Steven Prusakowski
This past weekend the Chelsea Factory in New York transformed into Fiji, a tropical island oasis in the heart of the city. It was an immersive event that transformed the venue, bringing everything needed to make Survivor feel like it was in the heart of the city: tropical foliage, bamboo structures, fire pits, torches, tiki bars serving island cocktails and even some Survivor challenges to compete in. All this to launch the premiere of the latest edition of competition program, Survivor 48, which premieres February 26th on CBS.
The enthusiastic crowd was a buzz, a combination of hardcore fans, influencers and press, mingling with dozens of the groundbreaking reality show’s famous alumni, crew and producers of the show, as well as much of the cast of the new season. The evening also included a screening of the season 48 premiere, which without spoiling anything, was one of the best in recent memory. It delivers everything you could want from Survivor, exciting challenges, secret alliances, endless strategy and with tribe members looking to outwit, outplay and outlast each other from the starting seconds. The engaging new cast has plenty of dynamic character, even making me emotional several times during the premiere as personal stories were shared and player relationships were forged. Season 48 looks like a winner.
I must say, as a day one/season one fan, watching the new season premiere surrounded by the cast was an incredible experience. The episode was entertaining on its own but to witness the actual contestants cheer, laugh, whisper and hug over the human moments that make the show work so well took it to the next level. It felt as if I was part of a tribal counsel, witnessing it all in real time, as I watched for clues in body language and reactions to try figure out who the top players will be this season. While I have some guesses, you will have to figure that out for yourselves.
What would a celebration of Survivor be without host and executive producer, Jeff Probst? The iconic and quite charming host was on hand for a post screening Q&A where he did more than just answer questions. Probst also helped launch a year long fan-centric celebration of the revolutionary reality series for its milestone 50th season which will premiere in February 2026.
Survivor 50, which will be a returning player season, will take the series into uncharted territory allowing the fans to determine key elements of the gameplay. Season 50 subtitles, “In the Hands of the Fans” will allow viewers to vote on rules and aspects of the game, directly influencing the game. Players will not know how the fans have changed the game until they are competing on the island, so there is no way for them to prepare for the game’s latest evolution.
Watch these exclusive clips from the event where Probst discusses in detail the cast of Survivor 50 and the fan-focused changes to the game.
CBS provided additional information on how fans can be part of the games and celebrations leading up to next February’s premiere. Everything is “designed to honor fans for their loyalty and passion throughout the 25 years of the hit series, and to entice new viewers as well!”
You decide what happens in Survivor Season 50. VOTING IS OPEN NOW!! https://survivor50cbs.votenow.tv
- The Inclusive/Interactive Theme: “SURVIVOR 50: In the Hands of the Fans” – Starting on premiere day of SURVIVOR 48 (Wednesday, Feb. 26), fans can go to survivor50cbs.votenow.tv to vote on the key elements that will shape SURVIVOR 50 for its players. There will be multiple rounds of voting, including for “Idols or No Idols,” “Final Four Fire Making: Keep It or Lose It” and “Live Finale and Reunion Show in L.A. – or Keep the Winner Reveal and Aftershow in the Jungles of Fiji.” All voting will conclude prior to start of filming for the 50th edition.
- CBS and Fiji Airways Partnership – CBS and Fiji Airways are forming an alliance (SURVIVOR-style!) to award five lucky fan “tribes” – comprised of family members, friends and/or loved ones – with once-in-a-lifetime trips to Fiji during the filming of SURVIVOR 50. In the coming months, the “tribes” – and, separately, the season 49 and 50 castaways – will be transported to Fiji on a SURVIVOR 50-branded Fiji Airways jet, which will fly regular travelers to/from Fiji throughout the year as well.
- The Fiji SURVIVOR 50 Trip Packages for the Winning “Tribes” include:
- Roundtrip Fiji Airways airfare and ground transportation for each “tribe” member.
- Four nights of accommodations at a luxurious ocean-front resort.
- Exposure to the rich Fijian culture while exploring stunning local destinations.
- A VIP tour of the SURVIVOR Islands (including the filming locations for tribal council and the challenge beaches), the exclusive opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at life on SURVIVOR during the filming of season 50, a meet-and-greet with Jeff Probst and SURVIVOR swag! (**Winners will not appear on the show, but their journeys and experiences will be documented on video for promotional opportunities for the 50th season.) For full details and official rules please see https://gf.fan/cbs/survivorfanfiji.
One more way for fans to be included in Survivor is the new board game, “Survivor: The Tribe Has Spoken by Exploding Kittens” which was created in partnership with Elan Lee (a producer on Survivor who also created the popular “Exploding Kittens” game). The game started by Jeff Probst started as a stack of handwritten white paper cards and a dream to recreate the feeling of contending on Survivor at home. While Jeff would agree his original idea for the board game was not in anyway perfect, it was his passion and persistence that helped it evolve into what it is today. Probst, Lee and his team spent years perfecting this, which included about 80 variations of the game until they felt it was worthy of being shared with fans.
Below are some photos from the event. Look for more Survivor coverage and maybe even a TV Topics podcast with Jeff Probst coming to Awards Radar.
Season 48 of Survivor premieres Wednesday, February 26th on CBS.
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