We've known for months that Survivor 50 will include two players from Survivor 49, but you know who didn't know that? The Survivor 49 players because they were actually playing for spots on Survivor 50.
Jeff Probst broke the news to the players during the most recent episode, "Blood Will Be Drawn," after the three tribes became one at the merge.
Prior to the first immunity challenge, Jeff gave the players a pep talk and let them know spots for Survivor 50 were on the line. Well, on the new episode of the On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast, Jeff was asked by Jay Wolff if Jeff's little speech about Survivor legacies and spots in Survivor 50 changed the game.
“I did. I felt it. I think it was subtle in terms of what they revealed, but I do think you'll see the impact of that on the back half of this season," Jeff said. "And to be clear, I did not say one or two of you are going to be on 50. I said the truth, which was we are still in a state of flux on who is going to be on 50. So if somebody here really steps up and impresses, you might end up on 50."
Jeff backed up his decision to reveal that information to the players.
"And the reason we did that was twofold. One, I wanted to make sure that these players knew you were not just the season before 50. You are the 49th season of Survivor, and you have a shot to be on 50, just like anybody else who has ever played Survivor has a shot to be on 50.
"The other reason was, yeah, it was a bit of a litmus test because to be on 50, you really have to make your mark in some unique way. So what better time to make your mark than right now? Because Jeremy can attest to this. The hungry player does not get afraid at a moment like this. The hungry player is ready to devour any and everything it needs to.
"Today's Survivor player knows you have to play to win. You cannot win this game by playing not to lose. And if that's your goal and it works and you make it to the final three, you won't get any votes, and you won't get invited back. We are only interested in people who come to play and who are willing to lose in pursuit of their dream. That's why Jeremy got invited back.”
Survivor 49 already had a weird feel to it, and it's even weirder now. For me, I want players to play to win, show their personality, and entertain us. I don't necessarily want players who are competing to get cast on future seasons if that makes sense. And, it almost goes against the logic of getting cast on the show.
Jeff has said so many times that he wants would-be players to be themselves, and that's how you get picked, if they think you'll be a good pick. I guess that doesn't necessarily translate to getting picked for a future season, but authenticity, while playing hard, is definitely my preference.
Overall, I think that's kind of the vibe of Survivor 50 anyway. So, we don't really need reminders for these players that spots in Survivor 50 are on the line, either. The players who deserve that spot likely do not need a reminder to not play safe. While some of the Survivor 50 players have made mistakes in the game by playing safe, almost the entire cast is a group of gamers who love the game. That's more of the player from Survivor 49 that will likely be picked to play Survivor 50.
For me, again, I don't have a problem with Jeff trying to fire up the players or let them know Survivor 50 spots are on the line. This season is different, and it's been a little bit less interesting in terms of gameplay than other seasons. We've seen a lot of predictable votes, but hopefully, that means that back half of the game is going to be wild because everyone was playing, basically, the same way to start the game, except for the curse Kele tribe.
The other surreal part of this entire seasons is that we already know, thanks to reports, the Survivor 49 players picked for Survivor 50! We've mentioned it in many stories over the summer when it was originally revealed, but I won't reveal it now for spoiler reasons.
It's just a fascinating experiment playing out in real time. I don't think we'll see another Survivor experience like this one in a very long time.
Now, it's just going to be interesting to see how the players respond in the final few episodes before the Survivor 49 finale. Stay tuned for more news about the season.