Survivor places a group of people in an isolated location, where they must provide food, fire, and shelter for themselves. The contestants compete in challenges including testing the contestants' physical abilities like running and swimming or their mental abilities like puzzles and endurance challenges for rewards andimmunity from elimination. The contestants are progressively eliminated from the game as they are voted out by their fellow contestants until only two or three remain. At that point, the contestants who were eliminated vote for the winner. They are given the title of "Sole Survivor" and are awarded the grand prize of $1,000,000 ($2,000,000 inWinners at War).
The American version has been highly successful. From the2000–01 through the2005–06 television seasons, its first 11 seasons (competitions) rated among the top 10 most-watched shows. It is commonly considered the leader of Americanreality TV because it was the firsthighly rated and profitable reality show onbroadcast television in the U.S., and is considered one of the best shows of the 2000s (decade).[1][2][3] The series has been nominated for 63Emmy Awards, including winning for Outstanding Sound Mixing in 2001, Outstanding Special Class Program in 2002, and was subsequently nominated four times forOutstanding Reality-Competition Program when the category was introduced in 2003. Probst won the award forOutstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program four consecutive times after the award was introduced in 2008.[4] In 2007, the series was included inTime magazine's list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.[5] In 2013,TV Guide ranked it at No. 39 on its list of the "60 Best Series of All Time".[6]
In May 2025, the series was renewed for the2025–26 television season for its 49th and 50th seasons, continuing with 90-minute episodes.[7] Season 49 premiered on September 24, 2025.[8]
The first American season ofSurvivor followed the same general format as the Swedish series. Sixteen or more players, split between two or more "tribes", are taken to a remote isolated location (usually in a tropical climate) and are forced to live off the land with meager supplies for 39 days (42 inThe Australian Outback, 26 in post-COVID seasons).[a] Frequent physical and mental challenges are used to pit the teams against each other for rewards, such as food or luxuries, or for "immunity", forcing the other tribe to attend "Tribal Council", where they must vote off one of their tribemates.
Signaling the halfway point in the game, survivors from both tribes come together to live as one, making it to the "merge". At this point, survivors will compete against each other to win individual immunity; winning immunity prevents that player from being voted out at Tribal Council. Most players that are voted out after the merge form the game's "jury". Once the group gets down to two or three people, a Final Tribal Council is held where the remaining players plead their case to the jury members. The jury then votes for which player should be considered the "Sole Survivor" and win the show's grand prize. In all seasons for the American version (excludingSurvivor: Winners at War whose winner won $2 million), this has included a $1-million prize in addition to the Sole Survivor title; some seasons (particularly earlier seasons) have included additional prizes offered during the game, such as a car, as well as fan-favorite prizes awarded at the finale. All contestants are paid on a sliding scale based on the order they were voted out: the first player voted out has been givenUS$2,500 and the amount increases from there. Some of the seasons that have featured returning players have increased these amounts:Survivor: All-Stars featured payouts starting atUS$5,000, whileWinners at War had a minimumUS$25,000 payout. All players are offeredUS$10,000 for participating in the finale show.[9]
In addition to being eliminated by a Tribal Council Vote, the Castaways can also elect to leave the game at any time, either if they are finding the game or the experience too difficult, or to attend to a personal emergency outside of the game. Castaways who are injured can be removed from the game if the medical staff assess their condition and decides that they are not fit to continue in the game.
The American version has introduced numerous modifications, or "twists", on the core rules in order to keep the players on their toes and to prevent players from relying on strategies that succeeded in prior seasons. These changes have included tribal switches, seasons starting with more than two tribes, the ability to exile a player from a tribe for a short time on "Exile Island", hidden immunity idols that players can use to save themselves or others at Tribal Council, special voting powers which can be used to influence the result at Tribal Council, the chance to return to regular gameplay after elimination through "Redemption Island", "Edge of Extinction" or "The Outcast Tribe" twists, and special advantages to help players in the game like an extra vote, the ability to steal a vote, an idol nullifier, and a final four fire-making challenge as of season 35.
The United States version is produced byMark Burnett and hosted byJeff Probst, who also serves as an executive producer. Each competition is called a season, has a unique name, and lasts from 13 to 16 episodes. The first season,Survivor: Borneo, was broadcast as a summer replacement show in 2000. Starting with the third season,Survivor: Africa, there have been two seasons aired during each American television season.[b] Starting with the 41st season, no subtitle has been used in promotion of the season. Instead, the show began following a number format similar toBig Brother andThe Amazing Race. During the weeks of February 9 and 16, 2026, classic episodes of the series will air on CBS highlighting key moments of the contestants fromSeason 50.[10]
In the first season, there was a 75-person crew. By season 22, the crew had grown to 325 people.[11]
A total of751 contestants have competed onSurvivor's 49 seasons.
The original idea ofSurvivor was developed byCharlie Parsons in 1994 under the nameCastaway. Parsons formed Planet 24 withBob Geldof to produce the show and tried to have theBBC broadcast it, but the network turned it down. Parsons went to Swedish television and was able to find a broadcaster, ultimately producingExpedition Robinson in 1997. The show was a success, and plans for international versions were made.[26]
Mark Burnett intended to be the person to bring the show to the United States, though he viewed the Swedish version as a bit crude and mean-spirited. Burnett retooled the concept to use better production values, based on his priorEco-Challenge show, and wanted to focus more on the human drama experienced while under pressure. Burnett spent about a year trying to find a broadcaster that would take the show, retooling the concept based on feedback. On November 24, 1999, Burnett made his pitch toLes Moonves ofCBS, and Moonves agreed to pick up the show.[26] The first season,Survivor: Borneo, was filmed during March and April 2000, and was first broadcast on May 31, 2000. The first season became a ratings success, leading to its ongoing run.[26]
The American version ofSurvivor has been shot in many locations around the world since the first season, usually favoring warm and tropical climates. Starting withseason 19, two seasons have filmed back-to-back in the same location, to be aired in the same broadcast year. Sinceseason 33, the show has been filmed in the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji.
FromThe Australian Outback toIsland of the Idols, the show's run ended with a live reveal of the winner with votes read in front of a live studio audience, followed by a reunion show, hosted by Jeff Probst. Reunion shows for the first three seasons were hosted byBryant Gumbel and the fourth season byRosie O'Donnell. Jeff Probst took over hosting of the reunion shows starting with the fifth season. BetweenAfrica andOne World, the reunion locations alternated betweenCentral Park,Madison Square Garden, and theEd Sullivan Theater inNew York City (home to the CBS'sThe Late Show franchise) andCBS Television City or theCBS Studio Center inLos Angeles. The reunion show continued to be filmed at CBS Television City fromPhilippines toIsland of the Idols.
The exceptions to the above outlined live reunion were forSurvivor: Island of the Idols, which was filmed in front of a live studio audience but taped four hours in advance due to the controversy surrounding contestant Dan Spilo's behavior,[27] andSurvivor: Winners at War, where a video conferencing event was used during the broadcast of the final episode due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[28][29] The final episode of the latter did not include the live reunion, except for a brief moment at the beginning of the episode where all 20 contestants appeared together on screen from their homes,[29] and promo for the upcoming 41st season, which had not filmed at that time.
As part of this, up throughSurvivor: Cagayan, the production of the last part of the recorded final Tribal Council showed Probst taking the urn or container containing the votes and traveling with it by some means, transitioning this to the live show and suggesting a type of continuity between events; for exampleSurvivor: The Amazon appeared to have Probst jet-ski from the Amazon rainforest directly to New York City where the live show was held. According to Probst, they had also filmed a similar sequence for the 29th seasonSurvivor: San Juan del Sur: he had paddled out on a canoe from the location in Nicaragua, and then paddling intoVenice, California from a nearby island. Once on the beach, he would have asked a teenager to borrow his skateboard in the same manner as the "Hey Kid, Catch!" Coke commercial withMean Joe Greene, with Probst doing some tricks on the skateboard before tossing it back. However, Probst had no idea how to ride a skateboard and even after some basic training, he could not complete the trick for filming. Production opted to eliminate that transition forSan Juan del Sur, and they eliminated any similar transitions for future seasons.[30][31]
Beginning withseason 41, the winner was revealed on location during the final tribal council, which was previously done in the original season (Borneo), as the producers were unsure on the ability to have a live finale due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The vote reveal was then followed by aSurvivor After Show special with the finalists and the jury instead of a live reunion.[32]
Early seasons ofSurvivor were limited to United States citizens, and have required Canadian-American dual citizens to give up their Canadian citizenship to compete, as in the case ofSurvivor: China winnerTodd Herzog.[33][34] According to Probst, the limitation was due to the rights that Mark Burnett and CBS had on theSurvivor format, limiting it to contestants with American citizenship.[35] The rules were changed mid-2018 to allow Canadian citizens to participate, withTom Laidlaw being as the first Canadian citizen cast forIsland of the Idols.[36]
WhenSurvivor launched, the minimum age requirement was 21 years old; one exception was made for Michael "Frosti" Zernow who competed onSurvivor: China while 20 years old. In 2008, the age requirement was reduced to 18 years old, withSurvivor: Tocantins's Spencer Duhm being the first 18-year-old to play. The age limit was further reduced to 16-year-olds in 2020.[37]
In 2020, after criticism of inadequate inclusion on several reality shows, CBS president George Creeks mandated that 50% of all of CBS's reality show participants are to beblack, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).Survivor 41 was the first season to implement this rule. Probst has said to have been a positive improvement to the show, giving them more diverse stories to tell as well as increasing viewership of the series in other countries outside the U.S.[38][39] The casting diversity initiative was formally discontinued following the decision byCBS to roll back itsdiversity, equity, and inclusion policies in April 2025.[40] Despite the change, casting director Jesse Tannenbaum for all of CBS's reality shows stated, "Well, from my perspective, nothing's changed. I've always, in the back of my mind, felt we needed more diversity on these shows...I'm still shooting for having a really diverse cast because I think everybody needs to be represented."[41]
Survivor was consistently one of the top 20 most watched shows through its first 23 seasons.[42] It has not broken the top 20 since. Probst acknowledged thatKelly Kahl, the current president ofCBS, had been a significant proponent of the show. WhenSurvivor had launched, Kahl, then vice-president of scheduling, took a risk and moved the show's second season to Thursdays in competition with NBC'sFriends.Survivor won viewership numbers overFriends, giving Kahl significant sway within CBS to continue supportingSurvivor.[43]
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of the United States version ofSurvivor onCBS.
Note: Each American network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of Maysweeps.
At the end of each AmericanSurvivor season fromSurvivor: Africa onward, variousSurvivor props and memorabilia are auctioned online for charity. The most common recipient has been theElizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.[181] Most recently, proceeds have gone toward The Serpentine Project, a charity founded by Jeff Probst, dedicated to helping those transitioning out of foster care upon emancipation at 18 years of age.[182] Items up for auction have included flags, mats, tree mails, contestant torches, contestant clothing, autographed items, immunity idols and the voting urn.[183]
In February 2001, Stacey Stillman filed a lawsuit claiming that producers interfered in the process ofSurvivor: Borneo by persuading two members of her tribe (Sean Kenniff and Dirk Been) to vote her off instead ofRudy Boesch.[184]
During a reward trip onSurvivor: The Australian Outback,Colby Donaldson removed coral from theGreat Barrier Reef and, on the same trip, a helicopter involved with the production crew flew around protected seabird rookeries. Both acts violated Australian law and the incidents could have resulted in fines up toA$110,000.Mark Burnett, the executive producer, issued an apology on behalf of Donaldson and theSurvivor production team.[185]
At the tribal immunity challenge for the final four players onSurvivor: Africa, hostJeff Probst asked which female player in their season had no piercings. Kim Johnson answeredKelly Goldsmith, got the point, and went on to win the challenge, which put her through to the final three and ultimately (after winning another immunity challenge) the final two. Unbeknownst to the producers, another contestant on "Africa", Lindsey Richter, also had no piercings. Lex van den Berghe's answer had been Lindsey, but the show did not award him a point, which could have significantly changed the outcome of the challenge and the overall game.CBS later paid van den Berghe and Tom Buchanan, who had finished in fourth place, a settlement.[186]
Paul Winter sued Russell Landau (composer of the Survivor theme song) and Mark Burnett (series producer) for $800,000 in 2001. Winter stated that he did not agree to have samples of the song "Kurski Funk" from hisEarthbeat album to be used in the official Survivor theme song, called "Ancient Voices." Landau said to Entertainment Weekly that the song is "...part of an ancient Russian folk song that I've totally bastardised." The case was later settled out of court. Landau is a former member of Winter's band, thePaul Winter Consort, which won a Grammy in 1995 for Best New Age Album.[187]
In the fifth episode ofSurvivor: All-Stars, a nakedRichard Hatch put his hands behind his head and thrust his genitals towardsSue Hawk, saying "you want some?", after she blocked his path during an immunity challenge. Hatch was voted out that day for other reasons, but Hawk quit the game two days later as a result of what had happened. Hawk considered filing a lawsuit against the parties involved, but she appeared with Hatch onThe Early Show the morning after the sixth episode aired, stating she opted out of legal action because CBS had helped her "deal with the situation".[188]
In January 2006,Richard Hatch, the winner of the first season ofSurvivor, was charged and found guilty of failing to report his winnings to theIRS to avoid taxes. He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison.[189]
In the beginning ofSurvivor: Cook Islands, the tribes were grouped according to their race. Probst claimed the choice came from the criticism thatSurvivor was "not ethnically diverse enough",[190] but several long-term sponsors, includingCampbell's Soup,Procter & Gamble,Home Depot, andCoca-Cola[191] dropped their support of the show shortly after this announcement, leading to speculation that the decisions were in response to the controversy. Each company has either denied the link to the controversy or declined to comment.
The selection process for the 14th season came under fire when it was revealed that, of the entireSurvivor: Fiji cast, only Gary Stritesky had gone through the application process for the show; the rest of the contestants were recruited.[192] Probst defended the process, citing finding diversity of cast as a reason.
At theSurvivor: China reunion show, Denise Martin told producers and the audience that she had been demoted to ajanitor from a lunch lady due to the distraction she was to students from her appearance on the show. Because of her misfortune, Burnett awarded Martin $50,000. But Martin would later recant her story after the school district she worked for publicly stated that she had taken the custodial position before appearing on the show.[193] Martin then decided to donate the $50,000 to charity.[194]
A brief uncensored shot of Marcus Lehman's genitals during the premiere episode ofSurvivor: Gabon led to the show and network being asked to apologize for the incident.[195]
Jim Early (aka Missyae), who was a user on one of the fan forums forSurvivor, was sued by Burnett, his production company, and CBS in August 2010, for allegedly releasing detailed spoiler information forSurvivor: Samoa andSurvivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Early revealed that he was getting his information fromRussell Hantz, a contestant on both seasons, through both phone calls and emails. Early complied in the lawsuit by providing such evidence, eventually leading to its dismissal in January 2011. Although legal action was never taken against Hantz, the contract for a player inSurvivor includes a liability of up to $5 million for the premature revealing of a season's results.[196] Hantz has stated that the claim is false.[197]
Contestants who did not make the jury inSurvivor: Caramoan were not allowed on stage for the reunion show. While Jeff Probst claimed that the new stage could not accommodate all of the attending contestants, the format change was panned because the show's fans and fellow contestants felt that it was unfair for them to be left out in the audience. Erik Reichenbach, who finished 5th and did not even get a chance to speak at the reunion, called out the producers for their treatment of the contestants. Calling it afarce, he criticized how the reunion show left so many unanswered questions about the other contestants and his own evacuation during the season finale. He also criticized how the pre-jury members were completely left out in favor of featuring the show's former contestants, likeRob Mariano andRudy Boesch.[198]
In the sixth episode ofSurvivor: Game Changers,Jeff Varner revealed at Tribal Council that fellow contestant Zeke Smith was atransgender man. This caused an immediate uproar amongst his tribemates and hostJeff Probst, which led to Varner's immediate elimination. The incident was covered by various news outlets, with fans heavily criticizing Varner's actions. Varner explained himself following the episode's airdate and expressed regret for his actions. Varner was also fired from his real estate job after the episode aired.[199]
Before the premiere ofSurvivor: David vs. Goliath, contestant Alec Merlino posted a photo of himself onInstagram with fellow contestant Kara Kay containing the caption "F*** it". This action broke Merlino'sNDA with the show and he was consequently stripped of all appearance fees and banned from the live reunion show. Merlino did not have to pay the standard $5 million penalty for breaking the agreement, however.[200]
In the eighth episode of the 39th seasonSurvivor: Island of the Idols, contestant Dan Spilo was issued a warning by producers for inappropriately touching fellow contestants including Kellee Kim. ContestantsElizabeth Beisel and Missy Byrd came under fire for exploiting the situation as a strategic tool in voting out Kim later that episode. This moment has since been criticized by various news outlets for the reactions of Beisel and Byrd as well as the handling of the situation by producers.[201] Beisel and Byrd later apologized, along with fellow contestants Lauren Beck and Aaron Meredith.Jeff Probst,CBS, andMGM released a statement about what happened and the production's reaction as well.[202] Spilo was later removed from the game at the end of episode 12 after "a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player". This is the first time a contestant has been ejected from the show by production.[203] Spilo apologized to all involved for his behavior following the finale's broadcast.[204] Because of the incident, the season's finale was not shown live but instead from an earlier live-to-tape recording, the first time since the live finale format was introduced. Further, CBS andSurvivor announced they will revamp the show's rules and production to focus more on earlier detection and prevention of this type of inappropriate behavior, and strict penalties for castaways that engage in it, to be fully in place by the 41st season (the first season produced following the airing ofIsland of the Idols).[205]
The success ofSurvivor spawned a wide range of merchandise from the first season. While early items available were limited to buffs, water bottles, hats, T-shirts, and other typical souvenir items, the marketability of the franchise has grown tremendously. Today, fans can find innumerable items, including computer andboard games, interactive online games, mugs, tribal-themedjewelry, beach towels, dog tags, magnets, multi-function tools, DVD seasons,Survivor party kits, insider books, soundtracks, and more.
Season One: The Greatest and Most Outrageous Moments
January 9, 2001
Season Two: The Greatest and Most Outrageous Moments
September 25, 2001
Full seasons
Seasons 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 and 10 were released in stores. The remaining seasons have been released exclusively onAmazon.com through their CreateSpace manufacture on demand program. Select seasons have also been released onBlu-ray.
The Complete Second Season: The Australian Outback
Store Release: April 26, 2005 MOD Release: August 2, 2022
The Complete Third Season: Africa
October 5, 2010
The Complete Fourth Season: Marquesas
October 5, 2010
The Complete Fifth Season: Thailand
October 25, 2011
The Complete Sixth Season: The Amazon
November 22, 2011
The Complete Seventh Season: Pearl Islands
February 7, 2006
The Complete Eighth Season: All-Stars
September 14, 2004
The Complete Ninth Season: Vanuatu – Islands of Fire
December 5, 2006
The Complete Tenth Season: Palau
August 29, 2006
The Complete Eleventh Season: Guatemala – The Maya Empire
May 22, 2012
The Complete Twelfth Season: Panama – Exile Island
May 22, 2012
The Complete Thirteenth Season: Cook Islands
December 11, 2012
The Complete Fourteenth Season: Fiji
December 11, 2012
The Complete Fifteenth Season: China
January 27, 2014
The Complete Sixteenth Season: Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites
January 31, 2014
The Complete Seventeenth Season: Gabon – Earth's Last Eden
September 11, 2014
The Complete Eighteenth Season: Tocantins – The Brazilian Highlands
August 5, 2014
The Complete Nineteenth Season: Samoa
November 18, 2014
The Complete Twentieth Season: Heroes vs. Villains
February 22, 2011
The Complete Twenty-First Season: Nicaragua
November 18, 2014
The Complete Twenty-Second Season: Redemption Island
October 7, 2015
The Complete Twenty-Third Season: South Pacific
October 7, 2015
The Complete Twenty-Fourth Season: One World
September 23, 2016
The Complete Twenty-Fifth Season: Philippines
September 23, 2016
The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season: Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites
October 26, 2017
The Complete Twenty-Seventh Season: Blood vs. Water
November 13, 2017
The Complete Twenty-Eighth Season: Cagayan
December 22, 2017
The Complete Twenty-Ninth Season: San Juan del Sur – Blood vs. Water
October 15, 2018
The Complete Thirtieth Season: Worlds Apart
November 13, 2018
The Complete Thirty-First Season: Cambodia – Second Chance
November 13, 2018
The Complete Thirty-Second Season: Kaôh Rōng
November 21, 2018
The Complete Thirty-Third Season: Millennials vs. Gen X
November 21, 2018
The Complete Thirty-Fourth Season: Game Changers – Mamanuca Islands
February 22, 2019
The Complete Thirty-Fifth Season: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers
May 9, 2019
The Complete Thirty-Sixth Season: Ghost Island
June 12, 2019
The Complete Thirty-Seventh Season: David vs. Goliath
July 17, 2019
The Complete Thirty-Eighth Season: Edge of Extinction
January 31, 2020
The Complete Thirty-Ninth Season: Island of the Idols
December 15, 2020
The Complete Fortieth Season: Winners at War
April 13, 2021
The Complete Forty-First Season
April 12, 2022
The Complete Forty-Second Season
August 23, 2022
The Complete Forty-Third Season
March 28, 2023
Paramount+
All seasons are available onParamount+,ViacomCBS'sover-the-top subscription streaming service in the United States. Australia only hasSeason 35 onwards available due to expired licencing rights. Seasons ofAustralian Survivor were also added to Paramount+ in the United States and Australia after CBS acquired Network 10 in 2017.
Pluto TV
Survivor was added toPluto TV, ViacomCBS's free Internet television service, as a standalone channel along on September 1, 2020.[207]
Survivor: The Tribe Has Spoken card game was released in January 2025, the result of a two-year collaboration between host and executive producerJeff Probst and gaming companyExploding Kittens. Players need to collect advantages, find idols, form alliances and survive Tribal Council eliminations. The game can be played with three to six people.[208]
The 2001 PC video gameSurvivor: The Interactive Game, developed by Magic Lantern and published byInfogrames, allows players to play and create characters for the game based on theBorneo orAustralian Outback cast members. The game also includes a character creation system for making custom characters.
Gameplay consists of choosing survivors' skills (fishing, cooking, etc.), forming alliances, developing relationships with other tribe members, and voting off competitors at tribal council.
The game was very poorly received by critics.GameSpot gave the game a 'Terrible' score of 2.0 out of 10, saying "If you're harboring even a tiny urge to buy this game, please listen very carefully to this advice: Don't do it."[209] Likewise,IGN gave the game a 'Painful' 2.4 out of 10, stating "It is horribly boring and repetitive. The graphics are weak and even the greatest Survivor fan would break the CD in two after playing it for 20 minutes."[210] The game was the recipient ofGame Revolution's lowest score of all time, an F−.[211] An 'interactive review' was created specially for the game, and features interactive comments like "The Survival periods are about as much fun as" followed by a drop-down menu, "watching paint dry/throbbing hemorrhoids/staring at air/being buried alive."[211]
On November 4, 2009, it was announced that a second video game adaptation would be released for theWii andNintendo DS. The game would require players to participate in various challenges like those in the reality shows in order to win.[212]
Various soundtracks have been released featuring music composed byRuss Landau, including soundtracks for seasons 9 through 27 (with the exception of season 14).[213]
The Tiki Twirl thrill ride atCalifornia's Great America inSanta Clara, California was originally calledSurvivor: The Ride. The ride includes a rotating platform that moves along anundulating track. Riders can be sprayed by water guns hidden in oversized tribal masks. Theme elements included drums and other familiar Survivor musical accents playing in the background, Survivor memorabilia throughout the queue and other merchandise for sale in nearby gift shops.[214]
^Starting with the 2013–14 TV series ranking, the two seasons aired in that time are listed together asSurvivor. Previously, seasons were listed separately.
^abAndreeva, Nellie (May 27, 2011)."Full 2010–11 Season Series Rankings".Deadline Hollywood. 2010–11 Season: Series Ranking In Total Viewers (in thousands).Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. RetrievedMay 27, 2011.
