Keith Nale was one of Survivor’s most beloved contestants, which is evident form the amount of tributes from other players that have poured in after his death at the age of 62. Longtime vet of the show, Jonny Fairplay, tweeted, “Rest in Peace Keith Nale,” along with a photo of them at an event together. He added, “You made me laugh so many times. You will be so missed.” Max Dawson, who also got to know Keith despite never playing the game with him, wrote, “Keith Nale made everything more fun and I’m grateful I got to know him.”
Keith Nale made everything more fun, and I’m grateful I got to know him. pic.twitter.com/tlmRIcIG4O
— Max Dawson (@fymaxwell) April 19, 2023
Meanwhile, Kelley Wentworth, who played on seasons 29 and 31 of Survivor with Keith, took to Twitter to share how heartbroken she was over the news. She shared a TikTok video from a reward she got to go on with Keith during Survivor: Second Chances, and said it was her favorite reward from her multiple times playing the game. “Keith – a man with the purest heart who brought humor into moments where it was needed most. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to meet Keith and share memories together on the beaches of Nicaragua and Cambodia. My heart is with the entire Nale family. This is a devastating loss.”
Keith – a man with the purest heart, who brought humor into moments where it was needed most. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to meet Keith & share memories together on the beaches of Nicaragua & Cambodia. My heart is with the entire Nale family. This is a devastating loss 💔 pic.twitter.com/FHPnrmKx5a
— Kelley Wentworth (@kelleywentworth) April 19, 2023
Jeremy Collins was also on seasons 29 and 31 with Keith. He sent love to Keith’s family members on Twitter, including the late reality star’s son, Wes, who competed alongside him on Survivor: San Juan Del Sur (season 29). “My condolences to Big D, Wes, Austin and entire Nale family,” Jeremy wrote. “You will be missed Keith but your legacy will live on. Rest in power my firefighter/Survivor brother.”
Wes was actually the one who confirmed the news of Keith’s death on April 18, revealing to Entertainment Tonight that his father had been battling cancer before his passing. “He passed away this afternoon,” Wes told the outlet. “He’d been battling cancer for the past few months and we found out about it in January.” Keith came in 4th place on season 29 of Survivor. When he returned for his second chance in season 31, he finished in 5th place (Kelley finished that season in 4th, while Jeremy was the winner).
Another season 31 alum, Debbie Donato-Wanner, shared a selfie of herself and Keith on Twitter with the caption, “Rest in peace my friend.” Meanwhile, Spencer Bledsoe responded to Jeremy’s tweet about the news of Keith’s death and wrote, “Wow. Keith was a pleasure to know. May he rest in peace.” Abi-Maria Gomes shared her condolences on Instagram, writing, “RIP Keith Nale. The worst news.” She also included a broken heart emoji and sad face emoji.
Our @survivorcbs fam has lost a lovable, hilariously funny wild card, fan-favorite, & truly incredible soul.
Keith spent literal years running into burning buildings to save perfect strangers & would honestly give you the shirt off his back. He is a hero to me & always will be.… pic.twitter.com/dHwlbdH30c
— Reed Kelly (@thereedkelly) April 19, 2023
Stephen Fishbach also mourned Keith, tweeting, “Devastated to hear about Keith Nale passing. Hard to think of a purer spirit on Survivor. He was always a delight, had great humor, told hilarious stories and found so much joy in life. We were never once aligned but he couldn’t have been nicer. He taught me to pluck a chicken.” The two played together on season 31. Meanwhile, Keith’s season 29 castmate, Reed Kelly, also paid tribute on Twitter. “Our Survivor fam has lost a lovable, hilariously funny wild card, fan-favorite and truly incredible soul,” Reed said. “Keith spent literal years running into burning buildings to safe perfect strangers and would honestly give you the shirt off his back. He is a hero to me and always will be. I’m so grateful to have gotten the chance to know Keith and his family through Survivor. He will be dearly missed.”
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