The popular reality TV series Survivor is shaking things up in a major way for its 50th season. During an appearance on CBS Mornings, veteran host Jeff Probst revealed that 24 previous contestants would be returning to the show next spring, and the power of decision-making would be handed over to the fans. This time, the viewers will have a higher level of control and an unprecedented influence on the game.
A recently issued press release explained that the creators of the show will allow the fans to make decisions on a wide range of game elements, an opportunity they did not fully have in past seasons. In the past, fans only had the power to decide on specific game rules, which will be expanded in the upcoming season.
In this fresh format, fans will be able to truly transform the game by deciding to remove features such as idols, switches, and other surprise elements. When addressing fans during a panel, Probst expressed his hope that they will not vote to eliminate the idols, fearing that the game could turn out to be “uninteresting”.
The subreddit r/Survivor has compiled a useful list of the 24 contestants, among which two are yet to be revealed since they are from a yet unaired season. The selected line-up elicited mixed reactions from fans.
Several fans displayed their discontent with the return of former Survivor icons, such as a user expressing their displeasure with Cirie, given her recent appearance on Traitors and four-time participation in the US Survivor. Another echoed similar sentiments, critiquing the addition of earlier players who had plentiful time in the spotlight.
Others found that the cast contained too many members from the series’ “recent” era. Some users were disturbed by the specific seasons from which these contestants were chosen.
“I don’t think being new era players is where the issue lies. The choice of new era players is the problem,” commented one user. “Joe, Kyle, and Kamilla seem to have benefited from the timing of the cast reveal announcement following the conclusion of Season 48. It’s hard to imagine them getting selected under different circumstances.”
The user further expressed frustration over the missed opportunity of including numerous exciting, proven characters from the recent seasons, and felt a sense of recency bias dominating over the selection of potential legends.
This information was reported following fan reactions to the cast selections for the upcoming “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans,” hosted by Jeff Probst.
