'Survivor' Winner Makes First On-Screen Appearance in 20 Years on 'The Price is Right'

As Survivor approaches filming its highly-anticipated 50th season, one of the names on many superfans' lips has been Vecepia Towery-Leonard. After winning the veteran CBS series' fourth season, Survivor: Marquesas, in 2002, Vecepia largely disappeared from our screens and the reality TV fandom. But, on Feb. 13, almost 25 years after winning a million dollars, she popped up once more, eager to earn more money on The Price is Right.

Vecepia was not only called down to Contestant's Row, but also won her bidding game. That gave her opportunity to excitedly jump onto the stage and play with host Drew Carey. She took part in a game of "Cover Up," trying to guess the price of a new Kia. Unfortunately, after getting three out of five numbers in the price right in the first round, she was unable to get any correct in the second round, ending her shot at the car.

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Of course, in getting onto the stage, Vecepia came back at the end of the show to spin The Price is Right's massive wheel. While she did so, she shouted out her husband Jerome, mother Angela, her friends and cowokers. Unfortunately, she failed to find success once more, going over on her two spins.

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Vecepia posted about her Price is Right experience on Nov. 4, 2024 on her Instagram. "Another Bucket List accomplishment," she wrote in the caption of a photo of her and her husband at the filming. "Had fun attending a filming of The Price is Right. Met a lot of great people. Show will air 2.13.25. Thank you honey for supporting one of my lifelong goals ❤️."

Vecepia is the fourth winner of Survivor, and the first Black woman to claim the title of Sole Survivor. She was one of the first castaways to patent the "under-the-radar" strategy, purposely playing quieter and staying out of the drama, letting the opposition blow each other up while she skated by unscathed. Vecepia was part of one of the most important moves in the show's early history, the first significant power shift that let her get a majority alliance she ran to the end of the game. Despite losing her closest ally on Day 36, Vecepia lasted another three, winning the jury vote 4-3.

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Since her victory, "Vee" has yet to appear back on Survivor. She did make a brief return to reality TV on the TLC documentary A Baby Story, chronicling the birth of her son Jordan. But with the announcement of Survivor 50 being a returning players season, a number of fans have been clamoring for her to return for the milestone anniversary. Most visible among them is actually another alum of early 2000s CBS reality TV who recently had her own eagerly-anticipated return in Big Brother runner-up and current Traitors star Danielle Reyes.

Whether Vecepia will indeed make a return for Survivor 50, we can't say. But, after largely keeping to herself for the better part of two decades, old-school fans got a fantastic hit of nostalgia seeing her back on our screens. Even though she didn't mention her Survivor experience on The Price is Right, her choice of outfit makes a reference to her previous screentime, donning a checklist that reads, "Reality Show, Game Show, Showcase."

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