Survivor: How Season 11’s Rafe Judkins Became A Hollywood Success

Of the hundreds of Survivor alumni, only a few have reached the levels of success of Survivor: Guatemala alum Rafe Judkins after appearing on the show. Some players entered the game as celebrities, like MLB MVP Jeff Kent, NFL legend Jimmy Johnson, and Hollywood multi-hyphenate Mike White, but only a handful have successfully made the leap from reality television to mainstream fame. Some success stories include Chase Rice from Survivor: Nicaragua, who became a country music superstar after his season, as well as Elisabeth Hasselbeck from Survivor: The Australian Outback, whose Survivor stardom catapulted her to a career as a host on The View, and a sideline as a conservative political pundit.

Rafe isn’t a country star or a political commentator, and his post-Survivor accomplishments are, like his time on the show, rooted in the behind-the-scenes action. Rafe’s performance on Survivor: Guatemala was all about strong and subtle gameplay. He and his alliance partner Stephenie LaGrossa dominated much of the strategy of the season, with Rafe influencing many of the eliminations along the way. Though he struggled with some of the early challenges, Rafe blossomed into an immunity threat after the merge, putting him in a great position to potentially win the game due to his multi-faceted skill set. However, Rafe made a notable blunder at the end of the season, when he released Danni Boatwright from her promise to take him to the final two. Danni instead took Stephenie and ultimately won the game, giving Rafe a third-place finish.

Since his appearance on Survivor in 2005, Rafe has gradually become a major player in the film and television industry. He began by working as a staff writer on the short-lived Christian Slater show, My Own Worst Enemy, before writing for NBC’s Chuck and Netflix’s Hemlock Grove. He also worked as a writer on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from 2013 to 2015. Now, though, it seems that Rafe is about to break out in a major way. He’s the showrunner and creator of Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time series, starring Rosamund Pike and based on Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy novels. The show premiered on the streaming service this week and looks to scratch the fantasy itch for fans of large-scale, epic storytelling. In addition, Rafe wrote the story and screenplay for the upcoming film adaptation of the Uncharted video game series. The movie stars Tom Holland as the iconic treasure hunter Nathan Drake, and it’s slated for release in February 2022.

The talents that made Rafe a great Survivor player have likely helped him in his entertainment industry endeavors. Forging a career as a screenwriter is one of the most daunting tasks one can undertake in the industry, as the field is intensely competitive. Advancement in that niche can be largely reliant on connections, as well as a fair bit of luck. Clearly, Rafe has the writing chops to earn his keep. What Rafe has proven on Survivor and in his career is that he has the wherewithal to capitalize on his opportunities.

Unfortunately, it’s doubtful that fans of Rafe’s will get to see him play Survivor again. With all of his success, his schedule is probably booked for the foreseeable future. It would be fun to see him give the reality competition another go, as he’s one of the underrated strategic figures from the old-school game. Perhaps his Hollywood cachet will entice the Survivor team to give him a call. Regardless, it’ll be exciting to see what Rafe does next.

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