In a new interview with Deadline Hollywood, executive producer Matt Van Wagenen, casting director Jesse Tannenbaum, castaway Tiffany Nicole Ervin, and supervising editor Brian Barefoot share a behind-the-scenes look at the celebration that wasSurvivor 50.
While discussing the season,Tannenbaumbegins dissecting the casting process—both in general and for the anniversary season—and how they got down to their final 24 players. “You have these 700 people,” he say, referring to the 751 past players the 50th season could choose from to return to the game, “but…let’s start with a small list, and that list is 200 people…then you go to 150 and then you go to 100 and then we have 50…”
As the player pool grew smaller and smaller with each cut, deciding which final grouping of players would be the best for such a big occasion, Tannenbaum called the task an “impossible decision” that ultimately the entire team behind the final 24 players felt really proud of their choices.
But when narrowing down the list of contenders for a season,the casting teamisn’t necessarily thinking about which players they want to play together for good television. Tannenbaum explains, “It is hard to predict,” in regards to whether or not people will play well together, “we really work hard to find compelling people to play one of the most incredible reality shows that’s ever been created.” So at the end of the day, the casting itself should create a great season without the team needing to specifically put two people together in order to create a better narrative.
Though after such a lengthy casting process where Tannenbaum and the team get to know these castaways thoroughly, he is able to have a slight sense of if two players will connecton the islandor if two players are simply polar opposites and won’t be able to stand each other. But there’s one instance that no one anticipated.
“We didn’t see the love affair betweenChristian [Hubicki] and [Rick] Devens,” Van Wagenen interjects, laughing, “and then in hindsight we were like, ‘how did we not see that?’ I mean, they were best friends out there.”
And truly, one of the fans’ favorite thing to come out ofSurvivor 50was the incredible yet unpredictable brotherhood that formed betweenSurvivor: David vs. Goliath’sChristian andSurvivor: Edge of Extinction’sDevens. Christian played his first season with his head while Devens played his first season with his gut, so strategically the two weren’t clear ally contenders from the tribe announcements, but as soon as they hit the beach, it was destiny that those two come together.
Van Wagenen also commented on Tiffany’s relationship withCirie Fields, which Tiffany said she knew would happen because they’re both “Jersey girls,” so there was no doubt the two would connect and stick together. But, her larger question wasn’t about season 50 when she turned around and jokingly asked Tannenbaum, “I would love to know what you were thinking when you put me on a tribe with Q [Burdette] on 46…”
Catch the full interview below:
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