Once upon a time, summer TV was a barren landscape of reruns, so when Survivor premiered on May 31, 2000, viewers tuned in.
What they saw was as absurd as it was intriguing: Sixteen strangers dropped onto a secluded island off the coast of Borneo, trying to outwit and outlast each other for 39 days to win $1 million. And, wait, were they eating rats?
More than 25 years later, the Emmy winning reality show has not just survived but thrived, all while keeping its DNA intact. (Host and executive producer Jeff Probst still sends ousted contestants packing with, “Your tribe has spoken.”) The game is quicker and tougher than in its early days, and now, it’s marking an amazing milestone.
Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans (premiering Wednesday, February 25 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount+) features 24 returnees, including fan fave Cirie Fields, The White Lotus creator Mike White and newly crowned champ Savannah Louie battling it out over 26 days. And, for the first time, viewers are part of the action: They’ve already voted on rewards and food rations, and will continue to influence the game as it unfolds.
Just days before Survivor 50 started in Fiji, competitors shared their thoughts — while swatting away mosquitoes
Origin Stories
Jenna Lewis-Dougherty: I remember seeing an ad looking for contestants for a TV show. It was something like, “Sixteen castaways and one will survive.” Like, they’re going to kill 15 people on TV?! But it sounded really interesting, and I wanted to challenge myself. So I sat on the edge of my bed and made a video on a VHS tape.
Colby Donaldson: It didn’t take me long to be a fan of the game, and I wanted to go play it. After my first interview with casting, I scribbled on a Post-it, “I’m going to be on this season of Survivor.” I just felt the universe had put me in that place at that time.
Rizo Velovic: Episode 3 of Survivor: Tocantins in 2009, J.T. [Thomas] lost his tooth during a challenge. He took it and flicked it to the side. I was 8 years old and remember thinking, ‘I want to be that guy.’
Charlie Davis: I started watching during the pandemic because there was nothing else going on, then I went down a rabbit hole. I was like, ‘I want to play this game so badly.’
Roughing It
Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick: We had nothing [in 2005], like a boat and a machete, maybe a pot. I don’t think we ever got rice.
Kamilla Karthigesu: The first night, I went to sleep and thought, ‘Oh, maybe when I wake up, the producers will have left fruit on the ground for us so we’ll have food.’ They didn’t.
Davis: Sleeping on the bamboo is the worst. There’s no way to get comfortable. Randen [Montalvo] from my season got nerve damage from it and had to be medically evacuated.
Savannah Louie: I never thought I’d poop in the ocean. I was so anxious. Then you just squat down and do it.
Christian Hubicki: I did not anticipate the mental fatigue of it all. I expected the hunger. But the rain sucked. You’re always cold, you’re always wet and nothing’s ever dry.
Rick Devens: There’s no hygiene whatsoever. You’re scraping your teeth with a little piece of bamboo. What surprised me most was how quickly I got used to it.
Tiffany Ervin: It’s so much harder than it looks on TV.
Winners Circle
Kyle Fraser: The money hit my bank account right after the finale wrapped on the East Coast. You can choose to get a physical check too… It’s a crazy feeling to know that you’re a millionaire, but not just yet.
Dee Valladares: They tell you it’s going to be in your account after the show’s done airing. So I was in the hotel with my parents and my brother, and I was constantly checking Chase. I actually took money out of my main account because I wanted to see the zeros. I saw it at, like, 1 a.m. and I’m like “Guys, look!” We started going crazy.
The Road to 50
Mike White: Jeff was like, “You’re never gonna play again, are you?”… But I never say never. The timing worked because we’re in between White Lotus seasons. I still had to fill out the application. It’s nice to feel that I’m just an individual here, on the same level playing field as everybody else.
Benjamin “Coach” Wade: I’ve said many times that I was officially retired. I was hiding out in Northern California. When they first called me, I thought, ‘Should I go?’ I’m a very spiritual person, so of course I prayed about it. I didn’t feel convinced. But regret is a strong emotion.
Quintavius “Q” Burdette: I get on a Zoom and all of a sudden Jeff pops up on the screen. I had my son, Ace, with me, and he’s like, “Well, Q, season 50 would not be the same if Ace can’t watch you on it. Will you be a part of it?” And I was like, “Heck yeah, let’s go!”
Ozzy Lusth: I knew they were deciding among, like, 700 people, so I tried not to be too invested… But there was no hesitation at all. Survivor has been a huge part of my life for 20 years.
Aubry Bracco: I think I was asked back because I’ve faced so many different situations… and I’ve been relentless. I will not give up. I’ve also been so close to winning, especially in season 32. I played such a heartfelt game.
Emily Flippen: I didn’t think I would get the call. I’m out here with all these legends; I feel like I don’t necessarily fit in. I think what producers saw was somebody who had the ability to pivot and have a bit of humility.
What’s at Stake
White: I have an uphill battle. I learned last time that I’m a pretty useless person. I don’t know how to make a shelter or catch fish. I do have a knack for storytelling and being able to see people in their stories. If I lean into that, maybe that will be my secret weapon.
Keeley: No one wants it more than I do. This season was meant for me.
Hubicki: I have a new motivation because I have a new baby. It’s not even about the money — I want to show him that he should not accept limitations on what he can accomplish.
Fields: Why can’t I win? I’m looking at the cast of characters this season and nobody possesses anything I don’t possess. I really don’t think this should be that hard.
Now and Then
Wade: One thing I really admire about Survivor is I’ve never heard Jeff say, “Can you guys redo that?” If they get it on camera, it’s going to make the show.
Lewis-Dougherty: It is crazy that there are contestants who were not alive when I first did the show [in 2000]. They can’t even do whiskey shots to cheers the season.
LaGrossa Kendrick: We don’t play 39 days anymore, but that’s fine. Long days can get monotonous… Those days would break me down.
Donaldson: There’s a fresher, more positive energy and attitude, even in the way the crew interacts with the players. We used to feel like we were in prison because we weren’t even allowed to know the time. It affected everyone. Now everyone is having more fun. We’ve been told this is a season of celebration, and there’s no question it will be.
