Survivor Pays Heartfelt Tribute to Late Editor Sean Foley

Survivor closed its penultimate Season 49 episode with a quiet, classy moment you don’t see often on a big network show: a nod to one of the people who helped shape it from day one.

The tribute on air

Right after Tribal Council wrapped and the contestants filed out on Wednesday, December 10, the episode cut to a simple title card honoring longtime crew member Sean Foley.

"In loving memory of Sean Foley, our friend and colleague."

It was brief, but if you’ve watched Survivor for a while, you’ve seen his fingerprints all over the show.

Why Sean Foley mattered to Survivor

Foley spent roughly 25 years in the industry doing a little bit of everything: visual effects, sound mixing, camera work, editing, producing. On Survivor, he wasn’t just a name in the credits — he helped define how the show looks and feels.

• There from the start: Foley was on board when Survivor premiered in 2000, serving as a supervising editor.
• The early seasons: He was a full-time editor for the first eight seasons, then moved over to work on the show’s main title design.
• Behind the camera: He served as Director of Photography from Seasons 22 through 31.
• Award recognition: Foley earned five Emmy nominations for Outstanding Picture Editing for Non-Fiction Programming for his work on Survivor.
• Moving on: After more than a decade with the series, he left in 2015.

Beyond the island

Outside Survivor, Foley stacked credits on other unscripted heavy hitters, including Shark Tank and The Contender. He also stepped up as an executive producer on multiple shows, notably the Naked and Afraid franchise, The Age of A.I., and Undercover Boss, among others.

What we know about his passing

As of now, an official date of death hasn’t been publicly confirmed. On November 30, fellow Naked and Afraid executive producer David Story wrote on Facebook, "We lost one of the good ones this weekend," which many have taken as a reference to Foley. Mandy Horvath, who appeared on Naked and Afraid Season 18, also shared a heartfelt remembrance of him on Facebook.

It’s a tough loss for the folks who make these shows actually happen. Survivor’s on-air tribute was simple and understated — and absolutely earned.