World News

‘Survivor 50’ Is Completely Missing the Point of What Makes the Show Great

December 23, 2025

Loyal Survivor fans have been through the many ups and downs of the hit reality series over the years, but a recent trailer for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans reveals a twist that might be the show’s weirdest move yet. Back in May, when 22 of 24 names were released, Survivor fans were quite confused about how this milestone season truly reflected the program’s 25 years, given the strange conglomeration of casting decisions.

While many found ways to still get excited, thanks in part to the voting mechanism that would influence the season, what they were not expecting was the inclusion of random celebrities like Mr. Beast and Zac Brown dropping into Fiji to influence the season, seemingly. Unrelated to the show’s past, the legacy of Survivor may be tarnished by celebrity fan service; Survivor 50 isn’t for devoted fans, but to generate buzz.

‘Survivor’s Legacy Is About the Castaways, Not Celebrity Fans

Image via CBS

Now that Survivor 49 is complete, and Savannah Louie won, as predicted, with both herself and Rizo Velovic finalizing the Survivor 50 cast, as predicted, the fans finally got their first look at the highly anticipated landmark season. With 24 cast members appearing in the trailer, fans were blindsided when the historic players were completely overshadowed by name-dropping and by theappearances of non-Survivor celebrities. We already knew about a Survivor–Beast Games crossover on the latter series, but now the YouTube star is impacting Survivor? Zac Brown just shows up with a fish to help the proven castaways do what exactly? Billie Eilish and Jimmy Fallon are involved in twists, including the mysterious “Billie Eilish” Boomerang Idol.” Please don’t let a ridiculous advantage be the reason why Cirie Fields gets eliminated yet again. Of course, the one celebrity we did want to hear from was The White Lotus creator Mike White. That’s because he actually played the game!

The problem with this announcement isn’t the involvement of these famous faces; it’s that it’s completely overshadowing the attention the milestone season deserves. For 25 years, Survivor has been the same intriguing social experiment that forces regular, everyday individuals to outwit, outplay, and outlast to become the sole survivor. Yes, the series has brought in game mechanics to refresh the action, but it’s always maintained its integrity. Even the players are a bit baffled as to why they’re sharing their experience with unattached celebrities.

After Jeff Probst Threw Shade at ‘The Traitors,’ This ‘Survivor 50’ Casting Twist Is Absolutely Wild

Jeff Probst demands loyalty — and I get it. But shouldn’t some alum get an exception?

Now, it’s not uncommon for celebrity fans of the game to have influenced things Jeff Probst has implemented. (We all remember the Tyler PerryIdol.) But with the focus of the trailer being on the four names and not the headlines about the returning players, it feels as if Survivor is straying away from the season’s subtitle: “In the Hands of the Fans.” The fans have been begging for a celebrity edition, so why not just give us a spin-off and force Brown and Mr. Beast to compete on the island, surviving on little to no rations? Yes, the trailer gave us incredible moments of the castaways jetting off on a branded plane, but some players didn’t even get face time aside from a blink-and-you-miss-it moment.

‘Survivor 50’ Should Focus on What Made the Show Survive for 25 Years

There were so many potential headlines that could have been introduced into the trailer. To showcase the show’s evolution and how fans turned into players, how cool would it have been to hear mention of how Survivor 49‘s Rizo was only three months old when fellow Survivor 50 castaway Jenna Lewis first played in Survivor: Borneo? We could have glimpsed some long-awaited reunions, including White with his fellow Survivor: David vs. Goliath castaway-turned-The White Lotus cameo-scene stealer,Angelina Keeley. What makes Survivor a legacy program, defying the odds of 25 years on air, is the characters that play the game. We are watching for the castaways because they are what make Survivor great. Of course, loyal Survivor fans will be watching, but based on the trailer, this isn’t how we should be celebrating its 25th anniversary and its 50th season.