On the most recent episode of “Survivor 50,” series legend Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth became the seventh member of the milestone season’s ever-growing jury as he was blindsided out of the competition during a shocking split Tribal Council ceremony.
To make matters worse, Lusth’s elimination came at the hands of one of his closest allies, Rizo Velovic, who failed to warn Ozzy that his name was on the chopping block. As a result, Lusth was unanimously voted out of the game with a Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol in his pocket, bringing an end to the castaways record-matching fifth appearance on the longrunning reality competition series.
Looking back on his “Survivor” legacy, which began on the cast of “Survivor: Cook Islands” 20 years ago, Ozzy, now 44, opened up about whether or not he’d ever return to the franchise, admitting that he already has his sights set on a future “Australian Survivor” appearance.
Ozzy Would ‘Love’ to Play ‘Survivor’ Again, But Doesn’t Think He’ll Be Invited Back
CBSSpeaking to Entertainment Weekly’s Dalton Ross in a May 7 interview, Ozzy revealed that, after five failed attempts to claim the “Sole Survivor” title, he can’t imagine he’ll ever be invited back to play again.
“I mean, I just can’t see a world where Jeff [Probst] asked me to come play for a sixth time, unless it’s like the last season that he ever does, and maybe it’s ‘Survivor 60,’” Lusth said. “That would be the only time I could see Jeff asking me to come play the U.S. ‘Survivor.’”
If he were invited back, Lusth would become the first castaway to compete on six seasons of the U.S. flagship series.
At present, he’s one of only three players who have had the opportunity to even compete five times, with the list similarly including “Boston” Rob Mariano and Cirie Fields, with the latter also matching the record during her time on Season 50.
“‘Survivor’ fans are the reason that I’ve been able to play so often,” Lusth explained. “I’ve been able to play almost more than anybody. Five times. Very few people have gotten the opportunity to try and try and try again…I’m just so grateful that I had people that have let me play so many times, you know?”
Despite his belief that he’s unlikely to ever be invited to return to the U.S. franchise, Ozzy told EW that he would “happily go back.”
“I would play ‘Survivor’ over and over and over again,” he said.
Ozzy Hopes to Compete on ‘Australian Survivor’ Next
In a separate interview with Pedestrian TV, however, Ozzy admitted that he’d similarly “love” to expand his horizons by competing on a future season of “Australian Survivor.”
Of the dozens of international iterations that’ve popped up across the globe since “Survivor” debuted on CBS in the Summer of 2000, the Australian version is by far the most successful, especially when it comes to U.S. audiences.
The series launched just two years after the American version, and has previously featured U.S.-based contestants like Russell Hantz, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Cirie Fields and Parvati Shallow.
If Ozzy has his way, he’ll be the fifth castaway to make the switch.
“I would love to play ‘Australian Survivor,’” Lusth told Pedestrian TV. “For one, my sister lives in Australia. I’ve been going to Australia. I’ve been, you know, multiple times. I love it.”
“I would play in a heartbeat, for sure,” he continued. “And I’d also love to play the extended version, like, the real ‘Australian Survivor’ for the 50-whatever days you crazy guys play for. I would love to. It would be a dream come true to be able to play what I consider now as the real ‘Survivor’ game.”
While Cirie and Parvati’s 2025 appearance on “Survivor: Australia vs. the World” only featured a 16-day game, leading to debate as to whether or not Shallow should be considered an actual two-time winner given the season’s brevity, typical installments of the international spin-off last for 50+ days, as well as featuring much more difficult endurance and physical challenges than the U.S. version.
Given Ozzy’s prowess in physical challenges, the spin-off seems like a perfect fit for Lusth to continue his two-decade-long reality TV career.
Inside Ozzy Lusth’s Five-Season ‘Survivor’ Career
Ozzy’s reality TV journey began on “Survivor: Cook Islands” in 2006. At the time, Lusth was just 24 years old. Despite his youth, the so-called “Jungle Boy” managed to make it all the way to Final Tribal Council on his debut appearance, ultimately losing the competition’s million dollar prize to Yul Kwon.
Following the defeat, Lusth returned to the franchise for 2008’s “Survivor: Micronesia,” eventually falling victim to Parvati Shallow and Cirie Fields’ infamous all-female “Black Widow Brigade” alliance.
In 2011, Ozzy returned once again for “Survivor: South Pacific,” where he was voted out a record-breaking three times in a single season thanks to the installment’s Redemption Island twist. Despite earning his way back into the competition twice, Lusth ultimately finished the game with a respectable fourth place finish.
He returned once again for 2017’s “Survivor: Game Changers.” Though the season remains his worst performance to date, having wrapped up a 12th place finish, the installment did establish Ozzy as the only castaway to ever make the Merge four times over.
Lusth extended the record during his time on “Survivor 50,” reaching the Merge for the fifth consecutive time. He’s similarly set records for being the most-eliminated contestant in the show’s 26-year history, having been voted off the island a total of six times (once in “Micronesia,” three times in “South Pacific,” once in “Game Changers” and, most recently, once in “50”).
He narrowly missed out on surpassing two additional records currently held by series legend “Boston” Rob Mariano, for the most Individual Immunity challenge wins (Mariano has nine compared to Lusth’s eight) and most days of “Survivor” played by a single castaway (Mariano played 152 compared to Ozzy’s 146).
