The Survivor fanbase has already been building the hype for the upcoming Season 50, with the anniversary iteration of the hit CBS series doing a full returnee season for the first time in over five years. But there have also been some rumors of another famous face coming earlier than that, as the past couple of months have been filled with talk of Dierks Bentley appearing on an upcoming season.
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The path of dominoes that led to the Bentley rumor first started when Survivor host, showrunner, and executive producer Jeff Probst said in an episode of “On Fire: The Official Survivor podcast” that there was a “well-known celebrity” in the running for casting on the upcoming 49th season. That set the fanbase ablaze, with plenty of speculation as to who the celeb might be. A famous superfan like Neil Patrick Harris? A survivalist like Bear Grylls?
It wasn’t long before the Survivor community was connecting things back to Bentley. One notable speculation account posted, “A VERY reputable and verified source in Nashville said Dierks going on Survivor is the worst kept secret in Nashville.” People also noticed the “Drunk on a Plane” singer followed not only Probst, but the entire casting team for the show on Instagram. And so, like a roaring fire at a beachside camp, the rumors grew, with fans coming into Survivor 49 filming this spring assuming that the country artist would be on.
Related: Fans Relate to Dierks Bentley’s Video Teaching His Daughter to Drive
Appearing on the podcast “Taste of Country Nights,” Bentley was asked about the rumors surrounding a possible upcoming trip to Fiji. And those rumors were promptly debunked by the “Bad Angel” singer, saying it all came from a vouching for a pal being blown out of proportion, saying, “For now, I’m just gonna be a fan.”
“I posted something online,” he explained. “I actually tried to support a friend of mine here in town, saying she would be a great contestant on Survivor. But it kind of came back toward me, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this is a possibility.'”
The CMT Music Award winner admits that seeing all the rumors of him being in the mix did have him entertaining the possibility. But he credits his teen daughter with throwing the metaphoric bucket of cold water on him, reminding him of how much he enjoys creature comforts.
Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 48
“My 14-year-old knows that I’m a beast when I don’t get enough sleep,” he said. “I’m a pretty bad sleeper as it is. My daughter was like, ‘Dad, you’re a beast when you don’t sleep, and you would probably get canceled. You would probably say something absolutely crazy, and you’d probably get canceled.'”
So it seems that Bentley won’t be ditching the world of guitars and microphones over coconuts and rice any time soon. But, having just put out his tenth studio album in 2023, perhaps this trip through the rumor mill could inspire an upcoming single about the prospective Survivor experience!
Related: Meet the Full Cast of ‘Survivor 48’
