The epic live finale of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” is just a week away!
While longtime host Jeff Probst has yet to announce the “Sole Survivor” of the milestone season, fans and producers alike are already looking towards the future. In fact, the 51st season of the longrunning reality competition series has already wrapped filming in Fiji.
Similarly, Season 52 is set to begin filming in just a few weeks, with many fans speculating that the installment will be another returning-players akin to past “Blood vs. Water” or “Fans vs. Favorites” seasons.
Though CBS has neither confirmed nor denied these rumors, they’ve certainly gained some fuel after Probst revealed that fans can expect another season featuring fan favorite castaways “sooner rather than later” in a May 12 interview with TV Insider.
Jeff Probst: ‘I Love Returning-Player Seasons!’
GettyPart of what made “Survivor 50” so special was that it featured 24 iconic returning players from throughout the entirety of the show’s 26-year history. The all-star cast was seen as a breath of fresh air after nine consecutive seasons of all-newbie casts.
While returning-player seasons like “Heroes vs. Villains” and “Cambodia – Second Chance” have been some of the franchise’s most talked about, Probst assured fans that the string of fresh casts were a necessity for the series.
“Let me be clear, I love returning-player seasons! They’re a lot of fun because there’s history, reputation, unfinished business, and the audience already has a relationship with the players before the game even begins. That’s very exciting!” Probst explained. “What people sometimes forget is that in order to have great returning-players seasons, you first have to discover great new players, let them play, and then give them enough time for fans to miss them and be excited to see them again.”
“You have to build the next generation before you can bring them back,” he added, referring to the 168 “New Era” players who joined the “Survivor” family in the last five years.
Probst Teases Next All-Star Season ‘Sooner Rather Than Later’
CBSFor context, 751 unique castaways have played “Survivor” over the last 50 seasons. Just 120 of them have returned for a second season, 31 of whom have competed thrice. Only 11 players have joined the casts of four separate seasons, while just three — “Boston Rob” Mariano, Cirie Fields and Ozzy Lusth — have played the game a whopping five times.
While the pool of 630 remaining contestants who’ve yet to return for a second chance at the million dollar prize seems large enough to craft several all-star seasons, plenty of former castaways don’t want to or simply can’t compete anymore. Others haven’t proved popular enough with fans to warrant another invitation.
The added buffer provided by the “strong new bench” of “New Era” talent, combined with their recency keeping them fresh in the minds of fans, had Probst revealing that the next returning-player “Survivor” season is already in the works at CBS.
“I’d say the chances are very good that you’ll see more returning players sooner rather than later on ‘Survivor!’” the host teased.
Fans Thinks ‘Survivor 52’ Will Feature Former Players
CBS/GettyWhile far from outright confirmations that Season 52 will feature returning castaways, speculative fans have been hard at work compiling evidence that it will be.
The official “Survivor” casting site, which typically opens its application cycle for two seasons at a time (i.e. seasons 47 and 48 were cast simultaneously), fans noted that CBS was only fielding applications for Season 51 this winter/spring, not 52, despite the fact that the installments will film back-to-back this summer.
If the rumors are true, it means we likely won’t be seeing a “Fans vs. Favorites” season or “coaches” season like “South Pacific” or “Redemption Island,” given that it would still require some first-time players to join the cast.
That leaves previously implemented themes like “All-Stars,” “Heroes vs. Villains,” “Winners at War,” “Game Changers,” “Second Chance” and “Blood vs. Water.”
Given that we’ve just experienced an all-returnee season with “Survivor 50,” chances are slim that we’ll get another cast composed entirely of former castaways next February, when Season 52 is scheduled to premiere.
That leaves a third “Blood vs. Water” installment as the most likely option.
Will ‘Survivor’ Film ‘Blood vs. Water 3’ This Summer?
CBSThe fan favorite family feud theme has been used to great success in the past, launching the “Survivor” careers of legendary former winners like Tyson Apostol and Natalie Anderson.
It’s highly-anticipated return has been heavily rumored for Season 52, with one fan even leaking a since-debunked cast list featuring former castaways such as Amanda Kimmel, Sophi Balerdi, Sean Rector, and more, who’d supposedly be competing alongside their siblings, children and spouses.
While the specific cast list has been proven a fake since, the “Blood vs. Water 3” theory is still as viable as ever.
Teased Finale Fan-Vote Points to ‘Second Chance’-Themed Season
Alternatively, CBS could shock fans by revealing another “Second Chances” vote during tonight’s penultimate episode of Season 50.
It’s a long shot, but Probst did tell TV Insider that there will be a “very fun” fan vote revealed during the episode, adding that “the results will be revealed during the live finale” on Wednesday, May 20.
Though plenty of fans have speculated that the announcement will be some sort of “Fan Favorite” award for the Season 50 cast, akin to the “Sia Prize” (2016-2024) or the “Sprint Player of the Season” award (2007-2013), some fans have other ideas in mind.
“Here me out…They reveal a vote for ‘Second Chance 2,’ the winners get revealed during the finale, they fly straight to Fiji and start filming in late-May/early-June,” one fan speculated on Instagram.
The possibility is distinctly reminiscent of the first “Second Chance” season, also known as “Survivor: Cambodia.”
Could Another ‘Second Chance’ Vote Occur During the ‘Survivor 50’ Finale?
CBSOn May 6, 2015, just before the finale of “Survivor: Worlds Apart,” CBS gave fans the opportunity to vote for 20 one-time players to return to the competition from a list of 32 former castaways.
The winners of the fan vote were revealed during the live “Worlds Apart” finale on May 20, 2015 — exactly nine years before the Season 50 finale next week.
Granted, the voting window is one week shorter than it was for “Cambodia,” but the induction of widespread social media usage over the last decade could easily explain the discrepancy.
If “Second Chance 2” is announced as the Season 52 theme, the selected returnees would likely leave for Fiji immediately after the finale next Wednesday, meaning they’d have plenty of time to film the 26-day season within the pre-approved window, which officially ends on July 3, 2026 according to the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji.
Of course, there’s no guarantee whatsoever that Season 52 will be a returning-players installment at all. It’s entirely possible that Probst was referring to Season 53, or even 54, in his TV Insider interview.
When & Where to Watch Episode 12 of ‘Survivor 50’
Thankfully, fans won’t have to wait long to find out. The forthcoming fan vote — whatever it may be — is set to be revealed during tonight’s (Wednesday, May 13) penultimate episode of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.”
Be sure to tune in to CBS at 8:00pm ET to witness the announcement first-hand, and to see which castaways earn their spot in next week’s live finale.
New episodes of the milestone golden anniversary season are similarly available to stream on Paramount+ the day after they air on CBS.
