CBS The cast of Survivor: San Juan del Sur
We’re sure every Survivor castaway has his or her hidden talents, but we had no idea that a contestant from “San Juan del Sur,” the 29th season of the show, went on to appear on Broadway and has now written his own musical that he hopes is Broadway-bound. Read on to find out about Josh Canfield’s stage career and how hard it was for him to return to normal life after the show.
Canfield Appeared on Broadway In Two Different Shows
From 2015 to 2017, Canfield appeared on the Great White Way in the musicals Doctor Zhivago and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. He told Entertainment Weekly that he then turned his sights to writing his own musical.
“After [Broadway], I did a few regional gigs across the country and turned my attention to completing a new show I wrote, ALIVE! The Zombie Musical. Last year, I toured with the show Falsettos, and began putting my team together for ALIVE! At the beginning of 2020, we were all set to push full steam ahead with an off-Broadway production of ALIVE! in the summer. Then the pandemic hit, and well, who knows when we’ll open the show.
“My industry has been shut since March and, as of now, it’s not re-opening until summer 2021. It sucks for sure, but I know a lot of people are out of work and the future is unclear.”
If you’re curious about ALIVE! The Zombie Musical, a concert version of one of its songs, “I AM ZOMBIE” performed by Zach Adkins, is available online.
Canfield Also Said He Gained 30 Pounds After The Show
It’s no secret that returning to the real world after filming a season of Survivor can be really hard for some of the castaways, and Canfield is no different.
“Survivor does mess you up for sure. It’s strange how it kind of consumes your thoughts afterward, at least for a few weeks. I think the biggest adjustment was with my eating habits. I stuffed myself every meal. I became a sweets person. I gained 30 pounds,” said Canfield, adding that after being back in the real world, all he wanted to do was get back in the game.
He revealed to EW that he actually had a chance to go back on Survivor. He was offered a slot on the “Second Chance” season but had to turn it down because of his Broadway gig. He was also called for “Game Changers,” but casting ended up not choosing him. And he and his “Blood vs Water” partner Reed Kelly were asked to compete on The Amazing Race season 31, which was an all-reality stars season, but they turned it down because they were no longer together at that point — but that may have robbed viewers of some real fireworks.
“I can assure you that would have been some high drama. It didn’t pan out. Viewers were robbed… or perhaps saved,” said Canfield.
Survivor hopes to film season 41 in the spring of 2021 for a fall 2021 premiere.
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