"Survivor" is coming back for its 50th season with an all-star cast.
The upcoming milestone season will feature contestants from previous seasons going back to the show's first season, which aired almost 26 years ago, primarily focusing on seasons 45 to 49.
Returning to the show this season are fan favorite former contestants Mike White, who went on to create the successful HBO Max drama "The White Lotus." as well as Aubry Bracco, who appeared in seasons 34 and 38.
"It’s different when you’re Cirie or Colby or Aubry and a proven iconic ‘Survivor’ player," host Jeff Probst told The Hollywood Reporter. "But bringing somebody back for the second time is saying, 'We see you as something special.' So when it came to New Era players, we definitely spent a lot of time asking ourselves, 'what’s the justification for this person? Why do they fit?' In the same way that we did with the older era players."
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The show has brought former contestants back to compete a second, and sometimes a third time, many times in the past, including in season eight for the all-star season, season 20, which was dubbed "Heroes vs. Villains" and most recently in season 40 for the Winners at War season, which only included past winners.
Although this isn't a new concept, Probst promises it will feel different.
"There were players we considered and talked to, and they’re great. They’re upset because they think they didn’t make 'the cut,'" he said. "Really, it wasn’t that. It was, how many spots do we have and what does each person bring to the spot? What we really wanted was an array. This isn’t 'Heroes vs Villains,' it’s not 'Game Changers' or 'Fans vs Favorites.' It’s a little bit of everything."
In addition to bringing back 24 contestants from previous seasons, this season also involved the fans in a new way, leaving certain elements in the hands of the viewers through a voting system.
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This twist allowed fans to vote on 11 key categories throughout the game, including the colors of the tribes, how many twists and challenges there will be and others, and those who voted will not know the results of the votes until the show airs.
"But given that we’re just into this we don’t know the impact," he added. "I know the results from the fans and it illustrates what kind of game they ultimately want. I was curious, because I met a lot of people who said, 'No idols, no twists, no advantages.' I was like, okay, maybe that is what people really want. I’m excited by it. I think the fans are going to have a big impact this season."
The host said the fan vote brought a level of "uncertainty" to the game, and hoped that a contestant would use that to their advantage, saying if he was in the game, "I would start spreading rumors."
Probst has been with the franchise for all of its 50 seasons, and recently told Entertainment Weekly he doesn't have a contract, saying, "I don't have any deal. We just do it."
"I'm telling you right now, there's no thought in my mind at all about leaving," he told the outlet. "I love where the show is. I love our crew. I love the type of people that are applying. It's up in every category of ethnic diversity. Every category is up, and everybody's saying it’s because ‘I see myself reflected and represented on the show, so now I want to be on the show.’ That makes me excited, along with watching young people come up and say, ‘I want to play this f---ing game!’ That’s really exciting."
While he has no plans of stepping down, Probst says he "100 percent know[s] this show will go on without me" because of its format.
White, who first competed on season 37 of the show in 2018, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter in February about his decision to come back to the show, saying he was "stoked to be here."
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"'Survivor 50' is such a cultural milestone for anyone who has ever loved 'Survivor,' played 'Survivor' or made 'Survivor,'" he said. "So I feel very honored to have gotten the Golden Ticket, the exclusive invitation. If it happened any other time in the last five years I don’t think I would have been able to do it. But it just happened to land in a good, sweet spot for me. So it felt like maybe this is just what the doctor ordered."
Aside from giving him a positive experience to look back on, White admitted that his experience on the show inspired him when it came to creating "The White Lotus."
"The White Lotus" follows a new set of characters who are staying in a luxury hotel in a different location each season, with every season exploring a different theme. He told NPR in December 2022 that "'Survivor' is not that dissimilar" to the show.
"A lot of times just people kind of kvetching about who's tending the fire or they're hangry because they haven't had anything to eat. But then the music is making it feel like this is going to end up bad for somebody," he said. "And then you have these transitions of sharks in the water. And I was like, we do that in 'White Lotus.' ... I have to cop to being influenced by 'Survivor' and these shows where you have a device that makes it feel like it's a built-in cliffhanger."
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Aside from the inspiration he draws from his time on the reality show, he also casts many of his "Survivor" castmates to appear on the hit HBO Max show.
"Survivor 50" is set to premiere on CBS on Feb. 25.