The reality hit Survivor 42 has introduced viewers to a number of standout players, but the social media star of the season is undoubtedly Lydia Meredith. Originally from Virginia, Lydia is a 22-year-old actress, writer, and waitress currently residing in Los Angeles. She was cast on the show after drunkenly running into host and executive producer Jeff Probst at a party. Despite her lack of experience in the outdoors, she has already lasted through much of the game's pre-merge phase.
Starting the game on the Vati tribe, Lydia found herself on the outs at her first Tribal Council. She was targeted by the alliance of Daniel Strunk, Chanelle Howell, Mike Turner, and Jenny Kim. However, because game twists cost Mike and Chanelle their votes, Lydia was able to make it through the vote. Her alliance partner Hai Giang saved her from elimination by forcing Survivor's Daniel to vote with him to evict Jenny, rather than face a rock draw. Now, it's time to talk about why Lydia is making waves on social media.
Though she's had a relatively quiet run on the show so far, Lydia's social media presence is bold. She has emerged as the season's most prominent social media voice through her use of Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Her sense of humor has garnered her a loyal following, thanks in large part to her unique and lighthearted perspective on the show. Fans love her take on things as she regularly uses Gen Z Internet vernacular and meme humor. Lydia's self-aware and comical social media presence appeals to younger Survivor fans who have only begun to see players of their generation represented on Survivor in the past few seasons.
Despite her limited screen time on the show thus far, legions of young Survivor viewers can see themselves in Lydia, and are rooting for her to win the game. Her sense of humor on social media is uncompromising and is the first of its kind among Survivor players, giving Lydia a distinct and memorable spot within the popular consciousness of the show's fandom.
Some of Lydia's most popular tweets include her poking fun at her challenge performances, humorously promoting body positivity, and using memes to reference some of her Survivor moments. For example, she tweeted a WandaVision meme to punctuate her success as the caller in a blindfold challenge. Lydia's online presence is a master class in self-awareness and is emblematic of the generational shift taking place across pop culture, reality TV included. It's not a mystery why Lydia has the biggest social media following of any player in the Survivor 42 cast.
It will be interesting to see how Lydia fares as the season continues. Her personality hasn't been highlighted too much on the show at this point, but that could change at any time. Season 41's winner Erika Casupanan also had a quiet edit through most of the game before pulling off a win, so Lydia is definitely still in the running. Her fans are undoubtedly hoping that she'll do well, as the longer she's on the show, the more material she'll have for her top-tier Survivor tweets.
Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.