Survivor 48 is set to premiere next year in March 2025. As with previous seasons, the upcoming season will feature 18 new castaways competing in Fiji’s stunning Mamanuca Islands. It will also continue a trend that started post-COVID-19 where two seasons are filmed back-to-back, which means that filming is probably underway right now.
A rumored cast list has emerged, via Inside Survivor, and it has one notable trend: Only one of the rumored castaways is under the age of 30.
Rumored cast members
Here’s a snapshot of the rumored cast, courtesy of Inside Survivor:
- Eva Erickson (24) - Engineering Grad Student, Providence, RI
- Kyle Fraser (30) - Judicial Law Clerk, Brooklyn, NY
- Saiounia Hughley (30) - Brand Strategist, Los Angeles, CA
- Kamilla Karthigesu (31) - Discord Engineer, San Francisco, CA
- Mary Zheng (31) - Social Worker, Philadelphia, PA
- Bianca Roses (32) - Strategic PR Consultant, Arlington, VA
- Kevin Leung (33) - Finance Manager, San Francisco, CA
- Charity Nelms (34) - Flight Attendant, St. Petersburg, FL
- Thomas Krottinger (34) - VP in A&R, Los Angeles, CA
- Mitch Guerra (34) - PE Teacher, Waco, TX
- David Kinne (38) - Stunt Performer, Long Beach, CA
- Shauhin Davari (37) - College Public Speaking Instructor, Costa Mesa, CA
- Stephanie Berger (37) - Product Manager, Brooklyn, NY
- Joe Hunter (45) - Fire Captain, Sacramento, CA
- Cedrek McFadden (46) - Surgeon, Greenville, SC
There are fourteen names so far, with four more players expected to be announced in the upcoming weeks for the typical 6 tribe members per tribe format that we have seen recently.
First impressions would suggest Survivor 48 would feature a slightly older group of castaways. The Survivor 47 cast, by comparison, had eight players under the age of 30 years old. Three of them, namely Sam Phelan (24), Teeny Chirichillo (24), and Caroline Vidmar (27), remain in the game, as of episode 11.
It is unclear yet if this is a strategic decision by Survivor or if the casting fits a specific theme for the season.
While Survivor 47 featured a few well-known players, the most notable player rumored for the Survivor 48 cast is Shauhin Davari.
According to Inside Edition, Davari dated Sherri Papini when she was a 20-year-old youth counselor and he was just 15 years old. Papini attracted significant national media coverage after making false assertions regarding her abduction while jogging in the vicinity of her residence in Redding. She resurfaced three weeks later, claiming that she had been kidnapped and mistreated by two Hispanic women. Subsequent investigations, however, uncovered that Papini had concocted the entire narrative and had been residing with a former boyfriend during the period of her absence. The saga was featured in Hulu's documentary Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini.
Return to the 'New Era' format
As of right now, it looks like Survivor 48 will continue the "new era" format that began in Survivor 41, similar to recent seasons. The competition will last for 26 days, consist of three tribes, and is expected to incorporate various twists, including idols and advantages while emphasizing rapid gameplay. The shortened duration of the game necessitates that contestants adapt swiftly, potentially benefiting a more seasoned group of players.
Survivor 48 will premiere on Wednesday, February 26, at 8/7c on CBS. The show will start with a special two-hour episode at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Fans can mark their calendars for this exciting event. After the premiere, which airs from 8 to 10 p.m., new episodes will return to a 90-minute format the following week. From March 5, 2025, Survivor episodes will air from 8 to 9:30 p.m.