Survivor host Jeff Probst has revealed the type of returning players he’d like to cast for the show’s landmark 50th season.
Survivor will begin filming Season 50 in Spring 2025, and the highly-anticipated anniversary is slated to premiere in 2026.
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Considering there is so much hype already surrounding Season 50, Jeff teased what Survivor producers have up their sleeves in the planning process.
“Imagine you have just an empty whiteboard and you can write anything you want on it,” Jeff, Survivor’s showrunner and iconic longtime host, told Entertainment Weekly in a recent interview.
“The first word that came to me was celebrate. And that’s important to me because that’s going to guide us into our creative. We want fans to be happy. We want this to be a celebration.”
Jeff previously teased in April that Survivor’s 50th season is going to feature all returning players.
Jeff had told People that he wants to give the fans what they want and so producers will be “committed” to making a season of all veteran players happen.
After Survivor’s Season 1 premiere in May 2000, the first time Survivor featured a cast of returning castaways was Season 8, which was titled Survivor: All-Stars.
The first time the series featured a cast of all former champions was Season 40, which was dubbed Survivor: Winners at War.
Since the start of Survivor’s “new era” with Season 41, Survivor has not featured any returning players, except for Bruce Perreault’s second chance following his unfortunate medical evacuation from the show.
But unlike Winners at War, Jeff apparently wants the vibe of Season 50 to be joyful, uplifting and thrilling.
“We want players who are also excited to be on it,” Jeff explained to EW.
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“This is not Winners at War. It doesn’t mean we don’t want players who are going to play hard — of course we do. But it means we’re also big-picture trying to celebrate 25 years, and that means joyful players who are in a good mood and want to play.”
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Jeff elaborated that producers are “not looking for disgruntled players looking to settle a score.”
The Survivor host clarified, “We’re looking for players who want a second chance, who have something to prove to themselves.”
Jeff said he wants to figure out a way to accomplish that in a way that’s “fun” and also “includes the fans.”
Jeff told EW that he wants to cast players whom “all the fans want to see” and that will give viewers “the opportunity for another great season” of Survivor.
That path has yet to be determined, but Jeff concluded, “Celebration is the first word, and that equals joy. I’m looking for those moments that are going to be really fun and really funny.”
Survivor is currently airing its 46th season on Wednesday nights on CBS.
While Season 50 is still “a long way away,” according to Jeff, former Survivor players are already asking to be a part of the special season on social media.
“The players are excited, and we like that,” Jeff acknowledged.
“There’s no issue with a player being excited or trying to find out if there is information. That’s a good sign. It says you want it, so we welcome that. What I would say back to any player that is curious or thinking about it is just remember that a big part of Survivor 50, or any great season of Survivor, is a little secrecy.”
Jeff is allowing people to read into that however they’d like to.
“But what I would have to say for players who want to be on 50 is to keep that in mind,” Jeff said.
Jeff declined to go into creative specifics for Survivor 50, but he shared, “We’re looking for excitement, and part of that excitement is that a season needs to have some secrecy around it.”
Jeff said “it’s fun to talk about 50” but there are still many conversations to be had and a lot of work to be done.
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“I don’t want to give anything away, because it’s a long way away,” Jeff said.
“But I can promise Survivor fans, it is top of mind for us, and we are going to do our very best to make it a great season that will satisfy them.”
In June, CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach told Deadline that they had just wrapped Season 47 in Fiji and were definitely “talking about Season 50 for Survivor” already.
“We will absolutely be celebrating and I would consider it kind of a year-long celebration,” the CBS executive shared.
“We do that really well on CBS. We will have a lot of plans in the works… it’d be the first time in the new era that will have returning players. That’s really exciting.”
Jeff also told People in April that he continues to be passionate about Survivor, even after 25 years of being the show’s host.
“I love Survivor. Still love it. And honestly, nothing makes me happier than seeing people who also like it,” Jeff explained, adding how the show connects him to viewers, young and old.
“I know it seems crazy, but I love the job. I really do. I am naturally curious and I’m mostly curious about human behavior, why we do the things we do. And I’ve had a front-row seat to that for 24 years.”
He added at the time, “So when people say, ‘I can’t believe you’re still so enthusiastic,’ I say, ‘Well, that’s just because you don’t know me.”
Jeff insisted that his friends know the truth, adding, “Because my friends know, ‘Oh, Probst will do that forever. He loves this.'”
Jeff said he learns from Survivor players all the time how to live his life.
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“And I know it sounds corny, but I think Survivor’s an adventure and the game is the lure,” Jeff explained.
“The experience is the prize. And that’s why when it’s over, you’ve played this fun game, found an idol, won a challenge, got a blindside under your belt, but when it’s over, you’re a different human. That’s what’s cool about Survivor.”
About The Author:
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
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