Leaked!!! Jeff Probst Teases Celebs, Returnees, and a Possible Finale Shake-Up — fans are in shock!

“Survivor” 50 is a milestone season for CBS and for Jeff Probst — and it may also be the launch point for what comes next. On May 20, the series will air its finale live in front of an audience for the first time since 2019’s “Edge of Extinction.”

The live finale was one of several game elements fans voted for during “In the Hands of the Fans.” Another vote is still open, allowing viewers to choose their favorite player, who will be revealed during the live broadcast; Sia will also present the most-voted player with a $100,000 prize.

But this season also introduced a number of new ideas — some may stick around, while others could disappear. Below, Probst offers a look at what the future of “Survivor” might hold.

Has Season 50 created a new era?

Yes. The goal was to ask whether this season could launch the show into its next phase, and I think it did. Before the game began, we told the players, “Either you can launch us into the next phase of the game, or we’ll do it without you,” which was me, basically, acting like a coach in the locker room trying to motivate them. And I think they did — by showing up and embracing uncertainty.

Could celebrities appear again in the future?

It depends on the situation. I’ve already had somebody very well known reach out and say, “Now that I’ve seen what you’ve done, if you could ever use me, I’d like to come out and be a part of the show.” Zac Brown is a perfect example — he loves “Survivor” and has never missed an episode. He told me, “I’d like to be a part of your show.” I’m the producer who says, “I’m open to all ideas. Let’s try it.” Same with Jimmy Fallon. Same with MrBeast. These are all people who said they wanted in, and I was thrilled to have them involved. So yes, in the right situation.

Is the boomerang idol still in play?

It’s in our arsenal, so it could come out again. Pretty much anything we’ve ever done is still in our bag. Some people may think, “They’ll never bring this idea back” — but don’t be so sure. If anything, the fact that people think we might not bring something back makes me want to bring it back sooner. I think of everything as IP. It’s all part of the show. You never know.

Does that also apply to themes?

Yes, I think it could in the future. For the new era, we decided to number the seasons, and we’re sticking with that. But moving forward, I don’t think we need to be locked into not doing a theme — just as I don’t think we have to do themes every time either. If casting leads us to a “David vs. Goliath” idea, we might absolutely do it, and then the next season could simply be numbered. We’re also embracing inconsistency as part of the process. Let’s do what’s best for the show and not worry so much about perfect symmetry. In other words, everything is on the table.

Could returning players come back too?

There’s nothing on the horizon, but they’re very fun to do — for us as well. And now that we have enough players, we may be able to pull off something with returning players sooner than the gap we’ve had since the last one. But I don’t know. We know what we’re doing for 51 and 52. That’s it.

What happened to the mirror on the island?

I actually listened to that criticism. A few players told me it was emotionally tough to see what they looked like while they were still in the game, and I took that seriously. They said, “It’s hard for me now, because now I have self-awareness.” The idea of a mirror, of reflection, wasn’t helping — it turned into a visual reminder of how tired they looked, how much weight they’d lost, how dirty their faces were — instead of the image they may have in their heads of being warriors who have fought a hard battle. The first person who said it, I immediately thought, “Done. I wouldn’t want that either.” I had never really thought about it before. Thank you very much.

When you eventually step away, should a former player take over?

That probably won’t ultimately be my decision, but it could be a player. I don’t think there are any real qualifications. The only thing I ever say when executives ask me about hosts is this: If you hire based on appearance or social media following, you’re choosing the wrong attributes. What you really want is a producer who can present on camera. You don’t want a host in the traditional sense — the long skinny mic, the cool suit, the snappy banter. That’s not “Survivor.” “Survivor” is an in-the-moment show, and the reason I’m so grateful to be showrunner is not because it makes me the boss. It’s because I don’t have to ask permission to do anything I want as the host.

I don’t want to leave “Survivor,” but if I look ahead, I get really excited thinking about someone else taking over and seeing what they would do with it. Then I become the fan, saying, “Oh my gosh! They tried that. I never thought of that.”

How did it feel leaving Fiji with the votes this time?

That was fun. It was crazy, because that’s all we ever did, and then we stopped. To walk out and say, “I’ll see you back in Los Angeles for the reading of the live votes” was exhilarating. I’m still exhilarated now. I’m excited to do it. It’s a lot of work to put on a live finale between shooting two seasons and hosting the season that’s currently on — it adds a ton of work. But I’m super pumped. The whole team is back from our live show, and we’ve got a big stage and as many seats as possible. That was the number one goal: make the stage beautiful and ornate, then clear as much space as possible to fit in as many seats as we can.

Will the live finale continue going forward?

The thing players don’t like to hear is that right after the show ends, while they’re still in the jungle, that’s when they’re the most honest. They may not realize it, but they’re unfiltered and they haven’t yet been hit by social media. Every single player gets attacked for things they don’t deserve — mostly by people who mean well, but who will never play and will never understand how out of touch those comments can be, or how much they hurt. So when you get players in Fiji, they’re pure and unaffected by social media. With a live finale, what you mostly get is defense. From a storytelling perspective, I don’t find that as interesting. I understand the pomp and circumstance — it’s super fun — but I think we’re going to change the format going forward and make it more of a three-hour event instead of a two-and-a-half-hour finale plus a 30-minute reunion show.

We want to celebrate as we go. When you sit down and simply rehash things, it’s never fully satisfying. This year, the way we’re approaching it, I’m pretty excited. We reimagined how we were going to do it, and it feels fresh, big and just as fun. My first suggestion was: what if we don’t do a reunion show and instead sprinkle that time throughout the final episode? I think it’s going to be more fun and more exciting to take pauses along the way. It feels like a reinvention that fits where we are now, and it includes everyone more fully. Our finales are so packed that we never really have enough time. This time, the idea is simple: let’s use the full three hours and make it one complete event. Then, when it ends, it feels finished.