Who was Keith Nale? Two-Time ‘Survivor’ Contestant Dies at 62

Keith Nale, a two-time Survivor contestant and fan favorite, died on April 18, 2023. He was 62.

Wes, his son, revealed the news to Entertainment Tonight, saying:

“He passed away this afternoon. He’d been battling cancer for the past few months. We found out about it in January.”

It is unclear what type of cancer Nale suffered from.

Survivor host Jeff Probst and the series’ Instagram account issued a joint statement in honor of the fan-favorite player, who competed on Survivor: San Juan del Sur in 2014 and Survivor: Cambodia in 2015.

“On behalf of the entire Survivor crew, we send our deepest condolences to the Nale family,”

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“Keith was a one-of-a-kind human. Completely unique in every way. He brought endless joy and laughter to Survivor fans and to those of us who made the show with him. He was adored by so many and will be greatly missed.”

Nale, a firefighter, took part in Survivor: San Juan del Sur in 2014 and Survivor: Cambodia in 2015. In San Juan del Sur, he was joined by his son Wes.

In San Juan, Nale made it to the final four contestants, but was ultimately defeated by Natalie Anderson, who won the season. Nale, despite being an underdog, won several Immunity Challenges and possessed a Hidden Immunity Idol.

Nale was among a group of past players chosen in an online poll to compete in Survivor: Cambodia two seasons after San Juan del Sur. He survived until day 37 before being sent home.