The host also proclaims the back half of the next installment to be &34;bananas.&34; Jeff Probst explains why Survivor 50 pregame starts with season 49

The host also proclaims the back half of the next installment to be "bananas."

Jeff Probst explains why *Survivor 50 *pregame starts with season 49

The host also proclaims the back half of the next installment to be "bananas."

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. Survivor is kind of his thing.

EW's editorial guidelines

September 18, 2025 10:15 a.m. ET

Leave a Comment

'Survivor 49' host Jeff Probst. Credit:

Robert Voets/CBS

*Survivor* fans have been eagerly anticipating the landmark season 50 almost since the show wrapped on its all-champion affair back in season 40 with *Winners at War*. And now that *Survivor 50* has already been cast and filmed, that drumbeat is almost deafening.

But before we can get there, there is a little thing called *Survivor 49* still waiting to be unfurled. "I run into people all the time that keep saying 'I can't wait for 50,'" says host and showrunner Jeff Probst, laughing. "And I say, 'You do realize 49 comes after 48. And this is before 50.'"

Indeed, *Survivor 49* premieres Sept. 24 on CBS, but the host forgives fans for looking past it. "I understand it," he concedes. "50 is a big thing. It's a big moment. It's going to be a really fun season."

'Survivor 49' player super worried about having to pee during a challenge

The 'Survivor 49' cast reveals if they actually want to go on a journey

But for those who simply can't wait to watch old-era and new-era contestants battling it out for ultimate bragging rights, Probst notes that the *Survivor 50* viewing experience actually begins with what is about to unfold on *Survivor 49*.

"One reason you need to watch 49," he teases, "is that two players end up getting invited to participate in 50. And it will be a fun game to try to figure out: Who do you think impressed us and made a big enough mark that we made room for them?"

In fact, adding two standouts from 49 was just part of a *Survivor 50 cast* bursting at the seams with a record 24 players. "When we first went out there [for 49], we weren't finished casting," Probst says. "Casting 50 was really difficult and we wanted to stay in our own state of flux. There was no guarantee we were going to invite somebody from 49, but we were certainly open to it. But that meant things had to shift in different ways with 50. What it really meant is we just kept adding more players to our roster, which we were fine with."

Jeremiah Ing, Nicole Mazullo, and Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

***Want to be kept up with all things Survivor? Dig deep and sign up for 's free Survivor Weekly newsletter to have all the latest news, interviews, and commentary sent right to your inbox. ***

******How a franchise that used to have just 16 players over 39 days will go through 24 players in 26 days for *Survivor 50* remains to be seen, but Probst wishes they could have included even *more* folks for the celebratory season. "We would've taken more players if we could have, but 24 was the maximum we could pull off."

But how does the host keep fan attention on the upcoming *Survivor 49* with 50 looming just behind it? Probst says the action on the screen — along with those two mystery contestants playing back-to-back — will speak for itself. "All I know about 49 is it's a really fun season and the back half is bananas."

Those bananas will start to ripen when *Survivor 49* premieres Sept. 24 on CBS.

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL TV"

Read More

---

Source: VOGUE MAG

Full Article on Source: VOGUE MAG

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities