‘Survivor’: Two-Time Contestant Keith Nale Dead at 62

Two-time Survivor contestant Keith Nale has died. Nale, who appeared on Survivor: San Juan del Sur and Survivor: Cambodia, passed away Tuesday afternoon in Shreveport, Louisiana, his family confirmed to Entertainment Tonight, with his son Wes, who also participated in Survivor: San Juan del Sur, sharing that Nale died following a battle with cancer. He was 62.

In a statement shared with the outlet, Wes said his father “passed away this afternoon. He’d been battling cancer for the past few months and we found out about it in January.” Keith Nale’s brother, Kevin Nale, added, “A life taken way too soon! It happed so quickly. Cancer ate him up. He Passed this afternoon at his home in Shreveport, Louisiana.”

Nale appeared on the hit CBS reality series twice, first featuring in Season 29’s Survivor: San Juan del Sur, which aired in 2014. During that season, Nale played alongside his son and made it all the way to the final four thanks to his skill in Immunity Challenges. He was voted out just a day before the Final Tribal Council. Just a year later, Nale went on to return to the long-running series in 2015’s Survivor: Cambodia, where he was voted in by fans for a second shot at the million-dollar prize. During that season, Nale was voted out in fifth place. Opening up to UpRoxx bout competing on the show in his 50s, Nale, a firefighter, said his colleagues “were impressed, being I was 53. Now granted that’s not 93, but that’s not 23 either.”

Following news of his passing, social media tributes poured in, with Kelley Wentworth, who appeared alongside Nale in both of his seasons, sharing her condolences. In a tweet, Wentworth remembered Nale as “a man with the purest heart, who brought humor into moments where it was needed most.” She added that she was “grateful I had the opportunity to meet Keith & share memories together on the beaches of Nicaragua & Cambodia. My heart is with the entire Nale family. This is a devastating loss.” Jeremy Collins, who won Survivor: Cambodia, tweeted, “My condolences to the Big D, Wes, Austin and entire Nale family. You will be missed Keith but your legacy will live on. Rest in power my firefighter/survivor brother.” Meanwhile, Johnny Fairplay wrote, “Rest in Peace Keith Nale. You made me laugh so many times. You will be so missed.”

Nale’s passing follows the recent death of Dan Lembo, who competed on the show’s 21st season, Survivor: Nicaragua, in 2010. Lembo passed away at the age of 75 in September 2022. In November, Roger Sexton, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who appeared on Survivor: The Amazon, the show’s sixth season, died at the age of 76.