“Survivor” will return in March 2022 with a new bunch of castaways competing for the 1 million dollar prize. Jeff Probst has been tight-lipped about the new season, and CBS has yet to release an official cast list, but some details about the upcoming season have been released.
Here’s what we know:
The Beware Advantage Returns
Season 41 introduced the Beware Advantage, which allowed castaways to guarantee their safety by finding one of the three immunity idols hidden on the island. Once a castaway found an immunity idol, they had to say a strange phrase written on the advantage card in front of Jeff Probst and the other castaways. The idols could not be used until all three phrases were said.
The new twist created mixed feelings among longtime fans. Some “Survivor” fans thought the Beware Advantage made the game more exciting, while others thought the twist made the game too complicated.
Despite backlash from fans, it looks like the controversial twist will be returning. The teaser trailer for the upcoming season featured the “Beware Advantage,” it even revealed one of the odd phrases the castaway in possession of the advantage will have to say to activate the idol. The phrase is, “Potatoes have skin. I have skin. Am I a potato?”
The Season 42 Cast Will Be More Diverse Than Past Seasons
“Survivor” has faced criticism in the past for not prioritizing diversity. CBS is now trying to correct past oversights by signing a diversity pledge.
In November 2020, CBS announced that from now on, all unscripted programming will have casts, “with at least 50% of the contestants being Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), beginning in the 2021-2022 broadcast season.”
“The reality TV genre is an area that’s especially underrepresented and needs to be more inclusive across development, casting, production, and all phases of storytelling,” George Checks, the Chief Executive for the CBS entertainment group, wrote in a statement.
“Survivor 41” featured the most diverse cast in the show’s history, with over 50% of the contestants being People of Color and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The “Survivor 42” casting process will also follow the guidelines of the diversity pledge, so viewers can expect to see a diverse cast.
How Many Days?
“Survivor 42” will take place over 26 days instead of the standard 39 days. Probst has been open about the decision to shorten the game, telling Entertainment Weekly in September 2021 that the show may never return to 39 days.
Probst told the outlet that the shortened production time made the game more challenging for the castaways.
“The conditions were very tough because they started with no food, very limited camp supplies, and very few rewards,” he told the publication. “So their cognitive abilities are diminished much faster than in the past.”
Who Are the ‘Survivor 42’ Castaways?
CBS has yet to release an official cast list, but Inside Survivor recently released a potential cast list for the upcoming season. Some of the names the source released are as follows:
Jenny Kim: 42-year-old designer from New York, NY
Swati Goel: 19-year-old student from Stanford, CA
Tori Meehan: 24-year-old grad student from Tulsa, OK
Mike Turner: 57-year-old retired firefighter from Hoboken, NJ
Chanelle Howell: 28-year-old recruiter from New York, NY
Daniel Strunk: 30-year-old law clerk from Ann Arbor, MI
Jackson Fox: 47-year-old from Charlotte, NC
“Survivor” producers have not confirmed or denied this list, so we will have to wait and see if Inside Survivor’s cast list checks out.
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Everything We Know About ‘Survivor 42’