Jeff Probstis giving fans more insight into the upcoming celebrity collaborations onSurvivor50.
For the landmark season, titledSurvivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, fans were able to vote on key elements of the game, including on whether there will be idols, whether fire making will remain, and whether the live finale and reunion show will return in Los Angeles. As always, the contestants will compete for a $1 million cash prize.
In the first trailer for the season, it was revealed the season will have twists featuringBillie EilishandJimmy Fallon, as well as cameos fromJimmy "MrBeast" DonaldsonandZac Brown.
During aninterviewwithVarietypublished Monday, Jan. 5, the longtime host explained how the collaborations came to be, and addressed fans concerns that the celeb cameos would "overshadow" the 24 returning castaways playing on the historic season.
"Once we committed to turning the game design over to the fans, the next question became: 'How far can we go with this idea!?'" Probst said. "We knew some ofSurvivor's biggest fans happen to be celebrities, so we thought sprinkling a few of them in with their own unique twists felt like a fun way to make the game even more unpredictable! It definitely caught the players off guard in some really exciting ways, and added another layer to this celebratory season."
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After the trailer premiered, fans worried about how the new twists and celebrity guests would impact the game and their favorite players. However, Probst assured fans thatSurvivorwill still feel likeSurvivoreven with the addition these new elements.
"I think it's a legitimate concern when you start adding layers like celebrities, that they can overshadow the game and take it off course. Our job was to make sure that we stayed true to what we're doing onSurvivor, which is exploring this continuous social experiment. And now we're adding another layer," Probst said. "And when you bring in a celebrity like Zac Brown or MrBeast or Jimmy Fallon, you now add idolatry, and you add different perceptions and reputations. Suddenly, people can get off track a little bit, or they lean in, and they want something to do with Jimmy Fallon. A lot of the players said, 'I've always dreamed of being in a MrBeast video.' So the twist is designed to see if you can stay on course with the thought process you should — or how is it going to shift your thought process, and will it do you in?"
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Probst added that he didn't ask celebrities if they wanted to be involved, but rather relied on his own friendships and relationships to make the collaborations happen — and that each collab was the celebrity's idea.
"With Jimmy Fallon, it was on his show. Jimmy texts me ideas all the time aboutSurvivor, and we put some of them in the show, and we've always talked about this idea," Probst explained. "I think people will see, when they see these play out, I think they'll understand these are legitSurvivorfans who wanted to be a part of50."
Additionally, as part of his collaboration with Mr. Beast, Probst will be making an appearance on season 2 ofBeast Games. The first three episodes premiere on Prime Video on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans premieres Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, with a special three-hour episode at 8/7c onCBS.
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