After six long years, we finally have another returnee season of Survivor. The reality show has put together an all-star cast (well, sort of) for its landmark 50th season and has let fans of the show vote on certain aspects of the game. Who will outwit, outplay, and outlast this spring? Our staff has predictions:
1. Who is your odds-on favorite to win Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans?
Riley McAtee: There is a long history of the most random casting choice winning a returnee season: Amber in All-Stars, Parvati in Micronesia, Sarah in Game Changers. So it’s not an insult to call a particular returnee a bit of a head-scratching casting choice—it’s a compliment. It means they can come in under the radar and cement themselves as a legend. And this season, the player filling this niche is very clearly Tiffany from Survivor 46.
Miles Surrey: I think high-profile players (Ozzy, Cirie) and former winners (Kyle, Dee) will have too big a target on their backs, so my gut is telling me it’ll be Genevieve. She was a savvy strategist on Survivor 47, and if she’s able to keep her threat level low while letting bigger egos come to blows, I could see her winning. Either that, or my girlfriend’s Genevieve crush has made it impossible for me to think rationally about her chances.
Steven Ruiz: As a recent winner, Dee is starting the game with an elevated threat level. I get that and might be galaxy-braining myself into an awful winner pick here, but I think being forced into playing a more under-the-radar game could be a long-term benefit. Dee’s going to make friends, and I’m assuming she’ll find herself in a strong alliance that gets her through the early game. The longer she sticks around, the more bonds she’ll form and the more pull she’ll have around the island. Running back the same playbook is typically a bad idea for a returning winner, but Dee’s approach to Season 48 should be viable again.
Arjuna Ramgopowell: I’m going with Charlie Davis from Season 46. He's a well-rounded player who would have probably won his season if his main ally hadn’t been bitter that he got her voted out. He's a good social player, he's solid in challenges, and he has a really good read on strategy.
Isaac Levy-Rubinett: I think people are sleeping on Savannah. She has the distinct advantage of arriving on the island as a total unknown to her fellow contestants. Her season, the 49th, aired after the filming of Season 50 was complete, so while all these returning contestants should know the ins and outs of each other’s personalities, their knowledge of her playing style and history will be limited to what she (and her presumed ally, Rizo) chooses to share. Plus, her past Survivor experience is fresh—all of the preparation that spurred her through Season 49 should carry over into 50, giving her a legit chance to become the first back-to-back winner in Survivor history.
2. Who is going home first?
Ruiz: Joe seems like a good guy based on what we saw in Season 48, but I’m praying on his (early) downfall here anyway. I don’t think the playing-with-honor crap will fly with this cast. Maybe he’ll try a different approach this time around, but I doubt it based on his preseason interviews. Here’s my prediction for the first episode: Joe tries to push himself into a leadership role, which ultimately fails. He resents the rejection, which he didn’t really face on his season until the final tribal council, and takes a more aggressive approach to grabbing power. Again, the tribe rejects his power play and sends him home early.
Levy-Rubinett: Say a prayer for the RizGod. I don’t have a great reason for this pick—I just expect his use of the word “cinema” to grate on all the OGs within the first half hour.
Surrey: Unfortunately, I’m guessing that the Vatu Tribe will struggle the most out of the gate, and were that to happen, Angelina could be voted off quickly. For sheer entertainment value, she’s iconic, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she rubbed her tribemates the wrong way. (You can make a near-identical case for Q.)
McAtee: The new era has trended toward disaster tribes—one group that seems to go to tribal council over and over in the early stages. This time around, I have Vatu pegged as the weakest tribe, and I think Stephenie could be the old-school player who comes in a bit too hot and plays too hard and goes home as a result.
Ramgopowell: Savannah or Rizo, but most likely Savannah. No one knows anything about them, as their season hadn’t aired before they taped Season 50. Even if Savannah is able to conceal that she won Season 49, most players are smart enough to realize that both she and Rizo went pretty far in the competition. Why would anyone want to reward someone who just won or play with people they know nothing about?
3. What is your dream scenario for this season?
Levy-Rubinett: As we gear up for March Madness, I find myself wanting the same thing from Survivor 50 as I do from the NCAA tournament. Upsets and unpredictability are great early on, but ultimately, I want to see the best teams play each other. On Survivor, I want to see the heaviest-hitting personalities and franchise legends make the merge and duke it out in front of the jury. Stop voting out all the biggest threats at the beginning of the game!
Surrey: Alliances between kindred spirits: the lovably dorky duo of Christian and Emily or the chaotic energy of Coach and Q. Mike White getting wine drunk again. Rizo being collectively shamed for calling himself “RizGod.”
Ruiz: I would give anything to see a Coach-Q alliance this season. Look, I’m not expecting much strategy out of either of these two. I know that Coach showed he can play a more strategic game his last time out, but with all of these new-era players, I think he’ll be out of his depth and revert back to the character we saw over his first few appearances. Pair that up with Q, give them a little bit of power, and we’d be in for a memorable and exciting season.
Ramgopowell: Major changes in the format that genuinely surprise us. I'm a fairly new Survivor watcher, having started my journey with Season 41, so I've really known only the 18-player, 26-day version of the game. It's gotten pretty stale over the past few seasons, and the show needs a little bit of a jolt of energy. Hopefully they’ll try out some new things, bring back old classics, and have a new version of the game that we can enjoy.
McAtee:
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ🕯
ㅤㅤㅤ 🕯ㅤㅤㅤ🕯
ㅤㅤ🕯 Survivor 50 🕯
ㅤ🕯 ㅤㅤWinnerㅤㅤ🕯
ㅤㅤ🕯 Q Burdette 🕯
ㅤㅤㅤ🕯ㅤㅤㅤ🕯
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ🕯
4. Who has the most at stake this season?
Surrey: Survivor itself? I’ve enjoyed some of the new-era seasons, but they don’t hold a candle to the show at its peak. An all-returnee 50th season puts a bigger spotlight on Survivor—if it’s a flop, Jeff will have only the questionable casting and celebrity cameos to blame.
Ramgopowell: CBS. How much longer can Survivor go on? The show has done an admirable job of adapting and changing over the years to remain relevant, but it isn't as popular as it once was. Can it go another five seasons, let alone another 50? Season 50 will spur some old fans to return to the show, but will they stick around beyond the celebratory season? They certainly won't if it’s a complete dud.
Levy-Rubinett: Probst? The show itself? This next season will put the show's new era under a microscope and give all the older players who built Survivor up a microphone to share their impressions. Season 50 is designed in part to celebrate 50 years of Survivor, but it might be hard to do so if fans aren't bought into the gameplay.
McAtee: The last time Colby appeared on our screens 15 years ago, he was so pathetic it was difficult to watch. I hope he’s brushed up on the show and can prove he isn’t a dinosaur whom the game passed by long ago.
Ruiz: Aubry is at a tipping point. She had a brilliant first season, followed by increasingly disappointing and uneventful appearances. If she leaves early after another forgettable run, we’ll be scratching our heads wondering why she’s a four-time player. If she can make a deep run or manages to win the thing, Aubry will validate that first performance and lock in her spot as one of the all-time greats.
5. MrBeast is on the island. So is something called the “Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol.” Jimmy Fallon may be involved. Thoughts on Survivor’s celebrity cameos?
McAtee: I thought this season was “in the hands of the fans”? Why was I not given the opportunity to vote against this?
Ruiz: I thought we as a society had all agreed that Jimmy Fallon should not be on our television screens before 11 p.m. Putting him on Survivor is a direct violation of the social contract. Also, I’ve made it this far without learning who or what MrBeast is, but it appears that Probst will be forcing that info on me against my will. To answer the question, I don’t like CBS getting celebrities involved, but it’s not high on the list of grievances I have with the network right now.
Surrey: Horrendous call. If Jeff had put the celebrity cameos in the hands of the fans, I promise you we wouldn’t be getting Zac Brown lugging a fish over his shoulder in Fiji.
Levy-Rubinett: I'm against cameos in general on Survivor. If someone wants to be a part of the game, then play!
Ramgopowell: I only ask that these twists help re-create the iconic "I'm pissed!!" moment from Season 46 with Liz. Hopefully these celebrities were selected because the Season 50 contestants are such big fans that they'll freak out if they are denied the chance to spend a reward with some of them. We can dare to dream, right?
6. Whom should Mike White bring back with him to The White Lotus?
Ramgopowell: Q, hands down the weirdest and most entertaining player of the past 10 seasons. Q and the Q skirt. Q doing some type of sports analogy. Q eating an Applebee's burger. The options are endless.
Surrey: Savannah is so abrasive that she’d fit right in as a hotel guest who insists she’s low maintenance before demanding to speak to the manager.
Ruiz: It’s a tie between Q and Coach. The latter would have been a solid addition to the last season as a foil to Walter Goggins. Now that I’m thinking about it, Q might be too outrageous for the show. Righteous Gemstones would be a better vehicle for him. You could swap him in for any of the main cast members, and I’m not sure the show would change much.
McAtee: I need a speaking role for Coach ASAP.
Levy-Rubinett: Q—and it's not particularly close.
