In the spring of 2018, Hollywood writer and director Mike White — then known for penning movies like "School of Rock" and creating shows like "Enlightened" — did something surprising: he competed on the CBS reality TV show "Survivor" during its 37th season. Titled "David vs. Goliath," the season pitted underdogs, the Davids, against social and physical heavyweights, the Goliaths; White, an original Goliath, made it to the end of the game but ultimately lost out to former David player Nick Wilson.

Still, "Survivor" was the gift that kept on giving for White. Not only is he now close personal friends with longtime "Survivor" host Jeff Probst — who once said he would happily make White a producer on the reality competition show and said he sometimes asks him for input on seasons and challenges — but the concept of a bunch of strangers trying to survive in a tropical paradise undoubtedly inspired White's award-winning anthology series "The White Lotus.