When Does ‘Survivor 50’ Start? Full Cast & Special Events Details

Kelli Boyle December 18, 2025, 9:00 am

Let the Survivor 50 promo begin. CBS revealed the trailer and final two cast members during the Survivor 49 finale on December 17. Earlier that day, the network revealed the Survivor 50 Challenge, a nationwide scavenger hunt for idols with special prizes. This is the latest addition to the list of celebrations for the milestone season, premiering in February.

CBS is preparing a special lineup of Survivor reruns leading up to the three-hour premiere in the new year. Here’s everything you need to know about Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.

When does Survivor 50 start?

Survivor 50 premieres on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 8/7c on CBS. It’s a three-hour episode concluding at 11/10c.

Leading up to the three-hour Survivor 50 milestone premiere, CBS will present a special two-week programming event featuring 10 encore episodes from the show’s iconic history, showcasing players from the Survivor 50 cast. Specific episodes will be announced at a later date.

Here’s the schedule for the Survivor reruns leading up to the Survivor 50 premiere:

Monday, February 9, and Tuesday, February 10, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
Wednesday, February 11, and Thursday, February 12, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET
Friday, February 13, Monday, February 16, and Tuesday, February 17, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
Wednesday, February 18 through Friday, February 20, 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET

Where can I stream Survivor 50?

In-season, Survivor can be livestreamed on Paramount+ with a premium subscription. New episodes are available for next-day streaming for subscribers to the standard Paramount+ tier.

CBS

Who’s in the Survivor 50 cast?

The Survivor 50 cast of returning players features contestants from the very first seasons all the way through Season 49.

Here’s the Survivor 50 cast: Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Colby Donaldson, Stephenie Lagrossa Kendrick, Cirie Fields, Ozzy Lusth, Benjamin “Coach” Wade, Aubry Bracco, Chrissy Hofbeck, Christian Hubicki, Angelina Keeley, Mike White, Rick Devens, Jonathan Young, Dee Valladares, Emily Flippen, Q Burdette, Tiffany Ervin, Charlie Davis, Genevieve Mushaluk, Kamilla Karthigesu, Kyle Fraser, Joe Hunter, Savannah Louie, and Rizo Velovic.

Find out where Louie and Velovic placed in Season 49 in our finale recap. For a full breakdown of the cast and which seasons they competed in before, see here.

There will be celebrity cameos in Season 50 as well, the trailer revealed. Zac Brown and MrBeast are appearing on-camera, and Billie Eilish and Jimmy Fallon are also involved, with more guest stars to come.

Is there a Survivor 50 trailer?

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The Survivor 50 trailer (above) came out during the Survivor 49 finale and showed the returning players in addition to Brown, MrBeast, and Jeff Probst. The host appears to be taking on a challenge himself in one clip from the trailer. There are hints about Eilish and Fallon’s involvement as well. Devens is heard saying, “This is a Billie Eilish boomerang idol,” and Hubicki says, Fallon might determine his fate in the game.

What is the Survivor 50 theme?

As Survivor turns 50, America gets to join the game with the Survivor 50 Challenge. In honor of the milestone season, the Emmy-winning host has announced an epic national Survivor 50 Challenge, transforming the entire country into a massive real-world scavenger hunt.

Kicking off on January 30, this coast-to-coast activation is calling on people across the country to put their skills to the test and play the game for real: 50 hidden immunity idols placed across 50 states, each with a winner.

The landmark season is called “In the Hands of the Fans” and is intended to be a thank you to viewers for their decades of support. Fans had the opportunity to vote on game elements to be included or excluded in Season 50, with the voting rounds taking place as Survivor 48 was airing. The players didn’t know the voting results until they were revealed to them in the game, and fans won’t know the results until the episodes come out. They got to vote on things such as whether or not to keep the final four fire-making challenge, the return of the live reunion in L.A., and more.

Find more details on the Survivor 50 Challenge here.

What is the Survivor 50 Challenge?

The Survivor 50 Challenge brings the adventure of Survivor directly into communities across the country, turning all 50 states into the setting for an immersive multi-week scavenger hunt: each hiding one official immunity idol. For the first time, newcomers, longtime viewers, and anyone who loves a good challenge will have the chance to strategize, uncover clues, solve riddles, and track down authentic immunity idols hidden in their state. Players are encouraged to grab their tribe, invite friends and family, and put their strategic skills to the test for a fun, family-friendly adventure.

The Survivor Ultimate Fan Café is also returning before the premiere. This time, it will be in Miami (it was in Boston before).

When was Survivor 50 filming?

Jeff Probst announced the start of filming in a video from Fiji on June 6, 2025. In the message to fans, he said that he had just watched the marooning challenge (a.k.a. the first challenge of the season, before which the players get divided into their tribes) take place, and the cast of returning players all had fires in their bellies.

“Every single person basically said the same thing: I want to play hard, and I want to have fun,” Probst said in the clip. He told fans that the returning players wanted to avoid the past mistakes of getting so “caught up” in the game that they forget to enjoy the adventure.

“The other thing that impressed me was, they went full tilt on that first challenge,” Probst added.

Filming on Survivor 50 wrapped at the end of June. In a video posted to Instagram Stories, and then reposted by Survivor podcast and fan accounts (see below), Probst revealed that they had wrapped production as of June 30.

Standing in front of a giant Survivor 50 sign (the season’s theme, “In the Hands of the Fans,” emblazoned beneath the show title), Probst said, “We just finished 50, we already finished 49. I just want to send a video and say [the] same thing that we always say: Thank you. Because you make it possible in ways that are visible and in ways that nobody ever sees but we know about.”