Laura Cuevas wasted no time stepping into the spotlight. After Alma Bollo was sidelined by a neck and back injury, Supervivientes All Stars quickly brought in Cuevas as her replacement. Viewers remember her stormy run in the previous season. From the start, she made it clear she wasn’t there to make friends or let old grudges go.
The producers leaned into the drama, keeping Cuevas’ return secret until the last minute. Her arrival, marked by the show’s signature helicopter jump, went beyond a routine substitution. Cuevas has unfinished business with several contestants, and her entrance was designed to stir things up. Information from Lecturas and LOS40, the show had already planned to introduce a new contestant during the live gala after Bollo’s medical evacuation.
Even before landing on the island, Cuevas took aim at Damián Quintero, a former rival. “He said in his introduction video that he had to argue with many people and characters. The first character was him.” She made clear that old conflicts are still on her mind and that she plans to address them on camera.
Her arrival also shakes up the so-called Pantoja universe. Cuevas, whose father once managed the Cantora estate, now shares the beach with Yulen Pereira and Omar Sánchez, both close to Anabel Pantoja. Asraf Beno, Isa Pantoja’s husband, is there too. Cuevas left a note for Beno: “Neither your wife nor you have told the truth about her family. I will tell it myself.” As reported by El Televisero and 20minutos, the contestants’ strong Pantoja ties have raised the stakes for on-air conflict, something the producers seem eager to encourage.
Cuevas didn’t stop there. She criticized Isa Pantoja’s recent interview on ¡De Viernes!, especially Isa’s comments about Dulce Delapiedra. “I am more on Dulce’s side than Isa Pantoja’s. I did not like how she spoke about her, considering everything that woman has done for her,” Cuevas said. Isa responded with a joke to Jorge Javier Vázquez: “What a family show this is turning into. Only I am missing.”
Rosa Benito, another familiar face from Sálvame, was also in Cuevas’ sights. Cuevas called her a hypocrite: “You have spent your whole life criticizing Pantoja and now you defend her. Turncoat.” Benito, caught off guard, first thought Chelo García Cortés was behind the comment.
Alma Bollo’s exit was sudden and painful. Less than two days into the season, severe pain left her immobilized, and she had to be evacuated for medical assessment. The diagnosis, a lesion that made it impossible for her to continue despite some improvement, meant she had to return to Spain. Her departure ended her own run and changed the game for others: her nomination slot was reassigned, raising the stakes for Víctor Janeiro and Lola Ortiz, with Arkano also affected. Telecinco confirmed that the medical team advised against her return and that her transfer to Spain was official.
Supervivientes All Stars has a track record of using personal histories to fuel the show. The timing of Cuevas’ return and her willingness to reopen old disputes are no accident. It’s a strategy to keep the show unpredictable. This approach is familiar in Spanish reality TV, where family feuds often play out in public, as seen in the recent case of Cayetano Rivera’s turn to painting during family tensions.
This season, the producers aren’t hiding their intentions. By bringing back someone with a personal stake in nearly every major storyline, Supervivientes All Stars is betting that rivalry will keep viewers hooked. In this game, old grudges have become the basic attraction.
