Survivor 50 is quickly approaching, but there's still plenty of time for new and returning fans alike to revisit the iconic seasons that brought us the castaways coming together to celebrate 25 years of Survivor in the latest all-star season.
Check out all the seasons that made Survivor the show we know and love before the new season premieres February 25, 2026.
Survivor: Borneo (season 1)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Jenna Lewis-Dougherty
Why it's important: As the first season, Borneo laid the foundation of what Survivor would become. Watching it back, you realize that production set extremely few gameplay boundaries outside of challenges and Tribal Council. The players are the ones who crafted what "outwit" meant in the end.
Survivor: Australian Outback (season 2)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Colby Donaldson
Why it's important: With the base of the game established, season 2 introduced our original character archetypes, specifically our first hero and villain storylines. This created a secondary layer of player identity that would go on to change the way people approached the game moving forward.
Survivor: All Stars (season 8)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Colby Donaldson, Jenna Lewis-Dougherty
Why it's important: The first season to feature returning players, the show starts to explore the importance of a second chance in a player's Survivor journey. This season also highly showcases the dangers of unbreakable alliances—specifically showmances.
Survivor: Palau (season 10)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick
Why it's important: This season was the true introduction of the "cursed" starting tribe that led to the only tribe in Survivor history to consist of one player. Because of this, it's also known as being one of the most emotionally charged seasons of the show with a true underdog narrative that proved resilience was just as compelling—if not more so—to fans as drama.
Survivor: Guatemala (season 11)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick
Why it's important: Only the second time any player immediately returned after competing on the season prior, the eleventh season of the show was the first to introduce a hybrid castaway format—returning players and new players—continuing the underdog story of Survivor: Palau but now pitting them against people who had insider knowledge of their previous game.
Survivor: Panama (season 12)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Cirie Fields
Why it's important: With the introduction of Exile Island, the whole game was turned on its head, proving timing, strategy, and proper alliances could be just as powerful as physical dominance had been in previous seasons. This season was the first to truly expand the pool of castaways fans saw on screen as the show learned never to underestimate anyone, including the mom who decided one day to just get off the couch and play Survivor.
Survivor: Cook Islands (season 13)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Ozzy Lusth
Why it's important: The first season to host three players at Final Tribal Council, Cook Islands arguably altered the show's endgame strategy for good. Though the casting formatting and tribe division is looked upon as controversial, it was Survivor's biggest attempt to represent a diverse group of players at the time, influencing future casting protocols.
Survivor: Micronesia (season 16)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Cirie Fields, Ozzy Lusth
Why it's important: A season that truly reminded fans to always expect the unexpected when it comes to Survivor, the fans vs. favorite structure brought back dynamic players that showcased some of the most elite blindsides and gameplay still in Survivor's 25 year history.
Survivor: Tocantins (season 18)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Benjamin "Coach" Wade
Why it's important: Where previous seasons had really focused on the art of strategic and physical survival, Tocantins was the beginning of a new era where the game was viewed through highly character-driven storytelling. Players became more memorable as their unique personalities were highlighted just as much as their gameplay.
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (season 20)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Cirie Fields, Coach Wade, Colby Donaldson, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick
Why it's important: A top season amongst fans, Heroes vs. Villains marked the first official anniversary season for the show both celebrating a landmark 10 years on air as well as cementing itself in the reality TV show history books for the lore it had created within that time.
Survivor: South Pacific (season 23)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Coach Wade, Ozzy Lusth
Why it's important: One of the most complex seasons in the game's history, the first season to feature Redemption Island as a recurring format set players up to view elimination more strategically than before. And with the addition of returning players set to "lead" two separate tribes, new players were starting their own journeys under two drastically different gameplay ideologies that made for a lively post-merge game.
Survivor: Kaôh Rōng (season 32)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Aubry Bracco
Why it's important: The first season of the new school era to bring in the old school brutality of the game—both socially and physically—as players acted more along the lines of their reality show roots while also facing some of the harshest conditions in the show's history. This season also reminded fans that the jury's perception chooses the winner, which does not always align with what we see at home.
Survivor: Game Changers (season 34)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Aubry Bracco, Cirie Fields, Ozzy Lusth
Why it's important: Like the name suggests, not only did this season bring together players whose initial seasons impacted the way the game is played, but it also redefined what changing the game meant in a rapidly evolving time for the show where no two seasons seemed to be alike and production began featuring a heavier hand in gameplay direction.
Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers (season 35)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Chrissy Hofbeck
Why it's important: Permanently changing the road to the end, season 35 established the definitive Final Four fire-making challenge twist, essentially shifting how players would plot out their end game moving forward.
Survivor: David vs. Goliath (season 37)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Angelina Keeley, Christian Hubicki, Mike White
Why it's important: One of the most revered new school seasons of Survivor, a set-up of the "big guy" vs. the "little guy" made for a clever balance of social strategy vs. physical prowess vs. emotional storytelling vs. intellectual gameplay mixed in with a great cast of characters that narrated the season with both drama and humor.
Survivor: Edge of Extinction (season 38)
Which Survivor 50 player it features: Aubry Bracco, Rick Devens
Why it's important: Another redefining post-elimination twist, the Edge of Extinction introduced a new game-within-a-game where eliminated players had the opportunity to fight their way back into the game while living in a sort of Survivor purgatory. The chaotic element was both thrilling and had fans and players alike wondering about the true ranked merit of a player as far as earning a spot back in the game vs. staying in the game to begin with.
Survivor: 42 & Survivor: 45 - Survivor: 49
Which Survivor 50 players they feature: Jonathan Young, Dee Valladares (Survivor: 45 winner), Emily Flippen, Charlie Davis, Tiffany Nicole Ervin, Q Burdette, Genevieve Mushaluk, Joe Hunter, Kamilla Karthigesu, Kyle Fraser (Survivor: 48 winner), Rizo Velovic, Savannah Louie (Survivor: 49 winner)
Why it's important: The new era of Survivor introduced a more condescend format of the show—nearly two in-game weeks shorter than previous seasons—that turned over speedier gameplay, more production-involved advantages (and disadvantages) and a more dramatic social structure as relationships seem to be more emotionally invested as loyalty and trust need to be established early on. This is the format Survivor 50 will most closely follow.