Jenna Doore Reveals the Survivor Season She Wants to Return For After Her Early Elimination
Jenna Doore may have been eliminated from Survivor 51 in one of the season’s most frustrating twists, but she is already looking ahead to a possible return. After losing her place in the game following the episode 4 tribe swap, Doore has suggested a future season concept that could give early-boot contestants another chance to prove themselves: a “Premerge Baddies” season.
The idea emerged during her post-game interview with Parade, where Doore reflected on how quickly her position in the game changed and why she refuses to view her elimination simply as being “swap screwed.”
How the Tribe Swap Changed Jenna’s Game
In episode 4, titled “That’s the Magic of Survivor,” Doore’s time on Survivor 51 came to an end after a tribe swap left her on the vulnerable Savu tribe.
The swap followed Rob Antonson’s decision to quit the game. Production continued with the addition of a third tribe, but the resulting numbers left Savu with just five players, while the other two tribes each had six.
That imbalance created an immediate disadvantage. At the immunity challenge, the two larger tribes could each sit out a player of their choosing, allowing them to select their strongest lineup for the task. Savu, with fewer members to begin with, did not have that same flexibility.
After Savu lost immunity, the remaining players returned to camp knowing the vote would likely come down to Doore or Alexis Levine.
The numbers soon worked against Doore. Ori Jean-Charles had reunited with his Helicopter Alliance allies, Devin Way and Angelica “Jelly” Loblack, giving the trio enough influence to steer the vote.
Way had also been targeting Doore since Day 1 because he did not believe she was a wedding photographer. With the alliance holding the advantage, Doore became the latest contestant to leave the game.
Why Jenna Refuses to Call It “Swap Screwed”
Speaking to Parade after her elimination, Doore acknowledged how disappointing it was to see her game end after moving from a position of strength on Toka to the bottom of the new Savu tribe.
Still, she was reluctant to blame the twist entirely.
“It sucks to go out this way. But I’m never going to be someone who says that you get ‘swap screwed,’ even if that’s somewhat true,” Doore explained. “As a player of the game, you do everything you can. You have to deal with bad hands. Sometimes you can’t get out of it, but you have to deal with bad hands.”
Her comments reflected the difficult reality of Survivor: even players who have built a solid position can find themselves fighting for survival when the game’s dynamics suddenly change.
But Doore also offered a more optimistic perspective when asked about the prospect of returning.
The Survivor Theme Jenna Wants to See
Rather than dwelling on the circumstances of her exit, Doore floated an idea that could give early-eliminated contestants another shot at the competition.
“I feel less screwed over when I get to play the ‘Premerge Baddies’ season of Survivor,” she said. “That is when I will have some vindication!”
The concept would bring back memorable contestants who were eliminated before reaching the merge, giving them an opportunity to demonstrate what they might have accomplished with more time in the game.
It is an appealing possibility for fans who have watched promising players leave early in recent seasons. A returnee cast built around pre-merge eliminations could offer a different mix of personalities, rivalries and unfinished business.
Several names immediately come to mind, including Sabiyah Broderick from Survivor 45, Jon Lovett from Survivor 47 and Thomas Krottinger from Survivor 48.
The possibilities could extend well beyond the more recent seasons, too. If the show’s Open Era draws contestants from across its history, a potential cast might include Cao Boi Bui from Survivor: Cook Islands or Aaron Reisberger from Survivor: China.
For Doore, a season like this would offer the chance to turn an early exit into a new beginning. Her suggestion also raises an intriguing question about the franchise’s future: could some of the contestants who left before the merge become the stars of a season of their own?
For now, a “Premerge Baddies” season remains an idea rather than a confirmed project. But Doore has made her preference clear—and she would welcome the opportunity to return and seek the vindication she feels she deserves.
Which former Survivor contestants would you want to see compete in a “Premerge Baddies” season?