Survivor fans won't just be watching Survivor 48 for gameplay, drama, and the epic highs and lows of the we know and love. Instead, Jeff Probst and the gang at CBS have some special easter eggs hidden around camp, at the challenges, and at Tribal Council for fans to look for in every episode of Survivor 48, which premieres on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
According to an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Probst took fans behind-the-scenes of the set of Tribal Council for Survivor 48 and revealed that there's a whole fictional backstory to the Tribal Council vibe, aesthetic, and design for Survivor 48.
Here's what Probst told EW:
“For this Tribal Council for Survivor 48, [production designer Zac Jensen] said, ‘I have a different idea. I've created an imaginary civilization, the people of Izadega, and I want to build this civilization and use it for Tribal Council. I want to build it the way it was thousands of years ago."
This civilization is called Izadega, according to Probst, which sounds a lot like "Eyes of Dega." And, that's what Probst revealed Jensen and the production design team hid throughout the game to EW.
“You'll see them in the logo, there's two little sets of eyes coming through the buff, they're here at Tribal Council. They're part of the motif. They're going to be in all of the challenges.”
So, we don't know what the Eyes of Dega look like yet, but they will be prominently featured everywhere in the season. I can't wait for fans to find the eyes and post them on social media and Reddit. Any time Survivor is able to incorporate clues, hints, and little details like this into the game it usually works out! And, it makes Survivor one of the best reality shows on TV. They pull no punches when it comes to making this show look and sound great. And, not to put down other reality shows, there's just not that level of detail throughout other reality shows.
It's one of the reasons Survivor is approaching its 50th season stronger than it's been in a long time. The new era has obviously been an adjustment, but the vibes have never dipped even when some of the gameplay took a little bit of a slip during the first few seasons of the new era. Based on how Survivor 47 went, I don't think we have to worry about gameplay anymore. And, when the epic gameplay matches the epic set and production design, it really feels like Survivor exists in a different stratosphere. There's really nothing like it on TV and hasn't been for a long time.
And, there's no doubt that this Tribal Council set is as good as we've ever seen in the history of this series. We can't share the photos yet because they're Entertainment Weekly exclusives, but it looks truly incredible. I can't wait to see it in action with the players rolling in for the first time to cast their votes with the music and tension. It's going to be awesome!
You can see the "Eyes of Dega" and the set of Tribal Council for the first time in the Survivor 48 premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 26, on CBS and Paramount+.
Stay tuned for more news about Survivor 48! We'll be covering all season on Surviving Tribal.