Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans’ Final Fan Vote Is Scary And A Ridiculous Inclusion

Since Survivor has been around since the year 2000, new fans of Jeff Probst's popular reality show have to figure out which seasons to watch first. On top of that, so many people have appeared on Survivor that some have refused to return and others have been medically evacuated. Most importantly, over the show's long history, Survivor has aired many great seasons that featured iconic players and truly impressive winners.

After lasting so long, the landmark season Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans will air soon after viewers voted on several aspects of it. While some fans have forgotten what Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans should be, there is still a lot of excitement about how big of a difference the fan vote could make. Despite that excitement, however, the last thing that fans have been allowed to vote on for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans is scary and shouldn't have been included.

What Part Of Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans Should Viewers Have Not Been Allowed To Vote On

In some ways, the plan for Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans was pretty brilliant for Jeff Probst and the team behind the show. After all, there are three main reasons why allowing fans to vote on aspects of Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans could be great for the season.

First off, allowing fans to have some ownership over Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans will likely make viewers feel more invested in the season. Secondly, since the players won't know how the fan votes played out, that will add some chaos to the season.

Finally, the third reason why the fan vote was great was that it relied on the wisdom of the show's passionate fans. However, there is a major problem with that third reason. If that third reason is based on a fallacy, Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans could be doomed because of the last fan vote.

In May 2025, an Entertainment Weekly article detailed what viewers were going to be able to decide during Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans' final fan vote.

As part of that Entertainment Weekly article, the outlet quoted the official description of the final fan vote choice. During the final round, fans got to only choose one thing, whether Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans will feature idols.

"Your last big decision regarding game play! Idols are a big part of today's game and responsible for some of the most dramatic moves in Survivor history — but for Survivor 50, YOU get to decide: IDOLS or NO IDOLS."

While the descriptions of the voting options made it obvious that the show was encouraging fans to allow idols, the decision was left in the viewers hands.

On the one hand, you really have to hand it to the team behind Survivor. After all, when the show's producers decided to give fans the power to make decisions about Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, they followed through.

In February 2025, E! Online published an article about what is known about the plans for Survivor 50. That article reports that Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans will premiere in February 2026.

On the other hand, fans who want to make sure that Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans is a great show may have a different reaction to the final fan vote. What was the team behind Survivor thinking giving fans the power to get rid of idols for a season?!

While talking about Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, Jeff Probst has repeatedly made it clear that fans weren't deciding every aspect of the landmark season. Most notably, fans weren't given any control over which returning players would compete during Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.

During Survivor: Cambodia — Second Chance, fans were able to vote on who would play from a small pool of potential players. After that, Survivor: Cambodia — Second Chance became recognized as one of the best seasons in the show's history. Since then, fans have never had any power over who gets play during any Survivor season. Given how great Survivor: Cambodia — Second Chance was, it is flabbergasting that fans weren't given any input on the casting process for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.

Since the show's fans can't vote on every aspect of Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, the implication seems obvious.

The show's producers maintaining total control of some aspects of Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans clearly indicates they clearly want to protect the season.

For example, the show's producers don't want fans to put together a bad cast for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.

If the show's producers recognized that fans shouldn't control aspects of Survivor 50 that could ruin the season, viewers shouldn't have been able to get rid of idols.

After all, the idea that Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans could have no idols is scary since that could ruin the upcoming season.

Why Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans' Final Fan Vote Could Completely Ruin The Season

When people grow up and think about their favorite shows from their childhood, they will have nostalgia for them. However, if an adult who has never watched those shows sees them with fresh eyes, they are likely to think they are horrible. In a lot of ways, the same thing holds true for Survivor's earliest seasons, since they can be very boring when watched with fresh eyes. One of the main reasons that Survivor's earliest seasons are boring now is that players had almost no way to mix up the game.

When the team behind Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans decided to give fans control of the idols, they may have doomed the season to the same boring outcome.

More recently, advantages and idols were barely played during the mid-season of Survivor 48. It isn't a coincidence that Survivor 48 is now considered to be one of the most boring seasons of the show in years.

In an ideal world, fans would be able to rest assured that the majority of Survivor viewers would never vote for there to be no idols during Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans. However, the truth is that a vocal group of Survivor fans have long advocated for the show to go back to the pre-idol days. If that group gets enough support, in either a legitimate or illegitimate way, Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans could become tedious.

While the current era of too many idols and advantages needs to be scaled back, going back to zero would be a mistake. Sadly, it is now entirely possible that Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans could become a victim of that mistake.