Showrunner Reveals the ‘Walking Dead’ Star He Thinks Has What it Takes to Win ‘Survivor’ 

The stars of AMC’s post-apocalyptic drama series “The Walking Dead” have been outsmarting, outrunning, and outgunning zombies since the show debuted to audiences in 2010, but have you ever wondered which of the show’s legendary stars has what it takes to outwit, outplay and outlast on a show like “Survivor”?

Well, during a July 26 appearance at San Diego Comic Con 2025, Scott Gimple, longtime showrunner for “The Walking Dead,” as well as its spin-off series “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Lived,” revealed the one star from the show’s history that he thinks is best-suited to crush the long-running CBS survival reality competition series. 

‘Walking Dead’ Boss Names Christian Serratos as His Pick to Play ‘Survivor’

Gimple named former “The Walking Dead” star Christian Serratos as his pick to play “Survivor” on a future season. Unfortunately, Gimple did not go into detail as to why he believes Serratos, who starred in the role of Rosita Espinosa on the AMC drama, has what it takes to win the series. 

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Both Gimple and Serratos joined the project ahead of its fourth season. While Gimple retired from his post as showrunner after Season 8, Serratos continued to portray Rosita until the character was killed off in the Season 11 finale after succumbing to a zombie bite. 

While Serratos’ fierce soldier character on “The Walking Dead” has certainly survived worse than the contestants on “Survivor,” it remains unclear what makes the actress herself Gimple’s number one choice to join the reality show. 

Born in Pasadena, California, Serratos, now 34, was raised by her jewelry designer mother and construction worker father. Of mixed Mexican-Italian heritage, the star began her competitive figure skating career at just three years old. By seven, Serratos signed her first modeling contract with Ford Modeling Agency. 

As a teenager, Serratos began her acting career on the cast of Nickelodeon’s “Ned’s Classified School Survival Guides” as Suze Crabgrass from 2004 until the show’s finale in 2007. She was later celebrated for performance in the “Twilight” film franchise as Angela Webber  before joining the cast of “The Walking Dead.”

Outside of her acting career, Serratos is also an animal activist, a trained dancer and a mother, having welcomed her first child, Wolfgang Serratos Boyd, with her longtime boyfriend, New Politics singer David Boyd, in 2017. 

Could Serratos Join a Future All-Celeb ‘Survivor’ Season?

While there’s no rumors of an all-celebrity “Survivor” season coming anytime soon, Serratos could potentially join the Emmy-winning competition series in similar fashion to Mike White, the creator of HBO’s “The White Lotus.” Already a multi-millionaire before he joined the cast of “Survivor: David vs. Goliath,” White is similarly set to appear on the cast of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” next year. 

Other celebs who have left behind the creature comforts of fame for a chance to win the title of “Sole Survivor” include the likes of ex-NFL quarterback Gary Hogeboom (“Survivor: Guatemala”), WWE wrestler Ashley Massaro (“Survivor: China”), country music singer Whitney Duncan (“Survivor: South Pacific”), and “Facts of Life” actress Lisa Whelchel (“Survivor: Philippines”). 

If CBS ever did decide to host an all-celebrity version of “Survivor,” there’s plenty of stars who have already said they’re ready to play. The list includes superfans of the series like “Parks and Rec” star Nick Offerman, “Lord of the Rings” actor Dominic Monaghan, and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Monet X Change. Could Serratos live up to Gimpl’s high expectations and really walk away with the title of “Sole Survivor” on a hypothetical star-studded season of “Survivor”?

Only time will tell – Until then, “Survivor” fans can keep up to date on the highly-anticipated premieres of “Survivor 49” and “Survivor 50.” Meanwhile, fans of “The Walking Dead” can prepare for the upcoming release of  “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” Season 3, which airs its first episode on AMC on Sunday, September 7, 2025.