Hasselbeck rose to fame on season 2 of “Survivor” before segueing into a TV career as a controversial conservative on “The View.”

The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck explains why she’ll never return to Survivor: ‘Solid no, every single time’

Hasselbeck rose to fame on season 2 of "Survivor" before segueing into a TV career as a controversial conservative on "The View."

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes *RuPaul's Drag Race* video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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March 5, 2026 9:20 a.m. ET

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Elisabeth Hasselbeck on 'Survivor'; Hasselbeck on 'The View' in 2026. Credit:

Monty Brinton/CBS Photo Archive/Getty; ABC

Controversial conservative personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck would rather debate Hot Topics every day with the ladies of *The View* than skin another pig in the Australian outback on *Survivor*, thank you very much!

The *Survivor* and *View* alum, who rejoined the latter program earlier this week as a five-day guest cohost, has revealed why she'll never return to the reality TV competition that made her famous, 25 years after she placed fourth on *Survivor* season 2 in 2001.

In a new interview with *The View*'s companion podcast, *Behind the Table *(below), Hasselbeck fielded a question from producer Brian Teta about whether she's been asked to return to *Survivor*.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Whoopi Goldberg on the former's 'View' return day.

"They have," Hasselbeck confirmed, before explaining that she'll never go back to the show. "Solid no. *Solid* no, every single time."

Teta pressed her on if they asked her to be part of the current *Survivor 50 *season, and the 48-year-old Republican paused before she answered: "I think, maybe, there was an indirect ask. I think I'd trained them to know [I'd say no]."

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She then explained her reasoning, telling Teta, "I don't think I could leave the kids. I barely want to miss a [sports] game today that I know is going on."

Teta inquired if she'd want to "skin a pig again" on the reality show, and Hasselbeck laughed as she doubled down: "No, I can not!"

** has reached out to representatives for *Survivor* for comment.

Hasselbeck, who was a permanent *View* cohost from 2003-13, also remembered flying to Australia to film *Survivor* season 2 — and told Teta that her flight marked a key moment for her ahead of competing on the show.

"I literally went in with two skills. I had nothing. I didn't camp, I didn't know anything," she said of her life as a shoe designer before *Survivor*. On the aircraft, she "took out my shoelaces and practiced tying knots. I had a book! I learned how to fish from a book and tie knots, which was our structural support [at camp]."**

While she won't again do battle with nature's elements on *Survivor*, Hasselbeck has shaken the Hot Topics table this week on *The View*: she sparred with Sunny Hostin over voting for Donald Trump, said "all lives matter," and compared protective COVID pandemic masks to ICE agents wearing masks to shield their identities during immigration raids.

Hasselbeck has also been critical of *The View* in recent years, particularly in January 2025, when she slammed both Joy Behar and the show as "sinking" entities after Behar criticized Carrie Underwood for performing at Trump's second inauguration.

Listen to Hasselbeck reflect on *Survivor* in the *Behind the Table* podcast above.

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