Stephen Fishbach Opens Up About His ‘Survivor’-Inspired Debut Novel 

Fans will remember Stephen Fishbach from his runner-up performance on “Survivor: Tocantins” in 2008, and his subsequent appearance on “Survivor: Cambodia” after fans voted for him to join the 2015 all-stars season.

 While not playing “Survivor,” Fishbach works as a media executive and writer. Having penned speeches for stars to read during United Nations events and MTV’s Peabody Award-winning “Half of Us” campaign, Fishbach revealed on July 9 that his next writing project will be his first foray into fiction – and will be inspired by his time on “Survivor.”

Fishbach Reveals Debut Novel’s ‘Survivor’ Roots

Fishbach, who also makes regular appearances on the “Survivor-Know-It-Alls” podcast, revealed the cover of his debut novel “Escape!” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday. According to the two-time “Survivor” player, the novel will follow “a has-been reality TV star and a disgraced producer who get one last shot at redemption on a show set on a remote island, only to discover that the plot twists are beyond what they ever imagined.”

Set to hit bookshelves nationwide on January 27, 2026, the forthcoming novel has already received critical acclaim, earning the prestigious Pushcart Prize in 2021. Back then, however, the novel was much much shorter. Then a short story titled “To Sharks,” the tale’s synopsis revealed the main character’s name – Kent Duvall – as well as the title of the fictional reality show he competes on – “Endure.” 

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Speaking further on the connections between Kent’s reality TV show past in “Escape!” and his own experience competing on “Survivor,” Fishbach told EW: “My whole career has been reality TV-adjacent. I worked at MTV for years, I did freelance work for a reality TV trade group. So when I started writing this book, I felt like every part of my life came pouring out.”

“I also hadn’t read a book like the one I was writing,” the fan favorite continued. “That treated reality TV in a literary way, and went deep into the experience of what it feels like to be on reality TV from someone who had been there, so it felt urgent and new.”

Fishbach Doesn’t Want to Betray His ‘Favorite Show in the World’

Despite breaking new ground by bringing “Survivor” to the world of literary fiction, Fishbach revealed that he didn’t want to betray the show – or anyone on it –by publishing “Escape!”

“This is a work of fiction,” he clarified. “Not a ‘Survivor’ tell-all. I wanted this story to be true for what reality TV contestants and producers experience, but not something that indicts my favorite show in the world.”

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Fishbach’s upcoming novel will be the latest in a long line of books penned by former “Survivor” contestants, including “Out Live, Out Laugh, Out Love” by Season 2 winner Tina Wesson, Rob Mariano’s “The Boston Rob Rulebook,” and “Rupert: Just Being Me” by Rubert Boneham. Even long-time host and executive producer Jeff Probst has written a New York Times Best Selling “Survivor”-inspired middle-grade series called “Stranded.”

Most recently, “Survivor” legend Parvati Shallow released her highly anticipated debut memoir, “Nice Girls Don’t Win: How I Burned it All Down to Claim My Power,” on July 8.