Survivor’s latest crop of castaways is eager to outwit, outplay and outlast—at any cost.
With season 49 of the CBS competition series officially underway, longtime host Jeff Probst revealed that the contestants had no problem turning their backs on their supposed allies in order to secure the $1 million prize.
“The back half of the game was the antithesis of loyalty and deep bonds,” he said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Sept. 24. “It was, ‘Whatever serves me in this very moment, this very second.’ And it made for a really fun season because the front half is really tough.”
Indeed, Jeff, 63, noted that the gameplay at the start of the season often left him “out of breath,” particularly as the cast formed deep bonds—or so it seemed.
“The front half of the game was almost like tattoos in terms of these alliances [that] were formed and people said, ‘I’m with them for life and I will never betray you,’” he explained. “And then the merge hits and the back half of the game, it was like, ‘Wait a minute, this turns out this is a temporary tattoo. It’s very easy for me to wash this off right now.’”
As it turns out, the cast drama began even before cameras started rolling in Fiji, with the show subbing in alternates Jason Treul and Michelle “MC” Chukwujekwu after two players were removed from the season just 12 hours before the start of the game.
“The rules are you cannot talk to each other, for obvious reasons,” Jeff shared on the Sept. 24 episode of his On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast, referring to the pre-show sequester period. “And in this season, season 49, we had two players who were disrespecting that rule. They just kept talking.”
Despite warnings from producers, Jeff revealed that the discussions reached a “level of disrespect” that warranted the players’ exits.
“That was all it took,” he continued. “Candidly, the decision was made in that moment to immediately remove those two players from the game and replace them with our alternates.”
After all, as Jeff emphasized, “We value the integrity of the game more than anything.”
For more on the Survivor season 49 cast, keep reading.
Kimberly “Annie” Davis
Age: 49
Hometown: Portland, Ore.
Current Residence: Austin, Texas
Occupation: Musician
Steven Ramm
Age: 35
Hometown: Littleton, Colo.
Current Residence: Denver, Colo.
Occupation: Rocket scientist
Kristina Mills
Age: 36
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Current Residence: Edmond, Okla.
Occupation: MBA career coach
Nicole Mazullo
Age: 26
Hometown: Long Island, N.Y.
Current Residence: Philadelphia, Pa.
Occupation: Financial crime consultant
Jawan Pitts
Age: 28
Hometown: Salem, N.J.
Current Residence: Los Angeles, Calif.
Occupation: Video editor
Sophie Segreti
Age: 31
Hometown: Darnestown, Md.
Current Residence: New York City, N.Y.
Occupation: Strategy associate
Jeremiah Ing
Age: 39
Hometown: Windsor, Ontario
Current Residence: Toronto, Ontario
Occupation: Global events manager
Matt Williams
Age: 52
Hometown: Farmington, Utah
Current Residence: St. George, Utah
Occupation: Airport ramp agent
Shannon Fairweather
Age: 28
Hometown: Wakefield, Mass.
Current Residence: Boston, Mass.
Occupation: Wellness specialist
Jake Latimer
Age: 36
Hometown: Regina, Saskatchewan
Current Residence: St. Albert, Alberta
Occupation: Correctional officer
Jason Treul
Age: 32
Hometown: Anaheim, Calif.
Current Residence: Santa Ana, Calif.
Occupation: Law clerk
Savannah Louie
Age: 31
Hometown: Walnut Creek, Calif.
Current Residence: Atlanta, Ga.
Occupation: Former reporter
Nate Moore
Age: 47
Hometown: Clovis, Calif.
Current Residence: Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Occupation: Film producer
Sophi Balerdi
Age: 27
Hometown: Miami, Fla.
Current Residence: Miami, Fla.
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Michelle “MC” Chukwujekwu
Age: 29
Hometown: Sachse, Texas
Current Residence: San Diego, Calif.
Occupation: Fitness trainer
Sage Ahrens-Nichols
Age: 30
Hometown: Roxboro, N.C.
Current Residence: Olympia, Wash.
Occupation: Clinical social worker
Alex Moore
Age: 27
Hometown: Evanston, Ill.
Current Residence: Washington, D.C.
Occupation: Political comms director
Rizo Velovic
Age: 25
Hometown: Yonkers, N.Y.
Current Residence: Yonkers, N.Y.
Occupation: Tech sales
