The highly anticipated premiere of “Survivor” Season 49 has come and gone. Over the course of the two-hour episode 18 brand new castaways kickstarted their journey to the million-dollar prize by meeting their tribes, competing in their first Immunity challenge, and, for some, attending their first Tribal Council ceremony of the season, where one player became the first to have their torched snuffed by longtime host Jeff Probst.
While the episode was fairly standard as far as “Survivor” premieres go, the episode ended with a surprise dedication to Vince Costello, 61, who served as the show’s locations manager for 10 years before he passed away following a lengthy battle with liver cancer earlier this year.
“In loving memory of Vince Costello, forever in our hearts,” read the tribute that aired immediately after the credits rolled on Wednesday’s (Sept. 24) episode.
Who was Vince Costello?
Vincent “Vince” Costello joined the crew of “Survivor” more than ten years ago, coming on board after the longrunning reality competition series settled permanently in Fiji. As a native Fijian himself, Costello capitalized on his knowledge of the island nation – particularly the Mamanuca Islands where the show is filmed – to serve as “Survivor”s locations manager.
Throughout his time with the show, which began with “Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X” in 2016, Costello helped to scout and secure locations around the island for challenges, tribe camps and other filming locations.
In an interview with PEOPLE before his passing earlier this year, Costello reflected on his history with the show, praising “Survivor” for respecting Fiji, its culture and its people.
“Fiji is very much minto culture and into respect, and it’s been great working for ‘Survivor’ in that respect,” said Costello. “From every single Fijian citizen on this job and for all the citizens of our little country, we’ve been very grateful.”
‘Survivor’ Fans Raised $86,000 for Costello Before His Passing
Costello remained a dedicated member of the crew through Season 48, which aired earlier this year. After the season had ended, however, “Survivor” executive producer Jesse Jensen set up a GoFundMe page for the locations manager, revealing that he’d been diagnosed with late stage liver cancer.
“Hello all, once again thanks so much for all the love you have sent to Vince and his family. Vince was truly touched and humbled by the amount of support he received from you all and wanted me to pass on a huge vinaka vakalevu from him and the whole family, he can’t thank you enough, it has meant the world to them,” wrote Jensen in a July 28 update on Costello’s health.
Jensen similarly reported that fans had raised more than $86,000 for the crew member’s medical expenses and treatment before the GoFundMe was closed.
According to PEOPLE, Costello passed away sometime after filming for Season 50 wrapped earlier this summer.
Costello’s Legacy Lives on in His ‘Survivor’ Crew Member Children
While Costello will be sorely missed by everyone at “Survivor” and CBS, his legacy lives on in his children – Aline (28) and Patrick (21) – both of whom similarly joined the “Survivor” crew after joining their dad on set.
Costello’s daughter Aline originally joined the show’s crew on the Dream Team – responsible for testing challenges and acting as lighting stand-ins – before becoming her dad’s full-time locations assistant. While she originally had hesitations about working with her father, Aline later revealed that they “work really well together.”
Meanwhile, Costello’s son, Patrick, rarely saw either his dad or his sister on set while working behind the scenes as a camera operator. Unlike his sister, who was 18 when her father joined the crew, Patrick recalled “running around” at the “Survivor” base camp as a kid before convincing his father to let him help with the show’s production.
“Dad wanted me to go to university,” said Patrick, who worked on post-production for two years before becoming a camera operator. “So I kind of had to make a deal with him and just say, ‘Can I not do that? Can I just come and learn here?’”
“We’re a very tight family,” added Costello before his passing, praising his kids for being able to successfully merge family and work life. “ I feel like if anyone could do it, it would be us. It’s been good.”
