Survivor 50 isn’t slated to air until 2026, but fans already know plenty about what to expect.
Dubbed Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, viewers will be able to vote on exactly what the season looks like — from the color of each tribe’s buffs to the game’s twists, and even whether the finale is live or taped.
It’s a celebration of 25 years on the air for the CBS reality staple, and host Jeff Probst wanted to use the occasion to give back to the fans by letting them have a hand in the season’s production.
“I wanted it to be a thank you to the fans because that’s the whole reason we’ve been on so long is their loyalty of sticking with us,” he told Entertainment Weekly in February 2025. “Even if they don’t love every idea, they don’t quit on us.”
How Fans Will Influence ‘Survivor’ Season 50 With a Vote of Their Own
He added, “The fans will have a chance to either in one way go back to our roots, but in another way move us into the future. And I’m really curious where that is going to go because we’re going to give you some choices to make.”
As Survivor 48 airs over the coming months, fans will have opportunities to vote on aspects of Survivor 50 that they want to see. We know enough at this point to have a vague idea of what the season could look like — but there’s still plenty of intrigue to keep us guessing.
Here’s what we know about Survivor 50, and everything we’re hoping for:
Everything Fans Can Vote On for ‘Survivor 50’
The fan vote for season 50 starts with something simple, and that’s by design. The first questions fans face when they go to vote is on the colors for each tribe. Production still hasn’t designed the buffs yet and does not know the colors that will dictate the aesthetic feel of the show through the first few weeks.
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After that, it gets interesting. Fans can now vote on whether players receive rice at the start of the game and will have some hand in guiding the advantages and twists that drop throughout. At the end of the season, fans will have already determined if the final three is set by a fire-making challenge, which has happened every season since 35, Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers. They will also decide whether the votes are read during the final tribal council, as has been the case throughout the new era, or if the series will return to a live finale in the United States, which would air long after the season is taped.
Fans Will Not Vote Returning Players onto the Cast
Survivor has already had fans vote their favorites onto a returning players season; that happened in season 31, Survivor: Second Chance. Don’t expect it to happen again — at least not this time.
As Probst explained to Entertainment Weekly, it would be unfair to the players.
“Second Chance was people who had something left to prove and they had a burning desire. They wanted it so much that they would subject themselves to a live vote, and know that they might not get chosen,” he said. “For Survivor 50, you can assume we’re going to be bringing back some legends, and you just can’t ask a legend that you built the show on their back and could argue they are part of building the show and then turn around and ask them to subject themselves to a vote.”
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Voting Could Change the Trajectory of Seasons Beyond ‘Survivor 50’
Rarely does Survivor commit to keeping an element of the game static for the rest of time. The show is tied to Fiji as a location right now and 26 days as the season length, but after that, just about everything is subject to change.
Asked if the fans’ votes on Survivor 50 could impact future seasons, Probst said it was a possibility.
“That remains to be seen, but I’m certainly open to it,” he said. “I think there’s two things that you have to remember when you’re listening to advice from a fan. One is that’s really how they feel and you’ve got to consider that. The other is your job is to produce an entertaining show.”
What We Hope For: A Chance to Pick Tribes
Even though fans won’t be able to pick the players, Probst revealed at a Survivor 48 premiere party that the cast will span all eras of Survivor, meaning we’re not just looking at a New Era All-Stars season and probably not a New Era vs. Old Era theme.
“We want a cast that represents all types of players, spanning all the eras,” Probst explained. “An array of people who have slept, bled, battled this ever-changing game design for the last 25 years because really Survivor 50 is a representation of anyone who has ever played and the fans who have been with us the entire time.”
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So if viewers can’t pick the players, it would be fascinating for fans to have a hand in picking the tribes. Let’s say Survivor 46 runner-up Charlie Davis ends up on the season, along with Maria Shrime Gonzalez, his close ally who didn’t vote for him in the end. It would be great for fans to be able to vote them onto the same six-player tribe to see if they will work together again or if there’s still bad blood.
Or maybe there are some old favorites who have been critical of the shortened format in the new era. Fans should be able to vote them onto a tribe with new era favorites — or maybe a major personality like Survivor 45’s Emily Flippen.
What We Hope For: A Return of Classic Competitions
Survivor fans celebrated the return of the Survivor Auction in season 45 like they themselves had been denied the juicy cheeseburgers and rich chocolate cakes up for grabs in Fiji. It was the first time since Survivor: Worlds Apart (season 30) that fans had seen the auction.
Of course, Survivor 50 should have an auction. It should also have some other old favorites — some that we see nearly every year and some we haven’t seen yet in the new era. It can start with a return of Bob-Bob Buoy for the first time since season 10. The one time it ran, it was the longest endurance challenge ever on a US Survivor season, lasting almost 12 hours.
The Last Gasp challenge also debuted in season 10 but has popped up again several times over the years, most recently in Survivor 44. It provided one of the most memorable moments of the new era when, in season 43, Karla Cruz Godoy and Owen Knight were able to stay under a steel grate but above the water for so long that the tides went back out, making it impossible to finish. Both players were declared winners.
What We Hope For: The Loved Ones Visit
Fans have been clamoring for a return of the Loved Ones Visit, and why shouldn’t they? The segment never fails to produce some tears as players are surprised with a visit from a family member or friend before a challenge. The winners of the challenge then get some time with their loved ones, as well as an opportunity to take fellow players (and their families) with them. Not only is it an emotional moment, but it brings out the best and worst in the castaways as they are either rewarded or denied time with their person.
The shortened format, as well as COVID restrictions for the first few seasons of the new era, put the Loved Ones Visit on the back-burner. But don’t forget: castaways are away for far longer than the time they’re actually playing the game. They fly out to Fiji well before the game begins and are sequestered before filming starts. By the time the loved ones would normally arrive to the beach, the contestants have already been away from home for well over a month.
