‘Survivor’ Fans Pay Tribute to Dead Castaways Dan Lembo and Roger Sexton
The Survivor community has had to say goodbye to two former castaways in late 2022 — Dan Lembo and Roger Sexton. Fans took to social media to reflect on Dan and Roger’s time in the CBS reality competition series and honor their games.
‘Survivor’ castaways Dan Lembo and Roger Sexton died in 2022
Roger Sexton initially competed in Survivor: The Amazon, the show’s sixth season. He was in the Tambaqui tribe, which featured all men. Roger quickly became the de facto leader of the tribe when he took control of building the shelter. However, his fellow castaways described him as “abrasive,” which became even more pronounced when a tribal swap integrated the men and women.
When the players reached the merge, Roger butted heads with Deena Bennett. The remaining females concluded that Roger would never vote for a woman if he were on the jury. So they schemed to send him packing. And on Day 21, Roger was the seventh person voted out of Survivor: The Amazon, just before the jury stage began.
Roger died on Oct. 26, 2022, at the age of 76. His obituary reads, “Roger Kenward Sexton — father, grandfather, husband, brother, Marine, Survivor — passed away at the home of his daughter and son-in-law on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022, after a valiant and courageous battle with Lewy Body Dementia.”
Dan Lembo starred in Survivor: Nicaragua, the show’s twenty-first season. Producers originally placed him on the Espada tribe, which featured castaways older than 40. Dan was 63 years old when he appeared on Survivor. His likable personality aided his survival throughout the game, even though he was terrible at challenges.
However, Dan’s friendly nature came back to bite him at the end of the game. He reached the final five, but his jury management threatened the other four, and they voted him out unanimously. Fans will remember Dan for the alligator shoes incident and his memorable jury speech.
Dan died on Sept. 3, 2022, at the age of 75. His obituary reads, “Daniel Louis Lembo, 75, of New York City, died Sept. 3, 2022, at his Manhattan home.” His cause of death is unclear.
Fans reflect on Roger’s time on the CBS series
After hearing the news of Roger’s death, Reddit fans paid tribute to him in a thread.
“That’s awful,” a Reddit user wrote. “I know he was one of the ‘old’ guys on his season, but he didn’t seem that old. One of his best moments in the show was how he, Butch, and Dave were so welcoming to Christy with including her at night with the fire and learning sign language with her.”
One fan commented, “Let’s all remember that our view of Roger is based off a few hours of footage from two decades ago. That said, his boot episode literally broke the editing mold, and we are grateful for his contribution to the show’s legacy.”
Someone else added, “Kind of fun antagonist on the show [in my opinion] who brought out the best in a lot of the season’s key protagonists and had an all-time memorable boot episode, and all of that is more than you can say for a lot of other characters. Most people who play Survivor lose, and Roger at least lost in a funny and narratively fitting way, which is about the most you can ask for from a season’s villain. RIP.”
‘Survivor’ fans honor Dan
Even though Dan died a month before Roger, the news of his death surfaced after the Survivor: The Amazon player. And fans have also taken to Reddit to honor Dan and his contribution to Survivor.
“He was one of my fav deep cut Survivors, and I always found him particularly fun and memorable,” one fan shared. “Great and unique casting choice and presence on a very underrated season!”
A Reddit user commented, “I admit on my first watch of Nicaragua I didn’t ‘get’ Dan; but now I view him as one of the highlights of the season. Absolute legend whose desperately vitriolic final words remain one of the greatest closing credits scenes ever in the history of the show.”
“Now he’ll be sitting in a bigger chair,” another fan said. “RIP Dan, and my condolences to his family.”
Survivor 43 airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
