Since Survivor premiered in the year 2000, the reality show has been able to accumulate many loyal fans. The reason for that is that Survivor is a great reality show, even though Jeff Probst has claimed it always needs to evolve. The series' highly reliable fan following has allowed it to last long enough that the landmark season, Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, is set to premiere in the coming months.
Since Survivor 50 will feature an all-star cast and viewers got to vote on several aspects of the season, there has been a lot of excitement among viewers. However, there have also been several aspects of the upcoming season that have made some vocal fans concerned. Now, Probst has addressed one of those concerns, that Survivor 50 will be dominated by its celebrity tie-ins.
Jeff Probst has pledged that Survivor 50 won't be "overshadowed" by celebrity tie-ins
During the finale for Survivor 49, the show's viewers got to see footage from Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans for the first time.
During a trailer for the season that can now be seen on Entertainment Tonight's YouTube page, the upcoming season's players were showcased. However, the trailer also spotlighted the Survivor 50 involvement of several celebrities.
Footage of Jimmy "Mr. Beast" Donaldson and Zac Brown appearing on the island during Survivor 50 was shown. On top of that, references to Jimmy Fallon and Billie Eilish were heard, revealing that those two stars will have an impact on the season. It is also worth noting that more celebrities could still be involved in the season if producers opted to keep them as surprises.
Following the trailer's release, there was a notable percentage of fans who expressed concern that Survivor 50 would push the celebrity involvement too much and take away from the gameplay. In January 2026, Jeff Probst spoke to Variety about Survivor 50's celebrity involvement and assured fans that the guest stars don't overshadow the game.
“I think it’s a legitimate concern when you start adding layers like celebrities, that they can overshadow the game and take it off course. Our job was to make sure that we stayed true to what we’re doing on Survivor, which is exploring this continuous social experiment."
As a huge fan of the reality show, I have to admit that I was one of the people who felt that the Survivor 50 celebrity guest star inclusions seemed worrisome. I really want the upcoming landmark season to spotlight epic strategy from the players, so the prospect of celebrities seemed like it could become a frustrating distraction.
As a result, I find Probst's clarification that the celebrities won't overshadow the game to be comforting, if true.