He’s so happy he’s wearing his celebratory blue shirt and khakis. Photo: Robert Voets/CBS
Survivor 50is coming to an island near you. The landmark 50th season of the Jeff Probst–hosted series will air in the spring, and CBS is going all in. We already knew that Survivor 50 would be an All Star season featuring, yes, that Mike White. Leading up to the Survivor 50 premiere on February 25, the network is broadcasting two weeks of rerun episodes that showcase members of the Survivor 50 cast. The reruns will air daily from Monday, February 9, through Friday, February 20, beginning at 8 p.m. opposite NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage. Then, the following Wednesday, the premiere episode will be three hours long, running from 8 to 11 p.m. Young Survivor fans may have to be given special permission to stay up past their bedtime.
CBS has not yet confirmed which encore episodes will air in the rerun list. It will be ten episodes in total, and the cast includes 24 people, so some cast members may not get to shine. Plus two yet-unconfirmed members of the 24 contestants are currently competing on Survivor 49. Several of the remaining competitors can be showcased together because they played against one another previously — White, Angelina Keeley, and Christian Hubicki are all from David vs. Goliath, for example. Maybe CBS will run the Micronesia episode in which Cirie Fields conned Ozzy Lusth out of playing his hidden immunity idol, then voted him out. Always a good idea to reopen old wounds before they see each other again.
It’s not every show that, 45 seasons in, finds itself bigger than ever before. I mean that literally: For the first time in its run, Survivor has been airing 90-minute-long weekly episodes, a format devised and produced after CBS gave host Jeff Probst and his fellow producers the green light to bump up their programming from an hour (including commercial breaks). The move made some sense: The iconic reality series has maintained unprecedented stability in the ratings, including a successful shift to streaming on Paramount+, and its recent Emmy nomination for best competition program—the first for the show in 17 years, a record gap for the category—suggests a resurgence in critical and industry support. (There was also the matter of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes thinning out CBS’s scripted schedule.) If anything, the expansion felt like a flex. How many series in Survivor’s wake have come, popped with big debuts, and gone? Virtually as long as it’s been on the air, Survivor has appeared in charge of its own future.
Then, in the first episode of season 45, a contestant quit. A few weeks later, another contestant quit. Fans expressed outrage on social media, both at the players and Survivor itself: With so many people applying and wanting to play, to compete for the famed $1 million prize, how could casting have missed the fact that multiple people simply couldn’t crack life out in the jungle? Since the show’s airing, Probst has promised to be harder on contestants who quit going forward—denying them the ritualistic torch-snuffing farewell that both of this season’s departees were granted. Now in conversation with Vanity Fair, Probst admits the quits rattled him.
“I was shocked—I honestly thought the days of somebody quitting were over, and I don’t know why. That conclusion that I came to had nothing to support it,” Probst says. “I started hearing the audience, the fans, and their unhappiness, and I was jolted back into reality, which is: This is really offensive to somebody who watches Survivor or dreams about being on Survivor. It made me realize I have to adjust.” But he pushes back on criticisms of his casting department: “I don’t think there’s any issue with our casting process. I totally see why you would assume that, but if you dove deep into our process, you would realize we know these people very well—and occasionally, somebody just gets overwhelmed.”
The anecdote is instructive for Probst, who’s been with Survivor since the very beginning (that is, more than two decades), and who’s evolved as the face of the franchise as the times have changed. He’s been open about his personal transformation informing Survivor’s growth following its COVID-induced hiatus, which ushered in a “New Era,” now on its fifth season, that more directly speaks to social issues and cultural divides. “Survivor really took on an even deeper meaning to me, which is a chance to remind ourselves what we’re capable of in a grand way, maybe the biggest adventure you could ever get for the vast majority of Americans,” he says. “My personality was shifting into much more uplifting, positive, encouraging.” This is still very much the case for Probst, post-quitting drama, though he sees room for nuance: “You can have a change of heart personally in how you see the world, but you still have to run this show in a way that holds players accountable.”
Even as Survivor throws in new types of immunity idols, competition advantages, and team configurations (called tribes) with every new season, its core premise has remained the same from its inception: A group of strangers gathers on an island, sources their own food and shelter, and votes each other out until one person remains. The combination of that simplicity, and all of the social complexity contained within it—which is to say, the building and fracturing of alliances and bonds and rivalries—has kept it around, beyond imitators and through dramatic changes in the television landscape. On streaming, Survivor is posting Paramount+ viewing gains of more than 30 percent, year over year, and the show regularly trends on X with the airing of a new Wednesday night episode.
“I’ve felt an even more enthusiastic response this season, and I think it’s directly related to 90-minute episodes because 90 minutes allows us to spend more time with the players—you get to know them on a much deeper level, and not just their backstories, but also smaller moments that often reveal so much character,” Probst says. He’s right that the expansion has made room for both the twist-heavy structure that became especially evident in the “New Era,” an inevitable development for a game show trying to stay fresh, as well as the humanistic depictions of camp life that helped make Survivor such a phenomenon in the first place. “That’s the way I see it,” Probst says. “With 90 minutes, we get both.”
CBS has confirmed that season 46, airing in the spring, will also broadcast 90-minute-long episodes. As to what’s coming after that? Probst says he’ll be pushing to know soon. “Speaking candidly, I’ve been asking for [longer episodes] for years. I think we delivered on it, and I think we’ll deliver on it again in 46—and, yeah, I’ll be walking back into the offices at CBS and saying, ‘Let’s go again,’” Probst says. “It would be hard to go back, but if we had to, we certainly can. We’ve done it for 23 years.”
But there’s also something to be said for the show’s many, many recent innovations—some of which viewers found to be detracting from Survivor’s core strengths—finally paying off. The show had instituted a “Shot in the Dark” maneuver for season 41, in which players who feel in danger of being voted out could play for a one-in-six shot at safety from a vote—while sacrificing their own vote at the same time. For years, nothing came of it; this season, Kaleb Gebrewold, isolated without enough allies, played it correctly while his entire tribe had voted against him, leading to what Probst calls “one of the greatest moments in the history” of the show. “If you’re patient, sooner or later the stars are going to align…but one of the complaints I hear often from fans is, ‘There’s too many twists. You should really try a season with no twists,’” Probst says. “Without that uncertainty, Survivor would not still be on the air. If it was simple as, ‘Hey, whoever has five people can vote out the group that has four,’ this game would’ve died 15 years ago.”
This year’s Emmy race for outstanding competition program, voted on by Probst’s industry peers, features shows nominated for, respectively, season 23 (The Voice), 20 (Top Chef), 15 (RuPaul’s Drag Race), 34 (The Amazing Race), and of course, Survivor’s 44. It’s rare for new shows to break in here, in other words, and when they do they usually stick around until they don’t. Survivor fell off in 2006 and never returned until now. “There was a point along the way where we just let it go, and we were bummed that our peers didn’t feel we belonged in the Emmy conversation, but we also know there are lots of great unscripted shows and there’s only so many spots,” Probst says. “I have no idea why we were nominated again.”
As Survivor’s 45th season airs its penultimate episode tonight, after another run proving the show’s ability to stir both passionate enthusiasm and occasional controversy, some clear factors surely made a difference. Probst cites his “long-term view” of growing the show with the times, and we see it working out; on the other side of that coin, the show has deftly infused old-fashioned elements back into the machinery of an episode, even if that’s as simple as spending a few more minutes on quiet camplife. (The show also brought back the “Survivor Auction,” which—if you know, you know.) There’s the freshly diverse, distinctive, ambitious cast, which even after a few unfortunate quits stands out for their hunger and their savvy. And of course, there’s Probst—as close to a constant as American primetime television has had this century.
“Just to be nominated by the people who are in our orbit and do the same kind of shows we do is all you really need,” Probst reflects as we wrap up. “It’s just somebody saying, ‘I see you. I see what you’re doing.’”
Listen to Vanity Fair’s Little Gold Men podcast now.
Listen, I’ve always believed that sandwiches hold special powers. They are, quite literally, a perfect food. And in episode six of Survivor 45, an overlooked sandwich from last week gets its revenge this week, to the detriment of one of the players. (Oh, and there’s a merge too, no big deal.)
Before we get to the episode, subscribe to our newsletter For the Culture for everything you need to know about Survivor and everything else in pop culture delivered to your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday.
This episode goes full throttle from minute one. Everyone on Lulu (except Katurah) hunts for an immunity idol, but Bruce is the lucky one to find it (sort of). Instead of actually finding an immunity idol, he finds a clue to the location of an immunity idol and will lose his vote until he finds it. (Ugh.) As he searches, they see a boat, which could only mean one thing: the merge! Bruce needs to find this idol before they’re forced to leave their beach. Just like a good Angelina Jolie thriller, Bruce desperately searches, finding the idol in the nick of time. Katurah (when she finds out) is going to hate this because, well, she hates Bruce.
Speaking of the merge, everyone coming together is usually a joyous occasion, but this one is filled with a little joy, but more plotting and revenge.
First things first, Austin is still angry he didn’t get that sandwich last week. (Honestly, I can relate.) Just to catch you up, Austin, J. and Kellie were sent on a quest and had a choice between an amulet with limited power or a sandwich. J. and Kellie picked the amulet, so Austin went along with it reluctantly. Now that they’ve merged, Austin wants J. out (the leader of the sandwich drama).
Beyond Austin’s culinary beef with J. (see what I did there?), the merge also puts a target on Kaleb and Emily’s back. You see, they are the only surviving members of the old (and cursed) Lulu tribe. This means both of them need to hustle to, well, survive.
Kaleb starts things off, quickly forming alliances with Reba and Belo, doing what he can to avoid the Lulu curse. It seems to work. Everyone likes Kaleb and seems to agree with his game play. That is, everybody except Bruce. He sees Kaleb as a threat, especially since nobody seems to be talking to Bruce. He sees Kaleb working them and knows Kaleb will ultimately work to vote them all off (but always with that million dollar smile). Determined to take Kaleb out and regain leadership control, Bruce starts to lobby, with some success.
Meanwhile, Emily and Bruce have their own things to hash out post-merge. You see, on day one, Emily called Bruce out for having an advantage in the game because he had briefly played last season, but had to leave for medical reasons. The two made amends, but neither of em left it in a spot where either of them are supporting each other. Those dynamics will certainly be fun to watch in episodes to come.
While the rest of the tribe seems to be celebrating a dancing bug (it’s the little things, you know?), Emily and Kaleb get to plotting. They know they need to start taking out Reba tribe members in order to make it to the end, which means targeting J., Julie and Dee. If they’re able to do this, they’ll be in good shape, but considering they both have the Lulu curse hovering over them, it’s certainly not guaranteed.
The challenge finds the players competing in an obstacle course ending with a puzzle. (Where’s Carson Garrett from 44 when you need him, right?) They’re split into two teams, red and blue, with Katurah left team-less because she chose the blank rock. She smartly chose the blue team, because they ultimately won. This means everyone on the red team are on the chopping block, which just so happens includes original Lulu’s Emily and Kaleb, not to mention Reba’s J., so basically everyone they’ve all been talking about to vote off. Funny how that works out.
While we’re talking about the challenge, you should listen to Jeff Probst’s On Fire, the official Survivor podcast. This week he breaks down how they build these amazing structures for the challenges.
Back at camp, the consensus is that Kaleb has to go. It makes sense, and not just because of the Lulu curse. From the beginning of the merge he’s been wheeling and dealing, which obviously put a mark on his back. Whereas Emily has kept a low profile, all the while doing whatever she needed to in order to put her in the good graces of Reba and Belo members. Bruce leads the charge with voting Kaleb out, but then the tides shift to J. (Insert dramatic music.) Kaleb makes the case that Reba is too strong, and they need to start chipping away at it, and guess who eagerly joins the vote J. off parade? Austin. (He really wanted that sandwich.)
OK, so we’re at Tribal Council, and wow, this one had me all jumpy. So like, everyone is there together for the first time, which is awfully exciting, but the kicker is only the losing team from the challenge can be voted out. It quickly turns into a showdown between Kaleb and J. Kaleb lays it all out, calling out the Lulu curse and basically says he and Emily are on the chopping block.
Emily says the game is now an individual game, and that, “if there’s a Lulu curse, it ends tonight.”
Then Kaleb sets his sights on Reba. He says he might be a threat, but he’s not a strategic threat (whatever that means). To him, the biggest threat is coming from the Reba alliance of Julie, Dee and J., and that J. needs to go. This, obviously, makes J. turn on Kaleb. The two go back and forth right before the vote.
OK, this is where it gets good. Before Jeff is about to read the votes, Kaleb plays his shot in the dark, to the excitement of everybody except J. and Emily. Everyone is on pins and needles while Jeff unravels Kaleb’s shot in the dark. Will he be safe, and thus any votes for him will be deemed useless, or will he not be safe?! Well, he’s… SAFE! And the crowd goes wild.
Oh, but wait, it gets better! So Jeff reads the votes and every single person voted for Kaleb (who couldn’t vote because he played his shot in the dark). Everyone is legit dumbfounded. They have to vote again, this time Kaleb will be fine, but Emily and J. are in the hot seat.
Everyone gets up and starts lobbying. J. is pushing hard for Emily, and people assure her they’ll vote for Emily. While Emily pleads for people just to not vote for her. (She couldn’t care less who they vote for.) In this moment it feels like Emily is going home, that damn Lulu curse. Personally, I’m distraught, Emily is my girl, she cannot go home now.
They vote again. As Jeff reads the votes, it turns out all those assurances people gave J. were actually blindsides. J. gets the most votes. (Phew, Emily is fine, so I’m mentally in a good place again. This also shows how smart of a game Emily is playing. She rightly knew to keep even soft alliances in play for a moment just like this.)
What an episode! The anxiety was just off the charts! On the bright side, at least now I have something to talk about with my therapist this week.
Who Needs to Get Snuffed?
While I loved Kaleb’s luck this episode, I do feel like he’s on his way out. He’s too vocal, which I feel like will be his downfall.
Who Should be the Sole Survivor?
Emily is still in the lead to win for me, but Austin’s sandwich revenge was delicious TV (literally).
Watch Survivor every Wednesday on CBS or anytime on Paramount+ to follow along as I react to every episode this season.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Today is Friday, Nov. 4, the 308th day of 2022. There are 57 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Nov. 4, 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing Israeli minutes after attending a festive peace rally.
On this date:
In 1842, Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in Springfield, Illinois.
In 1879, humorist Will Rogers was born in Oologah, Oklahoma.
In 1922, the entrance to King Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered in Egypt.
In 1942, during World War II, Axis forces retreated from El Alamein in North Africa in a major victory for British forces commanded by Lt. Gen. Bernard Montgomery.
In 1956, Soviet troops moved in to crush the Hungarian Revolution.
In 1979, the Iran hostage crisis began as militants stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran, seizing its occupants; for some of them, it was the start of 444 days of captivity.
In 1980, Republican Ronald Reagan won the White House as he defeated President Jimmy Carter by a strong margin.
In 1985, to the shock and dismay of U.S. officials, Soviet defector Vitaly Yurchenko announced he was returning to the Soviet Union, charging he had been kidnapped by the CIA.
In 1991, Ronald Reagan opened his presidential library in Simi Valley, California; attending were President George H.W. Bush and former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald R. Ford and Richard Nixon — the first-ever gathering of five past and present U.S. chief executives.
In 2007, King Tutankhamen’s face was unveiled for the first time to the public more than 3,000 years after the pharaoh was buried in his Egyptian tomb.
In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama was elected the first Black president of the United States, defeating Republican John McCain. California voters approved Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage, overturning a state Supreme Court decision that gave gay couples the right to wed just months earlier.
In 2020, a day after the presidential election, victories in Michigan and Wisconsin left Joe Biden one battleground state short of winning the White House. President Donald Trump falsely claimed victory in several key states and called the election process “a major fraud on our nation.”
Ten years ago: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said cold temperatures would leave “tens of thousands” of people whose homes were damaged by Superstorm Sandy in need of alternate housing. A 2-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of African wild dogs when he fell into their pen from a viewing area at the Pittsburgh Zoo.
Five years ago: China’s rubber-stamp legislature made it a criminal offense to disrespect the country’s national anthem, punishable by up to three years in prison; the move came amid rising nationalist appeals from the ruling Communist Party. Saudi Arabian authorities began a wave of arrests of dozens of the country’s most powerful princes, military officers, businessmen and government ministers in a purported anti-corruption sweep; they included potential rivals or critics of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
One year ago: The Biden administration issued a rule requiring tens of millions of Americans who worked at companies with 100 or more employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or get tested for the virus weekly. (The Supreme Court rejected that rule in January 2022, finding that the administration had overstepped its authority.) The Biden administration sued Texas over new voting rules, saying that the restrictions surrounding mail-in voting requirements and voter assistance violated federal civil rights protections. A Texas real estate agent, Jennifer Leigh Ryan, who bragged she wasn’t going to jail for storming the U.S. Capitol because she was white, had blond hair and had a good job, was sentenced to two months behind bars. Drug gang gunmen stormed ashore at a beach on Mexico’s resort-studded Caribbean coast in front of luxury hotels and executed two drug dealers from a rival gang.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Loretta Swit is 85. R&B singer Harry Elston (Friends of Distinction) is 84. Blues singer Delbert McClinton is 82. Former first lady Laura Bush is 76. Actor Ivonne Coll is 75. Rock singer-musician Chris Difford (Squeeze) is 68. Country singer Kim Forester (The Forester Sisters) is 62. Actor-comedian Kathy Griffin is 62. Actor Ralph Macchio is 61. “Survivor” host Jeff Probst is 61. Actor Matthew McConaughey is 53. Rapper-producer Sean “Puffy” Combs is 53. TV personality Bethenny Frankel is 52. Actor Anthony Ruivivar is 52. Soul/jazz singer Gregory Porter is 51. Celebrity chef Curtis Stone is 47. Actor Heather Tom is 47. R&B/gospel singer George Huff is 42. Actor Emme Rylan is 42. Actor Chris Greene (Film: “Loving”) is 40.
