Survivor is getting closer and closer to its milestone 50th season, but before that, Season 49 will be airing on the 2025 TV schedule. Already, the upcoming season is proving to be an interesting one, as Survivor cut two players at the last minute, and put in alternates. Plus, with it being the final season before the big milestone, the anticipation is real. Now, Jeff Probst is calling it "unique," and I can't stop thinking about what that could mean.
Each season of Survivor is unpredictable, and even 48 seasons in, the format can change. Then there’s also the fact that Survivor contestants are always coming up with new strategies, which makes the series even more interesting. However, strategic play and changing formats won't be the only things we need to worry about on this go-around. That's because Probst told Entertainment Weekly that Season 49 is turning up the heat, literally:
One thing that made this season a little unique is that it was extremely hot. And I know that might not sound like much, given that a tropical environment is always hot, but I even felt it.
As Probst said, filming in a tropical environment like Fiji, the heat is a given. That’s the sacrifice that has to be made when filming Survivor, and there have certainly been more than a few weather problems throughout the show’s run.
However, this season they're dealing with seriously intense heat, and it makes it hard to focus on challenges. Even Probst was struggling, and he wasn’t the one competing, as he said:
It was just stifling, and the impact was noticeable, and I could track it because I was struggling. I had challenges at the end where I was puffing and puffing, and I was drenched through my shirt with sweat. And so I was able to, for the first time in a long time, have just a little bit of a reminder, ‘Oh man, this is one of the elements that you can't overlook.’
It’s unknown how the castaways handled the heat, but it sounds like if Probst could barely deal with it, then doing all those challenges was as challenging as ever for them. Of course, watching it on TV is different from experiencing it in person, so it may just look like they’re just struggling through a regular challenge or struggling to get through the day because of some other factor. Knowing that they dealt with intense temperatures will certainly give viewers a new perspective and a unique one, at that.
Between the different strategies, weather, medical problems, and the firsts that Survivor still seems to have, no season is the same. You might even venture to say that all seasons are unique, but having those extreme temperatures that Probst couldn’t handle should be interesting to watch. As long as it doesn’t seriously hurt someone, that is. It wouldn’t be surprising if some of the castaways even adapted to the heat, and it helped their game. Stranger things have happened on Survivor, so you never know.
Survivor 50 might be the season to watch because it’s the big anniversary, but since that won’t be airing until 2026, fans will just have to tune in to Survivor 49. The new season premieres on Wednesday, September 24 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day with a Paramount+ subscription, where the first 48 seasons are currently available to stream. There will be a lot to look forward to when Survivor returns.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
