Inside Survivor Crossover from The White Lotus Premiere

From playing the game from survivor, Kara Kay and Angelina Keeley know what it’s like to be taken by surprise. But their former fellow tribesmen and The White Lotus Creator Mike White still managed to shock them when he asked if they would appear in his show’s second season.

For those unfamiliar with the MWCU (Mike White Creative Universe), Kay, Keeley and White performed Survivor: David vs. Goliath in 2018. They started out in the Goliath tribe and the first season of The White Lotus In fact, another teammate starred in Alec Merlino, who played a bartender in the Hawaiian locale. So how did Kay and Keeley get to the Sicilian paradise from an island of rationed rice and deceit? As is the case with many big plans, White told his former colleagues at brunch last November.

“I was a bit exhausted, I was running late,” says Keeley. “When I sat down, he said, ‘I’ll take you both inside white lotus.’ I was like, ‘Oh that’s funny, let’s get some mimosas and latte.’ Why would he let us goofballs near his set? Mike has been front row to some of the worst acting moments of my life survivor: jacket gate and the false idol.”

Eventually, White convinced her that he wasn’t bluffing and they would be flying to Italy in the coming months.

The season begins with Kay and Keeley chatting to Meghann Fahy’s Daphne about her vacation in Italy before Daphne jumps in the water – and finds a dead body. “We knew pretty early on that there was American Woman #1 and American Woman #2. He kept saying opening scene; I was like maybe we’re in the background, waving, drinking some cocktails‘ says Kai. “Then we got a draft of the script and realized Oh, we’ve got lines, we’re gonna say something. It will be us acting.”

Though they both had some nerve in their non-reality TV debut, they were welcomed on set with open arms. Fahy invited her to stand in line on her hotel balcony the night before filming, and Kay and Keeley handpicked several outfits for the costume department to approve, which was key to making them feel comfortable (especially for Keeley, who was in fourth months pregnant). the time). The only expectation was that they would look like “wealthy tourists traveling” – they made their selections online by sorting from high to low and googling “where the 1% get their swimwear from”.

And in “true Angelina form,” Keeley has had some negotiation. She originally intended to put the wardrobe in a giant hat, which she wasn’t sure about; When White stopped by to check on the two before the cameras rolled, she voiced her doubts about the hat and The White Lotus Honcho agreed she should kill the look.

Though the pair lost voice communication after the body was discovered, they still had to use their acting skills to the full. Kay took an understated, shocked approach to the moment, but Keeley’s performance was… something else. “I wiped away a fake tear like I was at a funeral. Mike said, ‘Angelina, that’s why you’re perfect for reality TV. You’re so over the top,” she laughs. “Less sadness, more shock.”

At the new season’s premiere, White noted that “there are a few survivor woven into the show”, thematically. Kay finds the social play aspect of interpersonal relationships at the Sicilian resort important: “A lot of it is how people treat other people and how we are all human at the root of it.” And in Keeley’s eyes, victory comes through the victory. “survivor it’s about winning by being smart and strong,” she says. “In the white lotus First, winning is about money and socioeconomic levels. With white lotus Second, it’s about sexual politics and power.”

The Goliath duo sees the continuing trend of survivors making appearances The White Lotus as Easter eggs, a bridge between White’s various creative wells. It’s clear that deep friendships were formed on the beaches of Fiji; When White traveled to Hawaii last September, Kay and Merlino came along (as did White’s adorable pooch, Peanut). To celebrate season one’s 10 Emmy wins, she baked him a heart-shaped banoffee cake decorated with lit candles.

But when asked which alum they would like to see join a potential white lotus In season three, the two return to that specific survivor Shyness.

“Oh my god, it’s like survivor everything again. I claim the fifth,” says Kay. “That’s up to Mike, I’ll leave it to his creative genius,” adds Keeley.

The game never ends.

When shipwrecked Natalie Cole was voted out, Keeley repeatedly asked if she could have her jacket after feigning shock at the vote. The moment has become a fan favorite survivor lore.