Survivor: Island of the Idols cast reveal is later than ever before in HD history

With 1 p.m. ET passing 20 days before the Survivor: Island of the Idols premiere date, the official cast reveal is later than at any point in the HD era.

Last Wednesday, with just under a month until the Survivor: Island of the Idols premiere, we posited that the official cast reveal was just around the corner. Though Dalton Ross’s 20,000-plus-word story ended up being a story about another show, it felt like it could be any day before we learn the castaways set to compete in the 39th season of our favorite reality competition show.

For reference, Survivor: Edge of Extinction marked the latest cast reveal in the HD era of the show at 20 days last season, coming at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 31, 2019. Before that, I compiled the cast reveal date list from Gabon onward, revealing that most cast reveals were a month in advance, with David vs. Goliath coming 21 days early.

Now that we have passed 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 5, Island of the Idols’ cast reveal is officially later than most seasons of the show. Because I focused on the HD eras last time, let’s take a look at the official cast reveals of the first 16 Survivor seasons to show that we are in unprecedented waters today with one exception (all premiere dates are on Thursdays unless stated):

• Micronesia: Thursday, January 3, 2008. Premiere: February 7, 2008
• China: Monday, August 20, 2007. Premiere: September 20, 2007.
• Fiji: Friday, January 12, 2007. Premiere: February 8, 2007.
• Cook Islands: Wednesday, August 23, 2006. Premiere: September 14, 2006.
• Panama – Exile Island: Monday, January 9, 2006. Premiere: February 2, 2006.
• Guatemala: Thursday, August 11, 2005. Premiere: September 15, 2005.
• Palau: Friday, January 14, 2005. Premiere: February 17, 2005.
• Vanuatu: Tuesday, August 17, 2004. Premiere: September 16, 2004.
• All-Stars: Monday, January 12, 2004, at 5 a.m. ET. Premiere: Super Bowl Sunday, February 1, 2004.
• Pearl Islands: Thursday, August 28, 2003. Premiere: September 18, 2003.
• The Amazon: Monday, January 13, 2003. Premiere: February 13, 2003.
• Thailand: Thursday, August 15, 2002. Premiere: September 19, 2002.
• Marquesas: Wednesday, February 6, 2002. Premiere: February 28, 2002.
• Africa: Tuesday, September 25, 2001. Premiere: October 11, 2001. (16 days)
• Australian Outback: Friday, January 5, 2001. Premiere: Super Bowl Sunday, January 28, 2001
• Borneo: Monday, March 13, 2000 (first day of filming). Premiere: Wednesday, May 31, 2000.

As you can see, only Survivor: Africa had a cast reveal earlier than 20 days before Island of the Idols. It was two weeks after the tragic events of September 11; a horrible moment that caused pause throughout the world, let alone entertainment mediums in the United States such as sports and television.

Regardless, Island of the Idols is set to premiere on Wednesday, September 25 at 8 p.m. ET. It will be a 90-minute episode that will allow us to get a better understanding of the castaways (whenever they are officially revealed).