During the latest episode of Survivor 48 we got a new call to vote for three more categories for the upcoming anniversary season, Survivor: In the Hands of the Fans.
The two choices of tribe supplies and twists will definitely impact the game, but the option to decide on the design for the individual immunity necklace seems more for vanity and fun. However, if you look closely, you'll see that the given design options aren't actually too different.
Both individual immunity necklace designs hold a phoenix at their center.
For those who don't know, a phoenix is a mythological bird that represents death by fire and rebirth from the ashes. And if there's one thing we know about Survivor, it's that fire represents life.
So seeing the same symbol on both necklace designs had me wondering if there might be a deeper theme within season 50 or if the bird could be a hint to fans of the larger format players will be experiencing.
Could Survivor 50 be about rising from the ashes?
There are so many different ways this could be interpreted. In terms of casting, maybe this is a clue that none of the returning castaways have won before. The cast could all be players who have previously had their torches snuffed and this is a second (or third or fourth?) chance season at the title of Sole Survivor.
Or the show could be bringing back a format that we saw a couple of times before the start of the new era: the Edge of Extinction. There's no truer definition of rising from the ashes than having your torch snuffed and returning to the game during the same season.
Then there's also the possibility that a phoenix could be a clue to fire tokens returning. Especially since production is still having to plan everything without knowing what all the fan final votes are, if they know for sure fire tokens are involved, they can plan for that and then just update the list of available advantages and
One thing's for sure: I can't wait to see what the milestone season has in store!
Filming starts this summer and we'll see the outcome of all our votes and theories when Survivor 50 premieres in February 2026.