Survivor is currently in its 47th season, but host and executive producer Jeff Probst is already gearing up for Survivor 50, which is scheduled to begin filming in 2025.
The groundbreaking reality show — which aired its first season in 2000 — leaves contestants on a remote island where they must outwit, outplay, and outlast one another to claim the title of the sole survivor. Probst revealed earlier this year that season 50 will include past players, and fans are excited to see which of their favorites will return. With more than 700 contestants to choose from, how will Probst narrow down the list?
The last time the show featured returning players was in season 40, subtiled Winners at War, where all of the 20 castaways were past winners in contention for a doubled cash prize of a cool $2 million. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Probst shared his criteria for choosing which former outcasts to invite back for the milestone 50th season. What came to Jeff’s mind was the word “celebrate,” and that’s what the entire team will be focusing on for season 50.
The Survivor host said they are looking for past players who are excited to play the game, but not the “disgruntled players looking to settle a score.”
“We’re looking for players who want a second chance, who have something to prove to themselves.”
Probst explained that this doesn’t mean they don’t want competitive players, but that season 50 is also a celebration of 25 years of the show being on the air. That’s why Probst want contestants who will be “in a good mood and want to play.” Furthermore, he wants season 50 to have a fun environment and funny moments that longtime fans of the show will enjoy watching.
The tedious process of choosing contestants
Earlier this year, Probst spoke to Variety about his process for choosing contestants. He said he has whiteboards filled with printed photos of past contestants with the season when they first played and how old they’ll be during the filming of season 50. The initial number was 200 people, but he’s since narrowed it down to 100 potential castaways. As he does this, the main question he wants to answer is, “how are you going to get this down to a handful of people to play Survivor 50 that will satisfy the fans and will honor 50 seasons?”
One player who is interested in coming back is Rob Mariano aka Boston Rob, who has appeared on the show six times — five as a castaway and once as a mentor — and won once. When he caught wind of Survivor 50 having returning players, he jokingly said he’s taking alliance requests in his DMs. “So slide into the DMs, all you former players, and we’ll let you know whether or not you can get in the alliance or not,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
Fans have already curated their own wishlist of castaways for Survivor 50, with common names being thrown out such as Rupert Boneham, Joe Anglim, Cirie Fields, Rick Devens, and even the first ever Survivor winner, Richard Hatch. However, Probst has been tight-lipped about the casting and said part of the excitement is the element of secrecy. Fans will just have to wait and see whether their favorite Survivor contestants make it to season 50.