Fans are just months away from the debut of “Survivor 49,” set to premiere on CBS this fall. Following the success of “Survivor 49,” which aired its finale in May, the forthcoming season will feature a brand new group of castaways as they are marooned on the beaches of Fiji, divided into tribes, and forced to compete in challenges to obtain vital tools, desperately needed food and comfort, and safety from elimination. At the end of the 26-day game, only one castaway will be able to outwit, outplay and outlast all the others to win the title of “Sole Survivor” and the $1 million grand prize.
Despite Season 49’s premiere growing ever closer, however, fans are abuzz for one thing “Survivor,” and one thing only – “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.” Set to make its legendary debut in February 2026, the landmark season features an even mix of legacy players like Cirie Fields, Ozzy Lusth and Benjamin “Coach” Wade, as well as new-era winners like Dee Valladares and Kyle Fraser “Survivor: David vs. Goliath” alum and creator of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” Mike White will similarly be returning to the island for a second shot at the million.
“Survivor 50” reportedly began filming on June 6, with longtime host Jeff Probst sharing a video filmed after the season’s first marooning challenge. On June 30, another video uploaded to Instagram by a user named “allwinnerssurvivor”, showed Probst proclaiming that filming for the season has officially wrapped.
Filming for ‘Survivor 50’ has Un-Officially Wrapped
As the video announcing that filming had wrapped has yet to be confirmed by either Probst or CBS, it seems likely that it was leaked ahead of schedule. If filming on the 26-day season truly did begin on June 6 as Probst reported, then the season’s Final Tribal Council shouldn’t have taken place until July 1.
The video shows the host standing in front of a large wooden sign emblazoned with the “Survivor 50” logo as he addressed fans, saying: “We just finished [Season] 50. We already finished [Season] 49. And I just want to send a video and say, the same thing we always say, thank you. Because you make it possible in ways that are visible, and in ways that nobody ever sees, but we know about.”
Fans played a big part in shaping the forthcoming anniversary season, by participating in fan votes throughout the airing on “Survivor 48.” In a series of four votes, fans were able to influence key “Survivor” elements, including whether or not to keep the dreaded new-era fire-making challenge at Final Four Tribal Council, whether or not to keep Hidden Immunity Idols in play, and whether or not to host the finale in Fiji, or during a live reunion in Los Angeles.
The results of the fan votes won’t be made public until “Survivor 50” starts airing next year.
‘Survivor’ Reportedly Returning to Fiji for Seasons 51 and 52
In addition to confirming that filming had wrapped on “Survivor 50,” the video similarly showed Probst announcing that CBS would be returning to the beaches of Fiji to film Seasons 51 and 52 of the show, likely to premiere in fall 2026 and spring 2027, respectively.
While “Survivor” used to change its filming location from season to season, including stops in international locales like the Australian Outback, the Brazilian Highlands and the Amazon Rainforest, it has exclusively filmed in Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands since Season 33 in 2016.
CBS/GettyProbst cleared up the reason why during a 2017 interview with Entertainment Weekly, where he revealed: “The truth of the world is, when we started ‘Survivor’…there were lots of places we could go. It’s been two decades. It’s a different world. There are not as many places we can go for a lot of reasons – the economy, populations, political unrest, weather patterns.”
“Fiji offers us everything that we want,” Probst continued. “Incredibly beautiful water that you can see down 30 feet, beaches that are amazing, a government that is working with us, local labor that loves to say ‘Bula!’ everyday because they’re just happy you’re here. And our crew has never been as happy. We actually have decent accommodations to do this show out in the jungle. It’s a win-win-win.”
As to whether “Survivor” will continue to film in Fiji after Season 52, Probst wants to stay put, telling EW, “I hope we stay here forever.”
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‘Survivor 50’ Filming Wraps, Jeff Probst Confirms Seasons 51 & 52