I didn’t think it was possible for me to be more obsessed with Sarah Michelle Gellar than I already was. I’ve been locked in since Buffy, stayed loyal through slashers, live-action Scooby-Doo flicks, and everything in between. But somehow, she’s found a new way into my pop-culture heart by casually revealing she’s just as deep into Survivor discourse as the rest of us. And also, she's a Parvati fan.
What Sarah Michelle Gellar Said About Survivor
That revelation came courtesy of an Instagram post from the Drop Your Buffs Podcast, where Gellar appeared as a guest and said multiple things that immediately told me she’s not a casual viewer, but “one of us.”
During the conversation, the Emmy winner shut down a popular comparison that’s been floating around recently, and that is that (spoiler alert) season 49 winner and upcoming season 50 castaway Savannah is the “new Parvati.” But the Buffy star was having none of that:
They keep trying to say Savannah is the new Parv. And it’s like, no. She doesn’t compare to our Parv.
That alone would’ve been enough, but she kept going. When asked who belongs on her Survivor Mount Rushmore of best players, Gellar didn’t hedge or list four names to sound diplomatic. She continued:
My Mount Rushmore is Parvati.
Same girl, same. And when the interviewer tossed out the evergreen question of how do you explain loving a show people assume ended years ago? — Her answer was simple, blunt, and perfect: “It’s good TV.” And I couldn't agree more.
Who Parvati Is (And Why This Matters)
For the uninitiated, Parvati Shallow isn’t just a Survivor legend. She’s royalty. A master of social gameplay, charm, and strategic control, she redefined how to dominate a season without relying on brute strength. After debuting on Season 13, winning Season 16, and returning for Seasons 20 and 40, Parvati even took her talents overseas, competing on Australian Survivor in 2025 and winning yet again. Few players in reality TV history have built a résumé as deep or influential as this.
So when Sarah Michelle Gellar says Parvati doesn’t have a true successor, she’s speaking fluent Survivor. I’m not sure any other cast member has had quite the same lasting impact she’s had on how Survivor is played.
Why This Makes Me Love Gellar Even More
Look, I was already fully bought in. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and yes, even Scooby-Doo, Sarah Michelle Gellar has been a constant in my media diet. But there’s something uniquely delightful about discovering a beloved star shares your exact reality TV brain rot. At this point, the Cruel Intentions star isn’t just an icon of genre TV and movies, but officially a full-blown Survivor Buff.
And the obsession continues. Survivor Season 50 (tragically without Parvati) is set to debut on the 2026 television schedule with a special three-hour premiere on Wednesday, February 25, airing from 8/7c to 11/10c on CBS. And if you’re anything like Sarah Michelle Gellar or me, all you need to tune in is CBS, or a Paramount+ subscription and a healthy appreciation for elite gameplay.
As for Gellar's next project, she continues her horror movie bona fides, set to star in the upcoming Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, hitting theaters on March 27, 2026.
