The much-beloved network reality show Survivor is shaking things up for Season 50. Long-time host Jeff Probst recently announced on CBS Mornings that two dozen former competitors will return to the show next spring “in the hands of fans.” And viewers will control even more of the game than ever before.
According to a press release, showrunners will enable the viewer to weigh in on more elements of the game than in previous seasons. In the past, viewers voted on certain rules of the game, but didn’t weigh in on others.
What powers will viewers have on Survivor 50?
This time around, viewers will be able to shift the very foundation of the game by choosing to eliminate idols, switches, and other surprises.
Probst told fans during a panel that he hopes they don’t choose to eliminate idols in particular, because the game without them might be “boring.”
Who’s in the Survivor 50 cast?
The Reddit r/Survivor sub put together this handy list of the 24 contestants, which includes:
- Jenna Lewis (Borneo, All Stars)
- Colby Donaldson (Australian Outback, All Stars, Heroes vs Villains)
- Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick (Palau, Guatemala, Heroes vs Villains)
- Cirie Fields (Panama, Micronesia, Heroes vs Villains, Game Changers)
- Ozzy Lusth (Cook Islands, Micronesia, South Pacific, Game Changers)
- Benjamin “Coach” Wade (Tocantins, Heroes vs Villains, South Pacific)
- Aubry Bracco (Kaoh Rong, Game Changers, Edge of Extinction)
- Chrissy Hofbeck (Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers)
- Christian Hubicki (David vs Goliath)
- Angelina Keeley (David vs Goliath)
- Mike White (David vs Goliath)
- Rick Devens (Edge of Extinction)
- Jonathan Young (Survivor 42)
- Dee Valladares (Survivor 45)
- Emily Flippen (Survivor 45)
- Q Burdette (Survivor 46)
- Tiffany Nicole Ervin (Survivor 46)
- Charlie Davis (Survivor 46)
- Genevieve Mushaluk (Survivor 47)
- Kamilla Karthigesu (Survivor 48)
- Kyle Fraser (Survivor 48)
- Joe Hunter (Survivor 48)
The final two contestants are from another season of the show that hasn’t premiered yet. Their identities will remain a secret for now.
What do Survivor fans think?
In the r/Survivor subreddit, many were stumped by the cast selections.
A few were frustrated by the return of old Survivor legends.
“Do we really need Cirie again??? I love her but she recently won Traitors and has played US Survivor four times,” one user wrote.
“Main issue is picking old players who have fully had their time in the sun. Beating a dead horse but Jerri having THAT level of want to be on the show makes it tough to see cirie and Ozzy play their one note games again,” another said.
Others thought there were too many contestants from the “new” era.
“Look. I get the complaints and mostly agree that there are too many players from the new era,” one user wrote. “But at some point, we had to have new era players back so they can be on the road to becoming legends as well. Absolutely sucks we don’t get Jesse or Carolyn.”
Another said they were upset with the specific seasons these players were from.
“I don’t think the issue is just that they’re new era players. It’s which new era players they chose,” they responded. “With the sole exception of Jonathan from 42 (who, frankly, is one of the worst casting choices here), they pulled almost exclusively from seasons 45-49. Joe, Kyle, and Kamilla in particular clearly benefited from the timing of the cast reveal happening right after 48 aired. It’s hard to imagine any of them making the cut otherwise.”
“What’s frustrating is that there were plenty of great, proven characters from the new era to pick from: Carolyn, Yam Yam, Shan, Ricard, Omar, Maryanne, Jesse, Karla, etc. We could’ve had an exciting, fan-favorite lineup from the 40s, but instead we got a bunch of fresh faces, some of whom were on a not-even-well-received season. It feels like recency bias won out over “legend making,” the user continued.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
