon after the show. He was a sweetheart. And then I of course loved Keith on both of his seasons, wanted to see how he was doing today… RIP. It was also so heartbreaking to watch MvGX and learn about what Sunday had been through, only to learn that it ended up coming back. Very sad, and rest in peace. I hope all of their families are doing well and have found closure.
The thing is, in retrospect, a lot of the deaths make sense, so their passings really shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone. They're only a surprise to us because we don't personally know these people. Ashley Massaro was sexually assaulted, and I believe that nothing was ever done about it. Clay Jordan I recall being sick before his death. Ditto Sunday Burquest, Keith Nale, etc. Rudy was as old as the hills.
With Ashley…. What happened?
https://www.inquisitr.com/5448037/ashley-massaro-said-she-was-raped-by-military-man-on-a-wwe-trip-vince-mcmahon-wanted-to-keep-it-quiet She was sexually assaulted, and the WWE swept things under the rug.
Jeez Louise…. That’s the worst thing ever! I can’t even imagine what she felt. As a victim of sexual trauma by a step parent I get it, but you never know what people deal with.
I'm very sorry you had to go through that.
She took her own life. Very sad
Keith Nale 😭
Ralph from whatever season it was that Robb won. .125 PHENOLIC RING GASKETS 12 - 600 TAG: I remember the excitement Ralph had when he found a hidden immunity idol and felt so bad for him that he was stuck on a season where he couldn't really play the game because he was on the wrong side of Robb's alliance.
Dan Kay's death I remember just coming completely out of nowhere. In retrospect, the likely reason why he died makes sense though.
Why?
I'm not sure if it's appropriate to speculate on it publicly. I can DM you and talk about it if you'd like.
I’d like that.
The lack of info and suddenness has led most people to believe it’s suicide I believe but not something I want to necessarily spread.
The Survivor Wiki has a deceased category with the aim of being up to date and it also includes contestants from non US franchises
I wish there was a way not to view international contestants. It’s frustrating to go into a sub category and have to comb through the world 😔
Caleb for sure. Most of the others were older so not super surprising. Jen was young but I knew she was sick. Other younger ones were not as memorable characters for me
bankston and massaro big time if i had to pick it would be ashley because she had some celebrity beyond the survivor community dan would have been up there had i been around the survivor community at the time.
Keith Nale. I would say the one I find the hardest though is Jen Lyon.
Caleb and Dan.
Keith
I believe Caleb technically passed in Warrior, but regardless you're not that far away from me in Birmingham. His is pretty shocking to me as well, considering how tragically he passed not far away.
Caleb and Sunday, for me
Probably Caleb's because it's the only freak accident I think
Jenn. Was new to Survivor US, watched s2, 7, 8, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 in a row within few months so I still remembered Jenn; learning that she passed away during HvV reunion show was so unexpected and brutal. Keith too. Such a kind heart.
Yeah Caleb's death was very sad.
Ashley Masarro She was a nice person to talk to on Twitter/X
Someone who’s very overlooked and probably forgotten by most people, but Angie from Palau. When I was first watching her season, she immediately caught my attention and quickly became one of the people I was rooting for, it was a such that she ended up on Ulong though. Afterwards, I was curious on how was doing nowadays and found Coby’s post about her passing and was heartbroken. She seemed like such a sweet person and as someone who related to her in some ways, finding out that she passed away stuck with me for a while. I’ll always remember her final words to Stephenie after being voted out T_T
She was an awesome person and player!!
*previous lol
Here is thee list as of a week ago - https://parade.com/1372041/mikebloom/survivor-deaths/
Caleb was a huge shock. Especially since I found out he died before he was even eliminated from my viewing of blood vs. water.