Survivor is one of the best reality shows of all time, and is still going strong decades after its 2000 premiere. The fandom is patiently awaiting the upcoming premiere of Season 50, which will air in February on CBS and streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. The season will finally feature returning players, and Q Burdette's reason for not trusting fellow New Era player Emily Flippen is absolutely bonkers.
The cast of Survivor 50 is pretty stacked, and I'm eager to see how folks from the New Era interact with franchise OGs. But it seems like the newbies might also be fighting, at least if Q has to interact with Emily. Because while doing pre-game press on The Exclusive with Sharon Tharp, he offered some truly bizarre reasons why he doesn't trust the Financial Analyst and fan favorite. In his words:
I can't get over this. Emily Flippen eats pork, drinks Coke and writes left-handed. Anybody who eats pork and drinks Coke... they don't care about nothing. They don't even care what goes down their mouth and out their ass in a sense. So, I know they don't care about me. And then she writes left-handed. That's three strikes and you're out. It's not that I don't like left-handers. It's just odd.
I... don't know what to say. Q was a bonkers character during his first game, and he continued beefing with Liz Wilcox even after the season was over. But the idea that he doesn't trust people simply based on their food choices makes no sense. Add in the fact that he's counting Emily's left handedness as a third strike, and I'm truly no prepared to see him back on my screen every week.
Fans are already worried about Emily Flippen, simply based on how many OGs are on the tribe she's been sorted into at the start of Survivor 50. But the fact that fellow New Era player Q is also gunning for her simply based on seeing her eat pork and drink a Coke is something else. Hopefully they don't end up on the same tribe anytime soon.
Personally, I'm on #TeamEmily here. Her performance in Survivor 45 was truly legendary, and I don't think I've ever seen a contestant change my mind so much throughout their time on the island. After making an audition tape because she was mad Gabler won, Flippen made cross-tribe enemies on Day 1 at the marooning. But she as able to amend her social game, making it far into the game and becoming a truly iconic jury member. She's one of the New Era players I'm most excited to see back, and hopefully the rest of the cast isn't targeting her based on eating pork.
The generations of Survivor fans are curious about what'll go down in Season 50, and how these newer contestants collide with favorites like Cirie Fields, Colby Donaldson, and Coach Wade. Will the OGs and the New Era folks target or each other, or form exciting new alliances? Only time will tell.
Survivor 50 will premiere on February 25th as part of the 2026 TV schedule. And I'm already mentally preparing for whatever else Q is going to bring to the table.
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