Experience Survivor like never before! In the thrilling first trailer for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, aired on December 17 after Savannah Louie's victory in season 49, host Jeff Probst unveiled a breathtaking twist: Savannah and Rizo Velovic would join forces with The White Lotus creator Mike White and Cirie Fields to compete for the title of sole survivor in the CBS series' milestone and unprecedented season.
"It's been 20 years for me," said Cirie, returning for her fifth season, "It's definitely unfinished business." Meanwhile, season 46 alum Q Burdette brought his signature personality, adding, "Make no mistake about it, I'm thinking about winning. I'm about to cancel everything that you can cancel—your Christmas, your vacation, your doctor's appointment."
The trailer also revealed that major celebrity tie-ins would be featured in the upcoming season, including a Billie Eilish-inspired advantage called the "Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol," a unique twist involving Jimmy Fallon, and guest appearances by Zac Brown and MrBeast.
Ahead of season 49, Jeff revealed that season 50—also starring fan favorites like Ozzy Lusth, Aubry Bracco, and Rick Devens—would present a new twist: Fans get to decide key game elements, including immunity idols, advantages, and the divisive fire-making challenge. Jeff revealed these twists to the shocked faces of the castaways in the trailer, telling them, "The fans voted on things that impact this game."
When asked why Survivor decided to shake up the game and give a voice to the fans, Jeff told Men's Journal in September, "I wanted the game to go into the future, but there might be fans that want it to go backwards." "Either way, it'll dictate 51," he continued. "First, we'll play 50 and see the fan reaction to it, and then we'll sort of decide where do we go from here."
Jeff is open to whether fans want to "go back old school" or "go bursting into the future." "It was going to be really fun to go whichever way they wanted," he concluded. "We're always trying to evolve. It's a fun puzzle every single time."
Who will outwit, outplay, and outlast all the others? Only time will tell when Survivor season 50 premieres on February 25th, 2026.
