Survivor 49 Episode 1 was dedicated to a man named Vince Costello. The onscreen tribute at the end of the episode read, “In loving memory of Vince Costello, forever in our hearts.”

Costello, a Fiji native, was a longtime Survivor crew member whose family followed in his footsteps by working on the series. He was diagnosed with late-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) earlier this year, and the illness required him and his family to temporarily relocate to Australia. This was shared in a GoFundMe set up on July 21, 2025, by Survivor executive producer Jesse Jensen. The last update on that page was from Jensen on July 28, who thanked everyone who donated for their support (it raised over $86,000 AUD). The GoFundMe has since closed.

“Vince was truly touched and humbled

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