Survivor 46 is less than a week away — premiering on CBS on Wednesday, February 28 at 8pm ET/PT — and the Nami, Siga, and Yanu tribes are ready to battle it out on the beach, with just one castaway taking home the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar cash prize in the end.
Survivor 45 aired in the fall of 2023 — introducing dozens of twists and turns to the show that we know and love, as well as bringing back the legendary Survivor auction — however, the most exciting change implemented this season was switching from a 60-minute runtime to a 90-minute runtime.
While this 90-minute runtime will remain consistent throughout the entirety of Survivor 46 — as well as several seasons to come (fingers crossed) — the first two episodes will be an exception, running for two hours instead, respectively. How exciting is that?
What can we expect to see in the supersized episodes that will kick off Survivor 46? Longtime host Jeff Probst spilled the tea in an exclusive interview with Mike Bloom at Parade. Keep scrolling to see for yourself…
“We’re so happy to have two-hour episodes for weeks one and two because it really gives us a lot of time to get to know the players, and this is a REALLY fun group! Anytime you can lay an early foundation from a character standpoint, it will pay off down the road,” Probst dished, revealing that these back-to-back two-hour episodes will help viewers really connect with the castaways this season.
To follow, he elaborated on what exactly these episodes will entail, teasing some silliness to come.
“The easiest way to think about the positive impact is that it gives the episodes a chance to breathe. So we can spend a few more moments with a tribe as they are building shelter, or eavesdrop on them as they play a game of music trivia. These are the kinds of moments that we often have to cut out of the episode due to time length, but for this season, we can keep them in, and, as a result, you get to know the players on a deeper and more personal level,” Probst continued, and we seriously cannot contain our excitement.
Survivor superfans better buckle up (and set their DVRs), because the premiere of Survivor 46 will air on CBS on Wednesday, February 28 at 8pm ET/PT, with brand new episodes to follow every Wednesday afterwards. With a cast that is nothing short of spectacular, this season is sure to be sensational.