The EP also compares the show to the NFL: “I don’t envision an end.”

Survivor executive producer Matt Van Wagenen addresses recency bias in season 50 cast

The EP also compares the show to the NFL: "I don't envision an end."

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.

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February 3, 2026 11:15 a.m. ET

Charlie Davis, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Dee Valladares, Savannah Louie, Rizo Velovic, and Tiffany Ervin on 'Survivor 50'. Credit:

Gail Schulman/CBS

When the highly anticipated cast for *Survivor 50* was announced in May of 2025, there were two striking things about it. For one, it was the biggest cast ever, with 24 returning all-stars. For another, 11 of those 24 players were from the five most recent seasons (*Survivor 45* through *Survivor 49*).

While many in the fanbase were critical of the recency bias, having hoped to see more old-school players in the final cast (Jerri Manthey, anyone?), the franchise has a history of leaning into its most recent seasons when staging a returning player season. The practice goes all the way back to installments like *Micronesia* and *Heroes vs Villains*. So why exactly is that?

We asked executive producer Matt Van Wagenen that very question while in Fiji for filming on *Survivor 50* (which premieres Feb. 25). Read on for his answer, plus more about the casting process in general, how they dealt with the fan voting, the significance of filming season 50, and how long *Survivor* will last.

Jeff Probst, Matt Van Wagenen, and 's Dalton Ross on day 1 of 'Survivor: Edge of Extinction'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**: What’s it like personally to be here filming season 50? I know it's a big deal for you, but you're also dealing with a lot of logistics, so maybe you're not thinking a lot about it being 50.**

**MATT VAN WAGENEN:** We've been thinking about this for a few years now. And the truth is, we are always busy. We are cranking on two to three seasons at a time, so we don't always have the time to register, like, “Oh, we're doing 50.” But it's always been there. It's always been in the back of [our] head.

I remember thinking about season 50 when we were shooting season 40 and “What do we do for 50?” I don't know that everyone loves it, but I do sometimes bring up season 60. But right now, what's been enjoyable is talking to the players, and I think that was the final step. We went through a lot of people in casting and seeing this group and talking to them and the gravitas that they talk about, the way they talk about *Survivor* and about this particular season — I think elevated it for us as well. As we got closer and closer to shooting, it felt more and more special.

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)

**Does it feel different for you when it's returning players, and you see Cirie and Ozzy and folks like that lining up on the mat?**

I think all of the returning player seasons have had different flavors. The first returning player season I worked on was 16, which some people think is an all-timer. Being on the beach for some of those moments was spectacular, but that was a different vibe because it was fans and favorites. Then, just a few seasons later, we're doing *Heroes vs. Villains* and people kind of stepped into those hero and villain roles. Season 40, it was *Winners at War*, so it was winners who had kind of done it before. They'd all accomplished the goal before, so it was a different vibe.

We keep saying it and I really feel it: This is a celebration, and it does have a different vibe than a standard returning player season. *Second Chance* had a different one going back. *Second Chance* was people who hadn't had it and it was only your second time. There was an extra hunger there. Here, there's a reverence for *Survivor*. There are people who are talking about coming not for redemption, but to pay honor to the game. And I think a lot of people around here are kind of embracing that feeling.

**How does that celebration manifest in terms of production elements? For instance, in 40, the champagne flutes are out, right? Something we've never seen before. So how on a production side do you emphasize that now?**

I think really it started with what we were going to do from Tribal Council. Since we've been in Fiji in the last few years, we've really realized that Tribal Council is kind of like the keystone. This is where it all starts. Even our logos centered around what Tribal Council is going to be, and there was talk about different things.

For 50, is it a shipwreck? Because we've done shipwrecks, but then it was like: No, it should be this temple. It should be this thing that we are paying homage to *Survivor*. And so when you see this and the phoenix rising and the whole look of it, that's part of the celebration.

Some of the things that we have planned for the contestants is about celebration and making it fun. And one of the things, this goes back to the advice that Jeff [Probst] got from Mike White after the pandemic: “Is it fun? And we are cranking that question up to the next level. Is it fun? In our casting, we wanted people who were joyful. We wanted joyful people to celebrate with us.

Mike White of 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**Let’s talk about the fan voting element of it. What was the producing impact for you all in terms of specifics, like how idols and advantages and things like that were going to be handled depending on how they voted?**

It's slightly freeing. We don't have to make that decision. It's like, “Okay, here are some options. You guys pick, and then that's what we're going to do.” There's always a lot of thought and consternation and what would be the best scenario for this season coming off of what happened last season. In this case, it's “What did they pick?” So we followed their lead.

**Once the results came in, what did you make of them? How much did you agree with certain categories?**

I don't want to say because I think it might tip my hand with what the results were.

**Let me ask it this way then: Compared to how you thought folks were going to vote, were you surprised by any of the results?**

There were some surprises, and some that went as I thought would be expected. But one of the things that's going to be fun about the season is with so many question marks as a player, you can use that to your advantage. You can make things up. You can lie. There are going to be things revealed as the season progresses, but for a long time, you can kind of bulls--- your way a little bit.

7:23 The Cast of ‘Survivor 50’ Reveals Who They Want to Vote Out First

**I think people were even more invested in this cast selection than in either *Second Chance* or *Winners of War*. How did you handle that very delicate process, where it is absolutely impossible to make every player and fan happy?**

There were people who I would love to have seen play who said no. And we had some people reaching out to [casting director] Jesse Tannenbaum right from the get go where I was like, “Wow, I wasn't expecting that person to reach out.” I talked to John Cochran and wanted him to him play. He's like, “No, I'm not playing.” I was like, “Come on!” I probably asked John Cochran about 15 times, and he turned me down every time. So we couldn't get everyone we wanted, and we couldn't fit in everyone who wanted to be in there. That's a tough position to be in.

We really wanted a representation of a lot of different eras, a lot of different styles and a lot of different personalities. But I think really the idea of it being a celebration, we wanted people who wanted to play with joy. We've had some seasons in the past where there's been some players play pretty dark, brooding games. This time, we wanted a joyful celebration. I know we took some flack on some of our choices. We were never going make all the fans happy.

0:49 Digital Cover: Survivor 50

**I remember interviewing Colby in Samoa before *Heroes vs Villains*, and he was talking about how much he wanted to make up for his *All-Stars* performance. And although he got very far, it wasn’t the same Colby. Talking to him yesterday, he again sounds great and motivated, but what's going to happen when he hits the beach? **

I was a producer on the beach season 20, so I saw it firsthand, and even though he went far in the game, there was nothing that he was proud of in that game. Colby was one of the first people to reach out for 50, and I was like, “Really? Does he really want this?” And then after talking to him and spending time on a Zoom with him and hearing where he is in his life, he's one of those people who's like, “I want to pay respect to the game.” And I think it's real and it's legit. And I'm excited and hopeful that that's how he's going to play.

Colby Donaldson of 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**Eleven of the 24 players here are from the past five seasons, which really jumped out at me. It still jumps out at me, but that's kind of par for the course in the way you guys do returning player seasons. And I thought back on it, and that’s also been true on *Micronesia,* *Heroes vs. Villains*, even *Cambodia* and *Winners of War*. So clearly there's a reason behind that. Could you explain why you use a lot of recent players on your returning player seasons?**

I think part of it is there's an age thing. It's got to be the oldest cast we've ever had, so we wanted some younger players as well. These are people who when they played, we were like, “Oh, we want to see them play again.” I am really proud of the seasons we've done in the new era, and I love the representation from these people. We were trying to bring in people who were going to play aggressively, and I think the new-era players play very aggressively.

Someone like Jenna, she said to me that she was playing the new-era game in season 8, and I love that. And so we want people who are going to be able to play with that kind of energy and creativity and so she fit the bill even though she's a season 1 person. That's why she's here, because she's got that new-era mentality. I find the game now really exciting. And so a lot of those people who you're seeing from the last five years, I think they bring it.

Jenna Lewis-Dougherty of 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**How do you think the Mike White factor plays out in terms of his celebrity in the game?**

I think that cuts both ways, right? Some might think, “Hey, he's getting too much attention.” Some people might think, “Oh, he's using this to take advantage of me.” As with everything in *Survivor*, it can always cut both ways for you.

**We’re sitting here at season 50. How long is this show going to last?**

I am hoping this show lasts long enough for my daughter to be on the Dream Team [that tests out all the challenges] and she's eight. You have to be 21. Maybe for her we'll make an exception and go 20. I mean, I do not want it to end. I don't even talk about an end of *Survivor*. It's like, when is the NFL going to end? It's become something different. So I don't envision an end.

No one brings more energy and passion to survivor than Jeff. I know he loves it the way he talks about it. We work together closely and I see his passion and his love for it. So I don't see that dying anytime soon. He always is able to find something new and interesting, and that sparks him.

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity. *

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Source: “EW Survivor”