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Survivor Wiki

Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans is the fiftieth season of the CBS competitive reality television series Survivor.

Production

During the airing of Survivor 46, Jeff Probst revealed at a For Your Consideration event that the show was renewed until at least season 50. Jeff then prompted the fans on whether or not the 50th should feature returning players, to which the audience unanimously agreed it should, and he made the commitment in that moment.[3]

As part of the celebration, applications were open to become one of five "tribes" of friends or families who would receive the opportunity to fly out and visit the set during the filming of the season.[4]

In a 2023 episode of his podcast, Jeff suggested the possibility of returning the game to its original 39-day format for "special" seasons.[5] However, in a pre-season interview, he recanted this statement, explaining the production team's preference for the shortened 26-day game and clarifying that, even if they wanted to revert back to 39 days, this would not be feasible due to their existing lease agreement with the Fijian government.[6]

In the week leading up to the Survivor 48 finale, CBS began posting teasers about Survivor 50 on their social media hidden within posts about the finale, before eventually revealing that the cast would be announced early on May 28, 2025, which would coincide with their departure to Fiji.[7] During the Survivor 48 finale, it was announced that the cast reveal would happen on CBS Mornings on May 28 at 8:30 AM EST.[8][9][10] On May 27, one day before the reveal, Survivor's social media accounts sporadically teased which seasons would have representatives on the season. The premature cast reveal meant that the Survivor 50 cast was officially revealed before the cast of Survivor 49, which was only due to air after its successor had finished filming. Because of that, the two Survivor 49 castaways who were set to return for Survivor 50 had their identities kept secret until that season concluded.

Survivor 50's casting process fielded players from the previous 49 seasons to create a 24-person cast, the largest in U.S. Survivor history. Numerous contestants were contacted but ultimately cut at various stages of the process, including Abi-Maria Gomes,[11] Carolyn Wiger,[12] Courtney Yates,[13] Danielle DiLorenzo,[14] Davie Rickenbacker,[15] Figgy Figueroa,[16] Jonathan Penner,[17] Jerri Manthey,[18] Jesse Lopez,[16] Julia Sokolowski,[19] Maryanne Oketch,[20] Natalie Tenerelli,[16] Neleh Dennis,[21] Rob Cesternino,[22] Rome Cooney,[16] and Spencer Bledsoe.[16] Others declined the invitation, including Amanda Kimmel,[23] Andrea Boehlke,[24] Francesca Hogi,[25] and "Boston" Rob Mariano.[26]

In the Hands of the Fans Vote

At a fan event ahead of the Survivor 48 premiere, Jeff revealed the theme, title and original logo of the season: In the Hands of the Fans. Throughout Survivor 48, the viewers could choose the season's game design through a series of fan votes held on the website "www.survivor50cbs.votenow.tv". The winning options would not be revealed to the audience until the season had begun airing; likewise, the castaways would also be unaware of the format by the time they arrived on the island, forcing them to adapt on the fly.[27][28] By the end of the season, eleven options were presented to the audience to vote on across four episodes.

In the Hands of the Fans Vote
Survivor 48 Episode Subject Options Winner
1 Tribe Colors TBA
Rice TBA
Final Four Fire-making TBA
Vote Reveal TBA
4 Final Four Challenge TBA
Advantages TBA
Tribe Switch TBA
8 Immunity Necklace TBA
Tribe Supplies TBA
Twists TBA
12 Idols TBA


Jeff clarified that the public would not be able to vote for their preferred game duration or Final Tribal Council format.

Twists/Changes

  • 26-Day Game
  • Returning Players: Former Survivor players from all eras returned to celebrate the landmark fiftieth season.
    • Premature Cast Reveal: Due to the high-profile nature of this season and potential castaways, CBS chose to announce the cast just prior to the start of filming and nearly a year before it airs, as opposed to the normal timeline of revealing the cast only months before the season began airing.
  • Expanded Cast: This season featured 24 castaways, the most of any single season.
  • Tribe Division: The 24 castaways were divided into 3 tribes of 8.
  • Fan Vote: The season's key elements were determined by a public vote.

Castaways

Contestant Tribe Affiliation Finish Votes
Against
Original Tribe
Angelina Keeley
35, Santa Clemente, CA
David vs. Goliath
Aubry Bracco
39, Los Angeles, CA
Kaôh Rōng, Game Changers, &
Edge of Extinction
Charlie Davis
27, Boston, MA
Survivor 46
Chrissy Hofbeck
54, Lebanon Township, NJ
Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers
Christian Hubicki
39, Tallahassee, FL
David vs. Goliath
Cirie Fields
54, Norwalk, CT
Panama, Micronesia,
Heroes vs. Villains, & Game Changers
Coach Wade
53, Susanville, CA
Tocantins, Heroes vs. Villains, &
South Pacific
Colby Donaldson
51, Los Angeles, CA
The Australian Outback,
All-Stars, & Heroes vs. Villains
Dee Valladares
28, Miami, FL
Survivor 45
Emily Flippen
30, Laurel, MD
Survivor 45
Genevieve Mushaluk
34, Winnipeg, MB
Survivor 47
Jenna Lewis-Dougherty
47, Burbank, CA
Borneo & All-Stars
Joe Hunter
45, West Sacramento, CA
Survivor 48
Jonathan Young
32, Gulf Shores, AL
Survivor 42
Kamilla Karthigesu
31, Foster City, CA
Survivor 48
Kyle Fraser
31, Brooklyn, NY
Survivor 48
Mike White
54, Los Angeles, CA
David vs. Goliath
Ozzy Lusth
43, Venice, CA
Cook Islands, Micronesia,
South Pacific, & Game Changers
Q Burdette
31, Memphis, TN
Survivor 46
Rick Devens
41, Macon, GA
Edge of Extinction
Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick
45, Philadelphia, PA
Palau, Guatemala, &
Heroes vs. Villains
Tiffany Nicole Ervin
34, Elizabeth, NJ
Survivor 46
TBA
Survivor 49
TBA
Survivor 49

Season Summary

Episode Air Date Challenges Journey Eliminated
(vote)
Finish Viewers
(in millions)
Ratings/Share
(18-49)
Reward Immunity
1 "" TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
(TBD)
1st Voted Out
Day TBD
Notes:
^1

Voting History

Original Tribes
Episode 1
Voted Out
TBD
Vote TBD
Angelina
Aubry
Charlie
Chrissy
Christian
Cirie
Coach
Colby
Dee
Emily
Genevieve
Jenna
Joe
Jonathan
Kamilla
Kyle
Mike
Ozzy
Q
Rick
Stephenie
Tiffany
TBA
TBA
Notes:

Trivia

  • In the Hands of the Fans is the first season since Winners at War to have a subtitle.
  • In the Hands of the Fans has the largest cast of any U.S. season, with 24.
  • In the Hands of the Fans is the first season since Tocantins to have starting tribes with 8 contestants each.
  • In the Hands of the Fans is the sixth season comprised entirely of returning players, following All-Stars, Heroes vs. Villains, Cambodia, Game Changers, and Winners at War.
    • It is the only of these seasons not to last 39 days.
  • In the Hands of the Fans is the first all-returnee season not to include any contestants from Pearl Islands.
  • With this season, Jenna broke Amber Mariano and Ethan Zohn's record of 32 seasons for the largest gap between appearances in two different seasons, with 42 seasons. Jenna also broke the record for the largest gap between the first and most recent appearances, with 49 seasons.
    • Jenna is also the only contestant on this season to have never previously competed on a season filmed in high definition.
  • In the Hands of the Fans is the second season, after Cambodia, whose cast was announced prior to filming.
  • In the Hands of the Fans contains three contestants who had competed in a season that had yet to air at the time of filming: Cirie Fields in Survivor: Australia v The World and the two Survivor 49 representatives.
  • The logo for In the Hands of the Fans is the first to:
    • Be adapted from another season's logo.
    • Have no text other than the season's subtitle.
      • The original version of the logo also placed the "SURVIVOR" portion at the top instead of in the center.
  • In the Hands of the Fans is the first season to not follow the CBS diversity initiative, since its introduction in Survivor 41, which required at least half the cast to be BIPOC. 9 of the current 22 revealed players are people of color.
  • In the Hands of the Fans is the first season that Colby competed in without Jerri Manthey.
  • In the Hands of the Fans contains the most eliminations of any single season, with 21.

References

  1. https://www.truedorktimes.com/s50/calendar.htm
  2. https://www.instagram.com/p/DLgzN0duknT/
  3. https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/survivor-50-returning-players-jeff-probst-1235984664/
  4. https://parade.com/tv/survivor-50-in-the-hands-of-the-fans-voting-twists-advantages-fiji-trip
  5. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/controversial-twists/id1673596832?i=1000610798404
  6. https://ew.com/jeff-probst-reveals-survivor-50-things-fans-will-and-wont-be-voting-on-11685792
  7. https://survivingtribal.com/survivor-50-cast-wont-be-announced-survivor-48-finale
  8. https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/when-is-survivor-50s-cast-reveal-announcement-date/
  9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xLAXA1ViIo
  10. https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/LvtkWilr5_rJiH3xZXwvlW8XPyPDYTQX/
  11. https://x.com/theabimaria/status/1927390587277152666
  12. https://ew.com/jeff-probst-says-last-survivor-50-cast-cuts-were-brutal-11743017
  13. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3LOPDNSGmxE
  14. https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/comments/1kzhgv0/it_seems_that_danielle_was_cut_too/
  15. https://www.instagram.com/p/DKKmAQYx9MP/
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/who-is-not-appearing-on-survivor-50-stars-already-cut-or-not-playing/
  17. https://x.com/SurvivorPenner/status/1927446175759667494
  18. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKIJ_VvyTra
  19. https://www.instagram.com/p/DKTk52zMkqY/
  20. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/survivor-50-first-boot-draft/id328076847?i=1000711852886
  21. https://www.instagram.com/p/DKSv8lnRcXd/
  22. https://survivingtribal.com/rob-cesternino-reveals-he-was-dropped-from-survivor-50
  23. https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/comments/1l81i6f/according_to_sharon_tharp_amanda_had_to_drop_from/
  24. https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/comments/1ky0nfi/speaking_of_legendary_3time_players_andrea/
  25. https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2025/06/francesca-hogi-survivor-interview/
  26. https://www.instagram.com/p/DKR8FIJNGBP/
  27. https://ew.com/survivor-50-fans-vote-on-putting-key-elements-into-game-11684537
  28. https://www.survivor50cbs.votenow.tv/

Survivor (U.S.) Seasons
BorneoThe Australian OutbackAfricaMarquesasThailandThe AmazonPearl IslandsAll-StarsVanuatuPalauGuatemalaPanamaCook IslandsFijiChinaMicronesiaGabonTocantinsSamoaHeroes vs. VillainsNicaraguaRedemption IslandSouth PacificOne WorldPhilippinesCaramoanBlood vs. WaterCagayanSan Juan del SurWorlds ApartCambodiaKaôh RōngMillennials vs. Gen XGame ChangersHeroes vs. Healers vs. HustlersGhost IslandDavid vs. GoliathEdge of ExtinctionIsland of the IdolsWinners at WarSurvivor 41Survivor 42Survivor 43Survivor 44Survivor 45Survivor 46Survivor 47Survivor 48Survivor 49In the Hands of the Fans