From a new era to an even NEWER era?

Jeff Probst addresses if Survivor 50 is the end of the new era and radical franchise changes are coming

From a new era to an even NEWER era?

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

February 17, 2026 11:15 a.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 50'. Credit:

Robert Voets/CBS

When *Survivor* was filming its legendary all-champions battle for season 40 back in 2019, host and showrunner Jeff Probst was very vocal about how the landmark *Winners at War* season would also serve as the end of a *Survivor* era, and that a new era would begin starting with season 41. And it would be called, well… the New Era.

So when ** traveled to Fiji for *Survivor 50*, we couldn’t help but wonder if the anniversary season would mark another huge turning point for the franchise. After all, for a show that always prided itself on staying one step ahead of both players and viewers, the new era seasons had featured many of the same elements over and over and over again.

And not just additions to the game like the Shot in the Dark (a welcome addition, by the way) or the shortened filming schedule to 26 days, but elements like the marooning Fight for Supplies. Or Beware Advantages. Or Journeys. Or Earn the Merge. The abolition of themed-seasons along with numbers being put in the season titles combined to make many of the new era installments feel somewhat indistinguishable — especially when compared to the days when the show trotted out new themes and would go to a new location every season, and later, every two seasons.

Jeff Probst and the cast of 'Survivor 50'.

***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. ***

******Many fans have been clamoring for a refresh. But if they were hoping for a hardcore reset after 50 like the one that occurred after 40, they may be out of luck. At least that’s the way it seemed when EW asked Probst about a possible *Even Newer Era* reboot after the all-star season. Instead of installing another huge franchise shift, the host appeared rather to be looking at more incremental changes.

On the beach for 'Survivor 50': An exclusive, all-access first look at the biggest season ever

Watch cast members of 'Survivor 50' vote their first players out of the game (exclusive)

“We're working on 51 right now,” Probst explains. “And really, our process has never changed. Yes, I knew 40 was the end of an era, but with that exception —and maybe it's the same way you write another article on *Survivor* — we sit down and we look at where the show is and where we want to take it. And in that little sentence is everything. And that's what we're doing right now.”

At the time of filming on *Survivor 50*, Probst seemed disinclined toward another big paradigm shift. “We are definitely looking at 51. We understand there's gonna be an expectation like, ‘You just did 50, now what?’ But I don't know that 50 has to be the end of anything. I guess 50 is 50.”

Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 50'.

So does that mean season 51 will be the continued gradual evolution of the game, as opposed to a radical rethinking, like season 41 was? “Too early to say, honestly,” Probst answers, noting that nothing is ever set in stone when comes to *Survivor*. “We are months away, and I would not say that. Because what we do is we just talk. We say, ‘Well, what if we did this? What if we did that? What if we did this other thing?’”

And new ideas can come whenever and from *wherever*. “Honestly, tomorrow morning I could wake up and go, ‘You know, Dalton said something the other day about a radical rethinking and this weird idea came to me. What if we do completely change our f---ng game?’ That could absolutely happen this afternoon. Or we go, ‘Oh, let's just take a tiny little step this direction and see what that opens up.’ I don't know.”

Jeff Probst and the cast of 'Survivor 50'.

While those big lightbulb moments do indeed occur, change on *Survivor* usually begins with a flicker. “Usually it's incremental,” Probst says. “Sometimes I have a lucid dream and I wake up, and that happens where I go, ‘Wow, I just saw something!’ But honestly, most of the time it's tiny little pieces.”

And at this point, it appears that *Survivor 51* may, in the parlance of its host, just be *Survivor 51.*

- Survivor Fandom

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Survivor”