Once upon a time, summer TV was an empty space for reruns, so when A survivor premiered on May 31, 2000, viewers watched.
What they saw was as absurd as it was interesting: Sixteen people landed on a secluded island off the coast of Borneo, trying to outdo each other and pass 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 only survived but thrived, all the while keeping its DNA intact. (Manager and executive producer Jeff Probst (it’s still sending the ousted contestants packing saying, “Your tribe has spoken.”) The game is faster and tighter than its early days, and now, it’s marking an incredible milestone.
Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans (premiering Wednesday, February 25 at 8 pm ET on CBS and airing on Paramount+) features 24 returnees, including a fan favorite Residences in Cirie Fields, The White Lotus the creator Mike White again newly crowned champion Savannah Louie fight it for 26 days. And, for the first time, viewers are part of the action: They’ve already voted for prizes and food rations, and will continue to influence the game as it progresses.
A few days before Survivor 50 started in Fiji, competitors share their thoughts – while exterminating mosquitoes – especially mosquitoes. Us.
Stories of Sadness
Jenna Lewis-Dougherty: I remember seeing an ad looking for contestants for a TV show. It was something like, “Sixteen are missing 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 making a video on a VHS tape.
Colby Donaldson: It didn’t take me long to become a fan of this game, and I wanted to play it. After my first casting interview, I wrote on a Post-it, “I will be in this season of A survivor.” I just felt that the universe had put me in that place at that time.
Rizo Velovic: Episode 3 Survivor: Tocantins in 2009, JT [Thomas] he lost a tooth during the challenge. He took it and waved it aside. I was 8 years old and I 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 fell down the rabbit hole. I was like, ‘I want to play this game so bad.’
Wrapping it up
Stephen 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 bed and thought, ‘Oh, maybe when I wake up, the producers will have left fruit on the ground for us to eat.’ They didn’t.
Davis: Sleeping on bamboo is terrible. There is no way to be free. Randen [Montalvo] from my period I got nerve damage in it and had to be medically discharged.
Savannah Louie: I never thought I would run into the sea. I was very worried. Then you just hunker down and do it.
Christian Hubicki: I wasn’t expecting the mental exhaustion of it all. I was expecting hunger. But the rain absorbed it. You are always cold, wet and never dry.
Rick Devens: No hygiene. He scratches his teeth with a small piece of bamboo. What surprised me the most was how quickly I got used to it.
Tiffany Ervin: It’s a lot harder than it looks on TV.
Winner’s Circle
Kyle Fraser: The money went into my bank account shortly after wrapping up on the East Coast. You can choose to get a physical check too… It’s a crazy feeling knowing you’re a millionaire, but not yet.
Dee Valladares: They tell you that it will be in your account after the program is over. So I was at the hotel with my parents and my brother, and I kept looking at Chase. I actually took money out of my main account because I want to see zeros. I saw it at 1 in the morning and I was like “Guys, look!” We started going crazy.
Way to 50
Jeff Probst
CBSMike White: Jeff was like, “You’re not going to play again, are you?”… But I’m not saying you won’t. The time worked because we are in the middle The White Lotus the seasons. I still had to fill out the application. It’s nice to feel that I’m just a person here, on the same level as other people.
Benjamin “Coach” Wade: I have said many times that I am officially retired. I was hiding in Northern California. When they called me the first time, I thought, ‘I have to go?’ I am a very spiritual person, so I prayed about it. I didn’t feel confident. But regret is a powerful emotion.
Quintavius ”Q” Burdette: I go into Zoom and suddenly Jeff appears on the screen. I had my son, Ace, with me, and he’s like, “Well, Q, season 50 won’t be the same if Ace can’t watch you in it. Will he be a part of it?” And I said, “Heck yeah, let’s go!”
Ozzy Lust: I knew they were deciding between 700 people, so I tried not to be too invested… But there was no doubt at all. A survivor it has been a big part of my life for 20 years.
Aubry Bracco: I think I was asked because I have faced many different situations… and I never gave up. I will not give up. I was also very close to winning, especially in season 32. I played such a hard game.
Emily Flippen: I didn’t think I would get the call. I’m out there with all these legends; I feel like I don’t really deserve it. I think the producers see someone who is versatile and a little humble.
It’s not an easy game — but someone has to play it! Survivor has maintained its status as a fan favorite and CBS ratings juggernaut since its debut in 2000. The original series, which awards one survivor $1 million each season after staying out for 39 days, has come a long way. […]
The Greatest Competition Ever
Genevieve Mushaluk: Joe [Hunter] it is attractive and fresh in everyone’s mind. He was in season 48, when we saw him play an honest and honorable game. I think he will recruit both new school and old school players.
Angelina Keeley: Genevieve will be difficult. You are really smart, fit and beautiful. That’s what you should look for in a winner: a combination of skills and abilities. I heard through the grapevine that you are quite the liar.
Joe Hunter: Dee, she is physically dangerous, a challenge animal, smart and has a good game.
Chrissy Hofbeck: Christian is sweet and charming. He just wants to be with her. And he gives me a run for my money with the puzzle challenges.
Residences in Cirie Fields: Kamila [and I are] the same, but maybe we can be allies instead of enemies. I know no one wants to go with me to the end because they think I will win.
Jonathan Young: Miss Cirie is very dangerous. You are like a mother – you know that people want to be close to their family, so you feel like family.
What’s at stake
White: I have an uphill battle. I read last time that I am a useless person. I don’t know how to build a deck or catch fish. I have the ability to tell a story and I can see people in their stories. If I depend on that, maybe that will be my secret weapon.
Keeley: Nobody wants to outdo me. This season was made for me.
Hubicki: I have new motivation because I have a new baby. It’s not about the money — I want to show him that he doesn’t have to accept limitations on what he can achieve.
Forums: Why am I not winning? I looked at the cast this season and no one has what I have. I don’t think this should be that hard.
Since Survivor premiered in 2000, many players have been medically sidelined and some have suffered serious injuries. Michael Skupin was the first contestant to be eliminated from the game during Survivor: The Australian Outback back in 2001. On the 17th day, the software publisher fell into a fire, which left him devastated. […]
Now and then
Wade: It’s one of my favorite things A survivor I never heard Jeff say, “Can you do that again?” If they get it on camera, it will make a show.
Lewis-Dougherty: It’s crazy that there are contestants who weren’t there when I started doing the show. [in 2000]. They can’t even shoot whiskey to cheer the season.
LaGrossa Kendrick: We haven’t played for 39 days, but that’s okay. Long days can be boring… Those days would break me.
Donaldson: There is a new, more positive spirit and attitude, even in the way the team interacts with the players. We used to feel like we were under arrest because we weren’t even allowed to know the time. It affected everyone. Now everyone enjoys more. We have been told that this is a time of celebration, and there is no question that it will be.
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