The Survivor 47 finale might be a two-episode special, but according to longtime host Jeff Probst, that does not mean that the format of the finale will change in any way.
Yesterday (December 11), the first part of the Survivor 47 finale aired via CBS, sending Andy Rueda and Genevieve Mushaluk packing. Now, only four castaways remain — Rachel LaMont, Sam Phalen, Sue Smey and Teeny Chirichillo — with one of them taking home the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar prize when the second part of the Survivor 47 finale airs December 18.
Considering a typical Survivor finale begins with five players, with the format of the two-episode special, the second part of the Survivor 47 finale will begin with four players instead. Because of this, superfans of the show have jumped to conclusions, wondering if there will be a final two format instead of the typical final three format when it comes to this season’s Final Tribal Council.
Survivor has utilized a final two format in the past, but only for five seasons: Borneo, Panama, Micronesia, Tocantins and Cagayan. Will the show resort to its old ways, reinstating a final two format for Survivor 47, though?
Fortunately, Jeff is here to put all of the rumors to rest.
On the latest episode of the On Fire podcast — the official podcast of the show we know and love — Jeff explained why the Survivor 47 finale is a two-episode special, and no, it is not to reinstate a final two format.
“It really started with CBS asking us months before we shot if it would be possible for season 47 to do 14 episodes instead of 13… They had some things they wanted to try in their schedule, and part of that working out would depend on whether or not we could do 14 episodes. So [executive producer Matt Van Wagenen] and I sat down and broke the finale down into parts and examined if and how we could pull it off.”
The best way to “pull it off” was to split the Survivor 47 finale into two parts.
Jeff added that with an entire episode highlighting the final four, as opposed to the final five, “we could spend a lot more time with our final four as we lead into the final four challenge, and then the fire-making, and then the final three, and then the final Tribal Council.” Adding that the finale is usually “full of content,” he is eager to highlight even more storylines and behind-the-scenes scoop in the second part of the Survivor 47 finale. How exciting is that?
If Jeff explaining the reason for the two-episode special wasn’t enough to squash your dreams of a final two format, the longtime host went so far as to address the rumors directly.
“It’s certainly possible, but I don’t want to have speculation. That goes nowhere… It’s not a final two, so I don’t want to confuse or disappoint anybody, but I will say, it is a tremendous finish to a great season.”
Needless to say, we are on the edge of our seats!
To see the “tremendous finish” to Survivor 47, as well as find out who takes home the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar prize — Rachel, Sam, Sue or Teeny — tune into CBS at 8pm ET/PT on Wednesday (December 18).