The tribe has spoken.
Nearly a quarter-century since it first premiered in the summer of 2000 and forever changed the landscape of reality TV, Survivor is still going strong as the most thrilling and complex game of strategy on the airwaves today. And now, the show is returning for a 46th season of heart-pounding challenges, shocking blindsides, and cutthroat gameplay.
Though the show used to adopt snappy subtitles for each of its seasons (such as Millennials vs. Gen X and Ghost Island), producers have decided in the last few years to revert to numerical titles. That means this season will be called simply Survivor 46 — but based on the newly announced cast members, it doesn’t seem like there will be anything simple about outlasting everyone else and taking home the $1 million cash prize.
Here’s what we know about the new season and the players participating.
When does Survivor 46 premiere?
The new season kicks off Wednesday, Feb. 28, airing at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS. You can also catch the episodes on Paramount Plus. If you’re itching for a preview, we’ll leave the trailer right here:
How long will Survivor 46 episodes be?
The first two weeks of Survivor 46 will feature two-hour episodes, with a 90-minute runtime for the rest of the season. The hour-and-a-half runtime became official last season after years of diehard fans begging for more — which makes total sense, given that an hourlong episode can only capture the tiniest fraction of all the strategizing that happens in between Tribal Councils.
The supersized episodes drew rave reviews from fans and critics alike, with Business Insider asserting last season that the longer runtime was “bringing the show’s magic back.” Host and executive producer Jeff Probst has also spoken about how the longer episodes improved Survivor‘s game design, allowing the production team to make the contestants’ tasks even more difficult to pull off.
“[Hidden immunity] idols are much more complex in terms of securing them, and you’re going to see the ingenuity required. And maybe you have to pair up with somebody to be a lookout,” Probst said. “But because we have the time, we can take you into the dirt with them. And it’s really fun to watch. I don’t think fans are even going to know the episodes are longer. It’s that kind of entertainment.”
How will Survivor 46 be different?
We’ll have to wait and see what the show has in store, but we’ve already seen a unique approach to promoting the new season: a spotlight on the contestants’ casting tapes.
Probst loves to talk with fans about the process of getting cast on Survivor, often answering questions on his podcast On Fire about what the show’s producers are looking for. Before the premiere of season 45, Probst and his team participated in a fascinating Entertainment Weekly story that revealed the behind-the-scenes secrets of Survivor casting, and after that season’s finale, the host answered common application questions on Instagram.
So when it came time to unveil the 18 people who made the cut for Survivor 46, the show began teasing the full cast using their audition tapes. Being able to watch how these competitors sold themselves before going out to the island is a fascinating insight into the type of game they’ll play once they arrive, and you can check out snippets right here:
Who are the Survivor 46 contestants?
Here’s your first look at who will be competing to become this season’s sole survivor:
Q Burdette
Jessica “Jess” Chong
Charlie Davis
Tevin Davis
Tiffany Nicole Ervin
Moriah Gaynor
Maria Shrime Gonzalez
Bhanu Gopal
Jemila “Jem” Hussain-Adams
David Jelinsky
Ben Katzman
Hunter McKnight
Randen Montalvo
Tim Spicer
Soda Thompson
Venus Vafa
Kenzie Petty
Liz Wilcox
If you scroll through this post from the Survivor Instagram account, you’ll see how the players will be divided into three tribes (which will be sorted by the colors purple, green, and yellow):
And if you’d like even more intel on the players and some expert analysis about how they might fare in the game, check out this reaction to the cast reveal from the Survivor obsessives at Rob Has a Podcast (hosted by Rob Cesternino, who competed on Survivor: The Amazon and Survivor: All-Stars).
How do I apply for Survivor?
Well, it’s too late to hit the beach for Survivor 46, obviously, but if seeing the new cast and their audition tapes has you feeling like you’ve got what it takes, producers are currently recruiting hopefuls for season 47. You can learn how to apply right here.
How else can I kill time before the season kicks off?
If you’ve missed any past seasons of Survivor (or just want to revisit your favorites to get in the mood before the premiere), every episode from all 45 previous editions is currently streaming on Paramount Plus.
You can also check out our very own Katie Couric’s conversation with Jeff Probst below. They spoke back in November to discuss Probst’s friendship with the late Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek (and Probst’s support for Stand Up To Cancer’s Alex Trebek Fund), but their chat also included plenty of Survivor talk about how producers have kept the show fresh for so many years.
