A Fan-Favorite Survivor Contestant Has Died

Survivor contestant Roger Sexton has passed away at the age of 76.

By Douglas Helm | Published

survivor roger sexton

It’s a tragic day for Survivor fans along with the friends and family of Roger Sexton, who TMZ reported passed away at the end of October after battling Lewy Body dementia. The fan-favorite contestant was 76 and was surrounded by his family in Walla Walla, Washington at the time of his passing. Along with his stint on the CBS reality competition, Sexton will also be remembered for his service as a Marine in the Vietnam War.

Fans of Survivor will remember Roger Sexton as a contestant on the sixth season of the popular reality competition series. Roger was a member of the Tambaqui tribe and his natural leadership skills as a Marine quickly launched him into a team leader position. After 21 days of surviving in the Amazon, the opposing team was able to get members of his own team to turn against him and he was subsequently voted off.

Season 6 of Survivor premiered way back in 2003 and now the series is still going strong nearly 20 years later. This was at a time when the series was at the peak of its popularity, as it was among the top ten most-watched shows in the US from 2000 to 2006. Although it’s not quite as popular as it used to be, the show still gets plenty of viewers and is currently in its 43rd season.

The sixth season of Survivor was filmed in the Amazon, though the show has now moved to the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji since Season 33 and has been filming there ever since. Before moving to the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji in 2016, the show has filmed in various countries throughout Asia, North America, South America, Oceania, and Africa. Presumably, the series will continue to shoot on the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji since it’s been working well for them.

As a series that came out in 2000, it’s a bit shocking to hear when a contestant from Survivor has passed away. Many fans are old enough to have seen every season and will remember the contestants when news of their passing is announced. Following Sexton’s passing, there have now been 12 contestants from the show who have died.

Over the course of the series, Survivor has had over 600 contestants. Sexton is the most recent passing, but it’s worth pointing out some of the other members of the cast who have passed away as well. The previous castaways from the reality competition show who have passed away include B.B. Anderson, Caleb Bankston, Rudy Boesch, Sunday Burquest, Angie Jakusz, Clay Jordan, Dan Kay, Ralph Kiser, Jenn Lyon, WWE star Ashley Massaro, and former NBA star Cliff Robinson.

Survivor is currently in its 43rd Season and is renewed for a 44th Season with new episodes airing on CBS. The current season is another shortened season with only 26 days for someone to be declared a winner. So far, eight episodes of the 43rd season have aired with the next episode set to air on CBS on November 16.