To celebrate the 50th season of Survivor and the history of the show that’s shaped reality competition TV over the last 25 years, CBS created a Survivor 50 countdown trivia game that we’re excitedly playing along as we anxiously wait for the newest season to hit our screens on February 25th!
Check back every day as we reveal a new Survivor trivia fact—that even some of us super fans might not know—to remember some of the biggest moments from the last 25 years.
January 7: 49 days to go!
What year did Survivor premiere?
The first episode of Survivor premiered on May 31, 2000. Before anyone had even seen the show, more than 6,000 people applied for it by description alone. Casting narrowed down the list and interviewed 800 people across 16 different cities where only 48 made the shortlist before it was edited down to the final 16 castaways who would participate in the inaugural adventure of a lifetime (plus 2 alternates).
January 8: 48 days to go!
Who was the first winner?
The first winner of Survivor was Richard Hatch who just barely beat Kelly Wiglesworth for the title in a 4-3 vote. It was, as jury member Sue Hawk famously put it, “as mother nature intended for it to be…for the snake to eat the rat.”
January 9: 47 days to go!
What has hosted all 50 seasons?
For more than 25 years now, Jeff Probst has overseen challenges, led Tribal Council discussions, and snuffed torches as the trusted host of Survivor. Around the 10th year of the show—after back-to-back Emmy wins for “Outstanding Host for a Reality Competition Series”—Jeff also signed on as an executive producer, acting as the showrunner in addition to his hosting duties. At this point, you can’t spell Survivor without Jeff Probst.
January 10: 46 days to go!
What challenge lasted the longest?
The final immunity challenge of Survivor: Palau lasted 11 hours and 55 minutes as Ian Rosenberger and Tom Westman held onto buoyed poles in the water, fighting for a spot at Final Tribal Council.
Throughout the challenge, Tom continuously offered the second spot in the finale to Ian if he stepped down, but just shy of 12 hours, Ian counter-offered and said that he would step down if Tom instead took the other remaining player, Katie Gallagher instead, to restore his integrity in their eyes. Tom accepted, leading to an impromptu Tribal Council at the challenge site where Ian became the last member of the jury.
January 11: 45 days to go!
What season had the first hidden immunity idol?
The hidden immunity idol was first introduced in Survivor: Guatemala and quickly became a critical, strategic element of the game. Over the years, just the idea of the idol has created and destroyed alliances, strategies, and led to numerous blindsides. Many different iterations of the idol have come and gone, but the simplicity of the hidden immunity idol’s power has never failed to impact a season.
January 12: 44 days to go!
Who was the youngest Survivor to ever play?
The youngest contestant in Survivor’s 25 year history competed on season 33, Millennials vs. Gen X. Will Wahl was only 18 years old when filming started and is the first castaway ever to still be in high school while competing on the show. While being born in 1997 technically makes him a member of Gen Z, he was a member of the Millennial tribe, Vanua. He also holds the record for the youngest player ever to win an individual immunity challenge.
January 13: 43 days to go!
How many Survivors have married each other after they competed?
There are seven Survivor couples who got married after competing on the show together that are still together today! See if you can name them all before scrolling down to reveal the answer!
1. 2005: Boston Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich (Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Winners at War)
2. 2006: Kim Powers (Survivor: Africa) and Alex Bell (Survivor: The Amazon)
3. 2014: Whitney Duncan and Keith Tollefson (Survivor: South Pacific)
4. 2015: Tyson Apostol and Rachel Foulger (Survivor: Blood vs. Water)
5. 2015: Jaclyn Schultz and Jon Misch (Survivor: San Juan del Sur)
6. 2019: Joe Anglim and Sierra Dawn Thomas (Survivor: Worlds Apart)
7. 2024: Elizabeth Beisel and Jack Nichting (Survivor: Island of the Idols)
January 14: 42 days to go!
When did the first ever tribe swap happen?
The first ever tribe swap happened in season 3, Survivor: Africa, though a little differently than the switch ups we know today. On day 13, tree mail instructed the Boran and Samburu tribes to each send three representatives for a meeting with Jeff. Upon arrival, Jeff informed them they’d all be going back to the opposite camp, leading to the first major shuffle in the show’s history.
January 15: 41 days to go!
What is the most common tribe color?
Of all tribes that have played over all 50 seasons (including Survivor 50), the most common color buff to be worn is blue. Including merged tribes, nearly 12% of all tribes have been blue. But the most common tribe color post-merge? Black. 32% of all merged tribes have used the color black.
January 16: 40 days to go!
Where was the first season filmed?
The first season of Survivor was filmed on the island of Palau Tiga just off the northern coast of Malaysian Borneo, though it was originally broadcast without the location moniker. The title was officially changed to Survivor: Borneo, however, during promotion for Survivor: All Stars to distinguish it from other seasons.
January 17: 39 days to go!
Which season had the first Survivor Auction?
The first appearance of the beloved Survivor Auction was on Day 29 of season 2, Survivor: The Australian Outback. Each castaway was given $500 to bid on various food items, some revealed before the bidding, some after. Some were worth the money ($340 for mashed potatoes, turkey, bread, green beans, and cranberry sauce) and others were not ($200 for a glass of river water).
January 18: 38 days to go!
Who was the first unanimous winner (received all jury votes)?
The 14th season of the game took our show to its future forever home Fiji for the first time and also gave us the first unanimous victory when Earl Cole received all nine jury votes over his fellow finalists Dreamz Herd and Cassandra Franklin. The jury all agreed that Earl played a strategic, yet ethical game, deserving the title of Sole Survivor for the season.
January 19: 37 days to go!
What reward challenge prize is considered a curse?
Old school Survivor fans will never forget the infamous car curse. For a while, there was a regular reward challenge that led to a player winning a car. But for some unexplained reason, the winner of the car never took home the title of Sole Survivor that season. In fact, of 13 players who won cars over the years, 4 of them even made it to Final Tribal Council that season, but fell just shy of the $1 million.
Only one car reward winner has gone on to return and win the game. After winning the car in his second season, Survivor: All-Stars, Boston Rob Mariano had to play two more times before he finally took home the title of Sole Survivor. But due to the car curse, the reward hasn’t been seen since season 14.
January 20: 36 days to go!
Who was the oldest Survivor to ever compete?
Season one’s Rudy Boesch is still known as a legend amongst Survivor fans as the oldest player to ever compete. He was 72 when he made it to third place of Survivor: Borneo and returned at the age of 75 to film Survivor: All-Stars. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 91 and the following episode of Survivor: Island of the Idols, “I Was Born at Night, but Not Last Night,” was dedicated in his memory.
January 21: 35 days to go!
Who holds the record for the most votes cast against them in a single season?
In Survivor: Blood vs. Water, Laura Morett received a record 19 votes against her over the course of the season thanks to Redemption Island being in play. After arriving on the marooning beach, she received three votes when tribes were instructed to immediately vote off a member. On day 13 she was voted out with a majority of seven, sending her to Redemption Island before she won a spot back in the game during the merge on day 19. She received two more votes on day 21 before getting her final elimination with another majority of seven votes on day 26, including one from her own daughter.
January 22: 34 days to go!
What is the name of the Survivor theme song?
While different seasons have featured slight variations on the iconic theme song, it’s always been “Ancient Voices” composed by Survivor’s composer for seasons 1-26, Russ Landau. You might recognize the name from live reunion shows when Jeff would introduce the Survivor band to transition into commercial. With the return of the live reunion show, we can’t help but wonder if we’ll get a performance from the original composer.
January 23: 33 days to go!
How many days did the first season of Survivor last?
Survivor: Borneo lasted 39 days, setting the standard for the show that upheld until the recent reformatting in the new era after season 40, Survivor: Winners at War. The only early season that didn’t follow this timeline was season 2, Survivor: The Australian Outback, which exceeded its predecessor and ran for 42 days.
January 24: 32 days to go!
Who was the oldest female Survivor to ever compete?
Sonja Christopher was 63 years old when she competed on Survivor: Borneo and, unfortunately, after her tribe lost the first immunity challenge, she became the first person ever voted out of Survivor. She passed away in 2024 at the age of 87, but gave her original tribe buff to Survivor 46 finalist Liz Wilcox the Christmas prior.
Today, the legend herself Sonja Christopher of Season One passed away. I had the pleasure of meeting her on Christmas. She had so much spunk + love for Survivor and what the show brought to her life. I hope you’re singing + playing your heart out somewhere beautiful, Sonja. pic.twitter.com/H2hqRX1Cjc
— Liz Wilcox (S46) (@TheLizWilcox88) April 26, 2024
January 25: 31 days to go!
What was the most viewed episode in Survivor history?
Still to this day, the most viewed episode of all time was the Survivor: Borneo finale which had an average of just under 52 million viewers. Nielsen even reported that 125 million people had tuned in to watch at least some part of the finale.
January 26: 30 days to go!
What is the record for most total days played by a single player?
The player with the most days in his career for American Survivor games is Boston Rob Mariano, lasting 152 days over the 5 seasons he played (including his time spent on Edge of Extinction during Winners at War, not including his time spent as a mentor on Island of the Idols). However, if Ozzy Lusth is able to last 24 days in Survivor 50, he’ll tie Rob’s record. Longer and he’ll beat it.
Check back for more trivia as we continue the countdown to Survivor 50, premiering Wednesday, February 25 at 8/7c on CBS and Paramount+!
January 27: 29 days to go!
Who won the most individual challenges (immunity and reward) in a single season?
Not including Redemption Island challenges, since those technically happen outside of the game, the record for most individual wins in a season is 8 and it was set by Terry Dietz in Survivor: Panama. That season, Terry won five individual immunity challenges—tying the all-time record—as well as one individual reward challenge and the individual portion of a two-part team reward challenge, which won him the aforementioned cursed car.
January 28: 28 days to go!
How many contestants have quit the game?
A total of 17 castaways have quit the game, not including players who asked to be voted out. While some have powerful stories surrounding their decision to leave the game—like Jenna Morasco sensing she needed to be by her mother’s side who passed away from cancer eight days after Jenna returned, or Terry Dietz leaving after his son was hospitalized in need of a heart transplant—Jeff has gone on the record to share that he’s not a fan of people who quit.
January 29: 27 days to go!
How many players have been voted out with immunity idols in their possession?
Over the last 49 seasons (we’ll have to wait to see how Survivor 50 goes…) a total of 27 players have been voted out with immunity idols in their pocket. But after runaway blindsides like Survivor 46 when four players in a row were sent home with idols in their pockets—Hunter McKnight, Tiffany Nicole Ervin, Venus Vafa, and Q Burdette—I’m honestly surprised that number isn’t higher!
January 30: 26 days to go!
What is the total number of Survivor players over all 50 seasons?
Over the last 25 years, 751 people have competed for the $1 million prize and title of Sole Survivor. Of those, 3 have competed on five unique seasons, 10 have competed on four unique seasons, 18 have competed on three unique seasons, and 89 have competed on two unique seasons.
January 31: 25 days to go!
Who was the first finalist to receive 0 jury votes?
The first finalists to not receive any jury votes occurred in season 13, Survivor: Cook Islands, which also happened to be the first season to feature a Final Tribal Council with 3 players. Becky Lee took third place that season when the jury used all their votes towards Yul Kwon and Ozzy Lusth in a 5-4-0 finale that saw Yul just barely beating Ozzy for the $1 million.
February 1: 24 days to go!
How many crew members have been with the show for all 50 seasons?
Each season, hundreds of crew members arrive on location to set up production including building sets and challenges, establishing base camp essentials, and prepping everything needed to ensure a season runs smoothly. According to CBS, there have been 5 crew members who have been with the show from day 1 of Survivor: Borneo through the celebration of Survivor 50.
February 2: 23 days to go!
Which filming location had the hottest temperature ever endured?
You might remember one of the most heart-stopping challenges ever when host Jeff Probst called for everyone on the crew to become essential personnel due to multiple medical emergencies in Survivor: Kaoh Rong. Debbie Wanner, Cydney Gillon, and Caleb Reynolds all suffered side effects of the severe heat with Caleb ultimately being medically evacuated from the game as due to heatstroke.
February 3: 22 days to go!
How many Emmy nominations has Survivor received since it premiered?
Survivor has received 73 Emmy nominations over 7 categories including Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program, Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Special Class), Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program, Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured/Competition Reality Program, Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Non-Fiction Program.
February 4: 21 days to go!
What is the longest period of rainfall in any season of Survivor?
In season 25, Survivor: Philippines, it rained for 21 consecutive days. It was so bad the players chose to name their merged tribe, “Dangrayne” aka “dang rain.” And the castaways weren’t the only ones affected by the weather. Even the production crew has gone on the record saying it was some of the worst weather in the show's history.
February 5: 20 days to go!
Which castaway went the longest without a reward?
With the Edge of Extinction twist in play, Reem Daly went 32 days without a reward after being voted out on day 3 and then not earning a spot back in the game on day 35. During her entire time at the Edge, she was not able to secure a single reward or advantage—which didn’t help her in the game, but did earn her the record for most days in the game without a reward.
February 6: 19 days to go!
Which location has Survivor filmed in the most?
The show started filming in the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji for season 33, Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, and has called it home ever since. Survivor 50 marks the 18th season in the familiar archipelago.
February 7: 18 days to go!
Who is the youngest winner in Survivor history (so far)?
Survivor: Nicaragua castaway Jud “Fabio” Birza was only 21 years old when he won the 21st season of Survivor. But he was not the youngest member of his tribe, which was meant to be made up of “younger” players (under the age of 30) competing against a tribe of “older” players (over the age of 40).
February 8: 17 days to go!
How many Emmy awards has Survivor won since it premiered?
Survivor has won 7 Emmy awards over the last 25 years:
- 2001: Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Special Class)
- 2001: Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Non-Fiction Program
- 2008: Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
- 2009: Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
- 2010: Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
- 2010: Outstanding Cinematography for Reality Program
- 2011: Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
February 9: 16 days to go!
How many states have been represented by players over the last 25 years?
Survivors from 46 different states (as well as Puerto Rico and Canada!) have appeared on the show in the last 50 seasons. The four states not yet represented are Alaska, New Mexico, North Dakota, and West Virginia. Winners have hailed from 26 different locations.
February 10: 15 days to go!
How many Survivor crew babies have been born over the last 25 years?
While fans best know the showmances that happened on camera, Jeff Probst recently revealed that there’s been plenty of Survivor love stories happening behind the scenes over the years. So many in fact that 67 “Survivor babies” have been born throughout the entire series production—some of which now even work on the crew themselves.
February 11: 14 days to go!
How many islands are there in Fiji?
There are over 300 islands in Fiji, about 100 of which are permanently inhabited. The archipelago where Survivor films, Mamanuca, is made up of approximately 20 volcanic islands, 7 of which are often completely submerged at high tide.
February 12: 13 days to go!
How many fire-making duel challenges have there been?
While the mandatory final four fire-making challenge came into effect at the end of season 35, Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, it originated back in season 10, Survivor: Palau, as a way to determine which of the two remaining Ulong members would be sent home. Between the two seasons, it acted as a tiebreaker at final four when the votes became deadlocked. In total, we’ve watched the challenge 22 times over the last 25 years.
February 13: 12 days to go!
How many seasons have included returning players?
There have been 15 seasons that featured returning players, though not all only included returning players.
- Survivor: All-Stars (season 8)
- Survivor: Guatemala (season 11)
- Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites (season 16)
- Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (season 20)
- Survivor: Redemption Island (season 22)
- Survivor: South Pacific (season 23)
- Survivor: Philippines (season 25)
- Survivor: Caramoan - Fans vs. Favorites (season 26)
- Survivor: Blood vs. Water (season 27)
- Survivor: Cambodia - Second Chance (season 31)
- Survivor: Game Changers (season 34)
- Survivor: Edge of Extinction (season 38)
- Survivor: Winners at War (season 40)
- Survivor 45
- Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans
February 14: 11 days to go!
Which individual challenge has appeared the most in the show’s history?
First appearing in Survivor: Blood vs. Water, “A Bit Tipsy” is a highly recognizable concentration challenge where players must stack blocks to spell “IMMUNITY” on a wobbly platform balanced by the rope in their hands. This challenge has been featured across 14 different seasons with 4 of the immunity winners going on to win the $1 million.
February 15: 10 days to go!
Approximately how many contestants apply to be on the show each year?
Every year, around 30,000 people apply to be on Survivor. Whether it’s through the online audition form or an in-person casting call, tens of thousands of people hear the call of Jeff Probst urging them to “apply now” and actually do!
February 16: 9 days to go!
How many different locations has the show filmed in?
Survivor has filmed in 18 different countries across 5 different geographical regions during its 25 year run:
- Malaysia: season 1
- Australia: season 2
- Kenya: season 3
- French Polynesia: season 4
- Thailand: season 5
- Brazil: seasons 6 & 18
- Panama: seasons 7, 8, & 12
- Vanuatu: season 9
- Palau: seasons 10 & 16
- Guatemala: season 11
- Cook Islands: season 13
- Fiji: seasons 14 & 33-50
- China: season 15
- Gabon: season 17
- Samoa: seasons 19, 20, 23, & 24
- Nicaragua: 21, 22, 29, & 30
- Philippines: seasons 25-28
- Cambodia: seasons 31 & 32
February 17: 8 days to go!
Which returning player has spent the least amount of days in the game?
After being voted out first on Survivor: Redemption Island, Francesca Hogi returned for the
second iteration of Fans vs. Favorites, Survivor: Caramoan. There she became the first person in the show’s history to be voted out first across multiple seasons, only lasting a total of 9 in-
game days.