Survivor Season 51 Cast Revealed for First-Ever “Open Era”

“A new crop of players is about to birth a new kind of game, and this one has no boundaries,” he said in the season’s teaser. “For the first time ever, our entire history—every advantage, every idol, every twist we’ve ever done, 50 seasons of Survivor—is in play, along with dangerous new elements never seen before.”

The 64-year-old added, “It’s now a shape-shifting game, changing without warning, creating permanent uncertainty.”

And as the long-running CBS series continues to reinvent Survivor, Probst reflected on why he still returns as host after 25 years in the role. 

“I still love it,” he said on the Aug. 6 episode of The Ankler’s Rushfield Lunch series. “I hope the enthusiasm is still clear when I’m hosting. I have a great sense of joy for it. I mean, I really love it.” 

The Emmy winner added, “I love that I get to be a part of making an adventure for the people who want it.”

Plus, as Probst sees it, he and the creative team behind Survivor are making the show for “three big pods” of people. 

“There’s the players, and we want the show and the game and the experience to be really fun, but we take that responsibility very seriously,” he continued. “Then there’s the audience, some of whom want to live vicariously, some of whom want to just sit and judge. Some want to solve the mystery.”

Then, he noted, “There’s us,” the production team behind the scenes.

“We dedicate our lives to this career,” Probst concluded. “Those of us that are involved all year round, it’s non-stop. So, we want to be satisfied creatively. And all of those things together bring us all back.”

To meet the entire cast of Survivor’s 51st season, keep reading…