NEED TO KNOW
- Survivor 49 ended on Dec. 17
- Two contestants — Rizo Velovic and Savannah Louie — from season 49 will compete on Survivor 50
- Survivor 50 premieres on Feb. 25, 2026
Survivor‘s milestone season 50 is ready to reunite the most important group of returning gamers ever.
The historic fiftieth season, which premieres on Feb. 25, 2026, brings collectively 24 gamers from earlier seasons, making it the present’s largest solid. The final time that Survivor featured returning gamers was 2020’s season 40 a.okay.a. Winners at Conflict, which noticed Tony Vlachos take dwelling a record-breaking $2 million prize.
The group contains everybody from season 1’s Jenna Lewis-Dougherty to Rizo Velovic and Savannah Louie from season 49, which wrapped up on Dec. 17.
The season 50 castaways have competed throughout 22 seasons — that means there are millions of hours of challenges, backstabbing and tribal councils for followers to look at. Nonetheless, quite a lot of seasons have featured a number of returning gamers, together with Micronesia, Heroes vs. Villains and Sport Changers.
Listed here are the ten seasons of Survivor to prioritize watching forward of season 50 (and one bonus present).
Survivor: Borneo (Season 1)
In case you’re decided to get into Survivor, you must take it again to the place all of it started: Borneo. It was a never-before-seen idea in 2000: 16 common People have been tasked with surviving on a distant island, voting out the weakest hyperlink alongside the best way. Richard Hatch pioneered the idea of alliances, foreshadowing the extraordinary technique the present is understood for at present. In the end, the season broke information: With over 51 million viewers, the finale was the second most-watched episode of tv within the 2000s, coming in simply after the Buddies finale, per The Hollywood Reporter.
For season 50, unique contestant Jenna Lewis is making her first return to the present in over 20 years.
Watch Survivor: Borneo on Paramount+
Survivor: Palau (Season 10)
Survivor: Palau begins off with one epic twist: One tribe has no provides, whereas the opposite has every little thing. Spoiler alert: It does not finish nicely for Ulong, which winds up because the only-ever tribe of 1, with Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick holding down the lonely fort.
However it turned out all proper for Kendrick, who’s returning for season 50. She’s additionally beforehand appeared on Survivor: Guatemala, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and season 1 of The Traitors.
Watch Survivor: Palau on Paramount+
Survivor: Prepare dinner Islands (Season 13)
It is wild idea — and one that will doubtless by no means get made at present: a season of Survivor pitting castaways of various races towards each other, that includes tribes of White, Black, Asian American and Hispanic American folks. Regardless of this, Prepare dinner Islands was truly Survivor‘s most various season on the time — by no means earlier than had the present seen a 75% non-White solid.
Prepare dinner Islands produced among the most iconic gamers ever, together with Parvati Shallow, Ozzy Lusth, Yul Kwon, Jonathan Penner and Candice Woodcock. In 50, Lusth will return for his fifth go-around.
Watch Survivor: Prepare dinner Islands on Paramount+
Survivor: Micronesia (Season 16)
Even non-Survivor followers could have heard of the “Black Widow Brigade,” which strikes worry into the hearts of male contestants all over the place. Survivor: Micronesia — which adopted 10 followers of the present and 10 returning gamers — is understood for its iconic, all-woman alliance, made up of Shallow, Amanda Kimmel, Cirie Fields and Natalie Bolton. It additionally options one of the crucial iconic blindsides of all time, involving an immunity necklace and a surprisingly horrible determination.
Lusth and Fields — who’s recent off appearances on The Traitors and Huge Brother — are each returning for season 50.
Watch Survivor: Micronesia on Paramount+
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (Season 20)
Broadly considered one of the best season of Survivor ever, Heroes vs. Villains brings again 20 all-star contestants, all of whom match these archetypes. The actual twist, nevertheless, is the inclusion of Russell Hantz — since he’d simply starred on season 19, not one of the different contestants had watched him play earlier than, in order that they did not find out about his groundbreaking idol-hunting technique till it was far too late.
In the end, this season proves that watching villains outwit the heroes could be a bit extra enjoyable. Nonetheless, heroes Colby Donaldson, Fields and Kendrick are those returning for season 50, alongside villain Benjamin “Coach” Wade.
Watch Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains on Paramount+
Survivor: Sport Changers (Season 34)
Sport Changers receives blended opinions from seasoned Survivor followers. Whereas it options an all-star solid, a lot of these favorites go dwelling early (or due to an inflow of benefits). It additionally contains one of many darker moments within the present’s historical past — when Jeff Varner outed fellow castaway Zeke Smith as trans throughout tribal council. (Varner was instantly voted off due to it and was subsequently fired from his job.)
Most of the early boots, nevertheless, pave the best way for a satisfying — and surprising — win. Fields, Lusth and Aubry Bracco will return for season 50.
Watch Survivor: Sport Changers on Paramount+
Survivor: David vs. Goliath (Season 37)
Season 37 — which noticed tribes of so-called “Davids,” a.okay.a. the little guys, tackle the “Goliaths,” or giants of their respective fields — affected extra than simply Survivor lore. Mike White, who had beforehand written movies like Faculty of Rock, went on to create his hit present The White Lotus after showing on the present. Since then, he is gone on to characteristic costars like Angelina Keeley and Natalie Cole on the present.
Plus, characters like Keeley and Christian Hubicki — who’re each returning for season 50 alongside White — make this a very unforgettable season.
Watch Survivor season 37 on Paramount+
Survivor 45
In lots of new-era Survivor seasons, there’s one tribe that may’t actually appear to get it collectively. That is epitomized by season 45’s lovable Lulus: After Hannah Rose leaves the sport forward of the primary vote, Brandon Donlon is eradicated for poor problem efficiency and issues bought even worse from there. Nonetheless, this paves the best way for 2 standouts — Emily Flippen and Kaleb Gebrewold — to tackle the Reba 4, a powerhouse alliance of Dee Valladares, Austin Li Coon, Julie Alley and Drew Basile.
Valladares and Flippen are each returning for season 50.
Watch Survivor season 45 on Paramount+
Survivor 46
For people who aren’t so positive about so-called “new period” Survivor seasons, Survivor season 46 would be the one for you. The solid options loads of iconic characters — like Q Burdette, Bhanu Gopal, Liz Wilcox and Venus Vafa — and many old-school drama, together with one epic breakdown about Applebee’s Bourbon Avenue Mushroom Swiss Burger.
Burdette is returning for season 50, alongside Charlie Davis and Tiffany Nicole Ervin.
Watch Survivor season 46 on Paramount+
Survivor 48
Miss the loyalty and longterm alliances of early Survivor? Season 48 of Survivor follows two gamers — Kyle Fraser and Kamilla Karthigesu — who handle to maintain their working relationship a secret, finally fooling almost everybody within the recreation. From behind the scenes, Fraser and Karthigesu pull the wool over their fellow castaways’ eyes, leading to a dominating run.
Each Fraser and Karthigesu are returning for season 50 alongside problem beast Joe Hunter, whom followers will keep in mind from his emotional second with Eva Erickson.
Watch Survivor season 48 on Paramount+
Bonus: The Traitors Season 1
In case you’re able to commerce in sandy seashores for a cold Scottish mansion, look no additional. The Traitors season 1, which debuted in 2023, options two castaways from Survivor season 50 — Fields and Kendrick. Throughout this landmark season of the Peacock present, actuality stars compete towards (and dominate) a solid of normal folks. Nonetheless, Kendrick and Fields convey their all-star previous into the sport, getting into into a casual — and unsteady — alliance.
In the end, one among ladies skillfully outplays the opposite, making historical past that is positive to return into play in Survivor season 50.
Watch The Traitors season 1 on Peacock
