when does survivor season 50 start
Survivor Season 50 is scheduled to start on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 , at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS, with a special three-hour premiere event.
Quick Scoop: When does Survivor Season 50 start?
Here’s the core info you’re looking for about when does Survivor Season 50 start :
- Premiere date: February 25, 2026.
- Day and time: Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS.
- Premiere length: A three-hour supersized episode running until 11:00 p.m. ET.
- Where to watch: CBS live, and streaming via Paramount+ (and some live TV streamers like Fubo in the U.S.).
So if you’re planning a watch party, you’ll want to block off your entire Wednesday night for that first episode.
What we know so far (latest news)
Survivor 50 has the official title “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.” It’s framed as a milestone celebration season, lining up with roughly the 25th anniversary of the show’s U.S. debut.
Key “latest news” points:
- Theme: In the Hands of the Fans – a lot of production and game elements were voted on by viewers during Survivor 48.
- Location: Once again filmed in the Mamanuca Islands, Fiji , continuing the show’s long-running filming base there.
- Cast: It’s an all-returnee season, with 24 returning players , the largest cast the series has ever had.
- Special guests: Celebrity fans like Zac Brown, Billie Eilish, Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson are slated to appear and influence the game in specific episodes.
Because it’s a landmark season, CBS is treating the February 25, 2026 launch like a TV event, not just a regular premiere night.
Mini sections: format, twists, and fan-voted ideas
Game format and length
- Episode 1 is three hours, and then the season follows the more standard weekly episode cadence afterwards.
- It keeps the modern Fiji-era structure, with a relatively compact number of days compared to the 39-day classic era, though specific day-count isn’t the main hook this time.
An illustration: imagine the usual “new era” pace, but with added chaos from fan-voted twists — players are not just battling each other but also the meta- game the audience helped shape.
Fan-voted elements
During Survivor 48 , viewers got to vote on several design and rules questions that directly impact Survivor 50.
Examples of what fans voted on:
- Tribe colors (the winning combo being one of the options fans selected).
- Whether players start with rice and camp supplies or have to earn them.
- The existence of the final four fire-making twist – keep it or remove it.
- The vote reveal and reunion location, including whether to do it live in Los Angeles or keep it on the island.
- The style of the immunity necklace and the general intensity of twists and advantages (minimal vs. wild).
This is why the branding leans so heavily into “In the Hands of the Fans”: the structure of the game itself has been partially crowdsourced.
How people are talking about it (forum discussion vibe)
Across fan communities and forums, several recurring themes show up when people talk about when does Survivor Season 50 start and what it means:
- Long-time fans see February 25, 2026 as a kind of “anniversary party” for the franchise, with a lot of nostalgia attached to the premiere.
- There’s mixed but energetic debate about the fan-voted twists — some love the interactivity, others worry it might over-gimmick the strategy.
- The all-returnee mega-cast of 24 has people speculating on pre-game alliances and old rivalries resurfacing.
A typical forum sentiment might look like:
“Circle Feb 25 on your calendar. Three hours of pure Survivor chaos, and the fans literally helped build the rulebook this time.”
Quick fact table: Survivor 50 timing and basics
| Detail | Answer |
|---|---|
| Season title | Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans |
| Premiere date | Wednesday, February 25, 2026 |
| Premiere time | 8:00 p.m. ET (three-hour episode) |
| Network | CBS (U.S.) |
| Streaming options | Paramount+ and participating live TV streamers like Fubo |
| Cast type | 24 returning players, largest *Survivor* cast yet |
| Location | Mamanuca Islands, Fiji |
| Theme hook | Game elements voted on by fans during Survivor 48 |
TL;DR
- When does Survivor Season 50 start?
→ February 25, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS, with a three-hour premiere and next-day streaming via Paramount+.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.