Who Is Sean Foley? ’Survivor’ Tribute Explained

The penultimate episode of Survivor‘s latest season ended with a tribute to Sean Foley, a former crew member who worked on the show’s original seasons and was instrumental in the iconic main title design.

After Wednesday’s (December 10) episode, which saw the final six castaways whittled down to the final five, a title card appeared on screen reading, “In loving memory of Sean Foley, our friend and colleague.”

Foley was one of the CBS reality show’s original crew members, serving as a supervising editor on the first season, which debuted in 2000 and became a cultural phenomenon. He remained in an editing role through the first eight seasons before moving to work specifically on the main title sequence in 2004.

Despite leaving his position as a full-time editor, Foley helped design Survivor‘s opening titles up until Season 31. He would cut the title sequence, which features shots of the season’s players alongside the show’s iconic theme song. In addition, he served as Director of Photography on the show from Seasons 22 to 31.

Foley earned five Emmy nominations for Outstanding Picture Editing for Non-Fiction Programming for his work on Survivor. He picked up a sixth nomination for his work on The Contender.

He left Survivor in 2015 and went on to join the Naked and Afraid franchise, serving as executive producer and showrunner on the spinoff Naked and Afraid XL, as well as working on Last One Standing and Apocalypse through 2025.

In a Facebook tribute, Naked and Afraid XL contestant Kyle Hennington spoke highly of Foley’s impact on the show, writing, “Sean Foley was one of the pioneers from the start of the show and helped engineer the XL spinoffs into the phenomenon they became.”

“He touched so many lives and was the kindest human,” Hennington continued. “Although I never had the privilege of formally meeting Sean in person, I spoke with him several times since my challenge. He was always so polite and cheerful and listened to what I had to say. He will be greatly missed. Rest easy my friend.”

According to his IMDB bio, Foley had spent 25 years in the entertainment industry, working in various roles, including a visual effects artist, sound mixer, camera operator, editor, and producer. His other credits include Whale Wars, The Apprentice, Undercover Boss, and Shark Tank.

An official date and cause of death have not been stated, though Naked and Afraid executive producer David Story posted on Facebook on November 30, 2025, saying, “We lost one of the good ones this weekend.”

A separate Facebook post from Naked and Afraid Season 18 alum Mary Harvath reveals Foley had battled cancer in his final months. “After the challenge, the cancer took over fast,” she wrote. “I started texting him every Monday. I do not think he realized that was my rhythm but it was. I just needed him to know someone cared.”

This marks the second tribute Survivor has paid to a crew member this season. In Survivor 49‘s premiere, the episode closed with a dedication to Vince Costello, a location manager who had worked on the show since Season 33. “In loving memory of Vince Costello, forever in our hearts,” the title card read.