It’s hard to believe, but the milestone 50th season of “Survivor” is already more than half-way over. Tomorrow night (Wednesday, April 15), the golden anniversary season will air its eighth episode, leaving just five more to follow until the live finale and reunion airs on Wednesday, May 20.
After the finale, fans won’t have to wait long for another season to arrive on CBS, with the filming for Season 51 reportedly set to begin tomorrow in Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands.
Fiji Maritime Authority Reveals ‘Survivor’ Season 51 & 52 Filming Dates
News that “Survivor” is set to begin filming Season 51 in the coming days comes to us from the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (Msaf), which issued a marine notice advertising a temporary exclusion zone around the islands where the show films.
The organization revealed in a statement on Monday (Apr. 13) that a 24-hour exclusion zone will be in effect from April 15 to July 3, 2026, covering all areas around Monuriki, Monu, Tavua, Yadua, Yanuya and Mana Islands, all of which are either used for filming, or directly adjacent to filming locations for the hit reality competition series.
“All ships are required to give a wide berth of at least 1 nautical mile.. And avoid the above areas,” the notice stated.
The duration of Mfas’ notice will cover the filming periods for both Season 51 and Season 52 of the series this summer.
The news that filming is set to begin comes just days after a small cruise liner ran aground off the coast of Fiji’s Monuriki Island – the same island where the Tom Hanks’ “Cast Away” was filmed in 2000.
‘Survivor’ Fans Hope to See More ‘Themed’ Seasons Moving Forward
CBSWhile we now know that “Survivor 51” will begin filming this week, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the Season 50 follow-up.
Given previous comments from longtime host Jeff Probst regarding the possibility of another returning-player season, we can assume that the installment will once again feature a cast of never-before-seen castaways and similar twists and formatting to prior “New Era” seasons.
That being said, fans of the series have plenty of opinions about what they’d like to see from the franchise moving forward.
“I’d really love another Blood vs Water season,” wrote one fan on Reddit, while another echoed, “Bring back themes!!”
A third offered a twist on Season 50’s less-than-successful celebrity cameos, writing, “I would LOVE if they took the celebrity cameo/twist concept and replaced celebrities with legendary players.”
Other suggestions included a “Second Chance” season featuring players who were medically evacuated from their original seasons, a return to the show’s original 39-day format, and a new filming location outside of Fiji.
We now know from Mfas’ statement that the latter two suggestions won’t be happening, at least not on Season 51 or 52.
Others Think ‘51’ Will be Just Another ‘New Era’ Season
CBSDespite fans optimistic for major changes in this newest era of “Survivor,” the vast majority of viewers seem all-but certain that the forthcoming season will offer more of the same.
“I think we may see a season very similar to 41-49 to be completely honest,” wrote one fan on Reddit, while another added, “I’ll be surprised if they change anything major.”
A third explained that the reality will likely be a mix between the optimistic and pessimistic outlooks, writing, “I think, best case scenario, we get themes and two starting tribes occasionally, even if they switch to three relatively quickly. We’re also going to get more returnee seasons in one way or another, but I don’t know that we’ll get anyone back that played before season 10.
“We’re never getting new locations unless they move somewhere else permanently and Fiji has the best weather, so why would they?” the commenter continued, adding, “We’re also never getting more than 26 days because they know they can make the same amount of episodes at that number.”
Stay tuned for future “Survivor” filming updates and be sure to catch an all-new episode of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” on CBS this Wednesday, April 15 at 8:00pm ET.
Will they stay with 24 contestants or will they go back to 18?