With millions of viewers tuning in to watch new episodes of “Survivor” each and every week on CBS, it’s no surprise that there’s a handful of A-list celebrities watching alongside the rest of us every Wednesday night (or streaming after the fact on Paramount+).
Among their star-studden ranks is Grammy and Oscar winning singer and “Survivor” super fan Billie Eilish, who’s long been vocal about her love of the reality competition series, even incorporating references to the show in her hit 2022 song “TV.”
More recently, Eilish collaborated with Jeff Probst to develop an all-new advantage – the so-called “Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol” – for the show’s currently-airing golden anniversary season, “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.”
During a March 10 appearance at the Paley Museum’s “The Tribe Has Spoken: An Evening with Jeff Probst and Survivor 50 Castaways” event, the longtime host opened up about exactly how the new Immunity Idol twist came to be.
Billie Eilish ‘Approved’ the Idea for Her ‘Boomerang Idol’ but Didn’t Create It
Getty“We sent [Billie] a couple of ideas, and she decided which one she liked,” Probst told PEOPLE at the recent promotional event for the milestone season. “She said, ‘I like the Boomerang.’ Then, we kind of wrote out the clue, and she approved that as well.”
Despite the star’s seemingly hands-off role in the Idol’s creation, Probst insisted that Eilish was “really fun to collaborate with” and “enthusiastic” about being part of the monumental season.
Probst added that he was prompted to invite Eilish to participate in “Survivor 50” after watching her 2023 interview with Variety where the 24-year-old singer opened up about her love for the series, even teasing her interest in potentially playing the game one day.
“Well, I saw a little interview with Billie where she said, ‘I think I might want to play,’ and I’m just saying, the invitation is there,” said Probst, adding, “It seems unlikely. It’s a long commitment, but Billie’s always welcome.”
Despite Probst’s open invitation and Billie’s love of the show, however, the 10-time Grammy winner has yet to comment publicly on her involvement in “Survivor 50” since her “Boomerang Idol” made its debut on the season’s premiere in February.
What Does the ‘Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol’ Do?
CBSEssentially, the Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol forces the player who discovers it to secretly send the advantage to another player on an opposing tribe. That player can then use the Immunity Idol like any other, to negate any votes against themselves at Tribal Council.
The only catch? They can only play it to save themselves, not to save another castaway from elimination.
In the case that the player is blindsided with the Idol in their pocket, however, it will “boomerang” back to its original owner, where it presumably reverts to a standard Immunity Idol without the restriction that it cannot be played for another player.
At present, castaways Christian Hubicki and Genevieve Mushaluk have been lucky enough to unearth Boomerang Idols hidden at their respective tribes’ beaches.
In the premiere episode, Genevieve willed her Idol to Ozzy Lusth, hoping that, given his notoriety for being eliminated from past seasons with an un-used Idol in his pocket, history will repeat itself and the Idol will “boomerang” back to her.
The following episode, Christian bestowed his Idol to Aubry Bracco, strengthening a potential future “nerds” alliance with the “Survivor: Kaoh Rong” runner-up.
A third Boomerang Idol, supposedly hidden at the Kalo Tribe beach, remains undiscovered, though that is set to change this week as “Survivor” teased that the advantage will be unearthed during the season’s fourth episode, set to air on Wednesday, March 18.
Find out who discovers the next Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol – and who they send it to – when the next episode of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” hits CBS screens nationwide on Wednesday, March 18 at 8:00pm ET.
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