Jeff Probst Is Already Planting Seeds For Survivor Season 50

Throughout reality TV history, there have been very few shows that have had as many great players as Survivor has. As a result of the show's best players, fans who are no longer wondering where to start will rank some seasons higher than others. Unsurprisingly, Jeff Probst also recognizes that casting can make the difference between a good Survivor season and a bad one.

While talking to Variety about the plans for Survivor 50, Jeff revealed that the season will feature all returning players. Then, Jeff spoke out about how he was putting a lot of time and effort into choosing each returning player who will be a part of Survivor 50.

Jeff Probst Promised That Survivor 50 Will Have An Incredible Cast

In 2020, Survivor fans got to see something they never thought would happen, an all-winners season. Then, Survivor went on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Survivor returned in late-2021, the so-called "new era" of the show hasn't featured any seasons with all returning players.

Then, in April 2024, Jeff Probst made an announcement that many Survivor fans were waiting for. As the Variety article detailed, Jeff confirmed at an FYC event in Los Angeles that Survivor 50 will feature all returning players.

While it was exciting for fans to know that Survivor 50 will feature returning players, that can also be concerning. After all, what if Survivor 50 featured returning players that the fans didn't want back? However, Survivor fans should likely don't have to worry since Jeff has assured fans that Survivor 50 will have an epic and exciting cast.

Throughout Survivor history, there have been some returning players who have disappointed fans.

While it is impossible for Survivor's producers to know for sure if a returning player will live up to expectations, an all returning players shouldn't be all duds. With that in mind, many Survivor fans want to know what kind of players may be returning for Survivor 50.

In August 2024, Jeff was interviewed by Variety about his everyday life. However, it shouldn't surprise anyone that the topic of Survivor came up during the interview. More specifically, Jeff explained details of the casting process for Survivor 50 that was going on at the time.

Survivor premiered on CBS on May 31, 2000.

While talking to Variety about the casting process, Jeff began by explaining how many potential returning players had been considered for Survivor 50. Jeff then told the outlet that the potential pool of players had already been cut in half by the time of the interview.

“We’re trying to figure out who’s gonna play in ‘Survivor’ 50. We know it’s gonna be returning players. We started out with a list of around 200, like, every person we would like to see, regardless of whether they want to do it or not. And then we got the list down to 125 and now I have it down to around 100.”

Considering that Jeff and Survivor's casting department were open to so many players, that speaks to how badly they want Survivor 50 to have a legendary cast.

While still talking to Variety, Jeff went on to reveal the fascinating way that the team was conducting Survivor 50's casting process.

The original head of Survivor's casting department was Lynne Spillman.

Instead of considering a list or looking at photos on a computer, Survivor's team was going old school.

"I printed out their faces on 4×6 magnetic sheets with their names, the season they first played, and how old they will be if they play in 50."

Jeff went on to explain what he and the Survivor casting team were working so hard to accomplish.

Unless there is an unexpected delay, Survivor 50 should air in spring 2026.

As Jeff explained to Variety, he recognizes how important it is to create a cast that is worthy of taking part in Survivor 50. Jeff did that by explaining the goal he is working towards.

"How are you going to get this down to a handful of people to play Survivor 50 that will satisfy the fans and will honor 50 seasons?”

Considering the array of players who could return and Jeff's passion, fans should rest assured that Survivor 50 will likely have a fantastic cast.

Survivor Fans Voted On Who They Wanted For Survivor 50

After Survivor's Rob Cesternino played the game twice, he went on to create a podcast empire focused on reality TV. That podcast network, Rob Has a Podcast, put together a pool of potential Survivor 50 players for their fans to vote on. Based on that process, fans put together a list of players they would like to see play during Survivor 50.

In August 2024, Rob Has a Podcast released a podcast episode that revealed the results of the Survivor 50 fan vote. Based on those results, it seems like fans want to see a lot of very recent players get the chance to play again during Survivor 50.

According to the fan vote, Rob Has a Podcast listeners want to see 8 players from the new era play during Survivor 50. Those players include Survivor 41's Shan Smith, Carolyn Wiger, Venus Vafa, and Omar Zaheer. Fans also voted for Jesse Lopez from Survivor 42, Kaleb Gebrehold from Survivor 45, as well as Survivor 46's Q Burdette and Charlie Davis.

Rob Has a Podcast fans also wanted to see some players from older seasons return too. For example, fans voted for Rob Cesternino, Cirie Fields, Teresa Cooper, Amanda Kimmel, Natalie Bolton, Kass McQuillen, and Kelley Wentworth.

The rest of the players that Rob Has a Podcast fans want for Survivor 50 are Dominick Abbate, Christian Hubicki, Christian Hubicki, and Angelina Cardona Keeley.