The moment we've all been waiting for is finally here! We're only hours away from the Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Honestly, there are so many reasons to be excited. It's the biggest season in so long. It's the first time since Winners at War that we're seeing returning players, and there are so many returning legends to watch this season, including Aubry Bracco, Cirie Fields, Coach, Ozzy Lusth, Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Colby Donaldson, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, and more.
We shared everything you need to know about the new season, including the release time, synopsis, and what to expect in the season premiere.
When time is Survivor 50 start tonight?
Survivor 50 officially kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount. And, you better clear your plans because the Survivor 50 premiere is officially the longest non-finale in Survivor history. It's a three-hour episode.
So, clear your schedule from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET. CBS is giving Survivor 50 the full primetime slate to really make a splash with the reunion season. Basically, we're getting the first two episodes of the season wrapped in one mega-episode!
The kicker here is we have the premiere starting at different times across the country, just like with the finales. So, we're going right into the West Coast airing of the season premiere right when the East Coast airing ends.
As always, you'll want to avoid social media if you care about spoilers. We're probably looking at multiple players getting voted out during this episode.
What to expect in the Survivor 50 premiere
There are a lot of things that we don't know about Survivor 50 yet, but we know a lot about the first episode. It's going to be a lot like previous season premieres of Survivor with a few extra things thrown into the mix.
The Survivor 50 premiere is titled "Epic Party," and that's exactly what it feels like in a lot of ways. Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to feel like a party for these players for very long.
CBS shared the official synopsis of the episode:
"24 returning players are abandoned on the islands of Fiji for a monumental 50th season, with the chance to win $1 million. The theme of the season, “In the Hands of the Fans,” quickly materializes as decisions from the fan vote swiftly and forcefully impact the game. Castaways reflect on how much they have changed since the last time they played the game. Then, an unforeseen injury during the first immunity challenge causes tribemates to rethink their attack strategy in order to support their team member, on the historic three-hour season premiere of SURVIVOR 50..."
As you can see in the synopsis, there are some twists picked by the fans that will shape the game. We'll have to see just what those things are when we get into the episode.
We also known that we're going to see the 24 players arrive on the beach, get divided into new tribes, and start the game with an epic challenge. From there, they'll head back to their beaches, make shelter, and start playing the game they love.
We can't confirm yet, but it looks like we'll see at least two immunity challenges and two players eliminated. Could we see more than that? It's possible! The show has to get rid of 23 players in 26 days, and that's going to be a tough challenge.
Survivor 50 sneak peeks
With so much hype for this season, it's so wild that we haven't seen that much of the episode so far! Survivor shared the first five minutes of the season, but they also shared two sneak peeks at the episode.
For a three-hour episode, I thought we'd get a little bit more heading into the episode, but hey, you get what you get, you know?
In the first sneak peek, you see the barge parking on the beach in Fiji and all 24 players line up to play. The first thing that caught my eye was just how big this cast is! It's crazy seeing them all lined up like this.
"It feels a little like a high school reunion meets a massacre," Mike White says in an interview.
In the second sneak peek, we see Jeff Probst getting the cast fired up with an epic intro speech. My guy has been preparing for this moment for so long, and he delivers a great pre-game speech.
"The only thing we want, in exchange for giving you this spot, is everything," Probst tells the players in the clip. "We want your blood. We want your sweat. We want your tears. We want it all."
And, that sets a very different tone than this "celebration" season vibe that we've been hearing. Probst wants the players to bring it, and I'm sure that they will.
Watch the Survivor 50 premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. ET!