Each new season of “Survivor” brings with it altered rules, new challenges, a change in pace and/or higher standards. The show is constantly evolving, which might be one reason the series is one of the longest running reality shows of all time. It knows how to keep viewers on their toes.
Season 45 is no different. This season is just two episodes in, and new rules have already been revealed.
When the series launched in summer 2000, every episode contained two challenges — an immunity challenge and a reward challenge. Since tribes often have an unequal number of competitors, the rule was that the same person could not sit out for both challenges within the episode, per Entertainment Weekly.
In more recent seasons, there is typically just one tribe challenge per episode. This makes it possible for competitors to sit out of challenges back-to-back.
“Survivor” host Jeff Probst explained the updated rules during Season 45’s second episode. This is the first season a tribe can allow a player to sit out of immunity challenges twice in a row.
“In the early seasons of ‘Survivor,’ there were always two challenges: a reward challenge and an immunity challenge,” Probst told Entertainment Weekly. “The sit-out rule was designed to force a critical decision, because if you sat out of the reward challenge, you were forced to compete in the immunity challenge. So it came down to strategy. If you really wanted to win (a) reward, you might sit out your weakest player, but if you did, that weak player would then have to run in the immunity challenge. And Tribal Council was always the reset, which meant it was a clean slate with the next challenge.”
“In this new era, we often only have one combined reward/immunity challenge,” Probst continued. “So tribes could sit someone out of the challenge, then Tribal served as a reset, and the next challenge they could sit the same person out again.”
Probst says there was no “dilemma” in changing the rules, the fault in the system was simply brought to the showrunners’ attention and “we’ve changed it and we’re back on track.”
Probst also addressed fan concerns regarding Emily Flippen’s unprecedented decision to give up her Shot in the Dark cube to Sabiyah Broderick in a desperate bid to gain her tribe’s ahead of their upcoming Tribal Council — it might even be why the Lulu tribe kept her over Brandon Donlon.
Every player can play their Shot in the Dark cube — an advantage which allows players a chance at immunity during Tribal Council — once. So now that Broderick possesses two Shot in the Dark cubes, does it mean she gets to play both?
“Yes, it does!” reveals Probst, per Entertainment Weekly. Any competitor with a Shot in the Dark cube gets to play it.
“I am waiting for this to happen!” says Probst, adding, ”You can still only play one Shot in The Dark at a Tribal, so you don’t get two shots at the same Tribal.”
Who was voted off ‘Survivor’ during Episode 2?
Last night, Donlon was voted off the Lulu tribe after repeatedly struggling to complete challenges. The Lulu team believed he was slowing them down.
“I would have liked to have won something. Something would’ve been ideal, but otherwise I got to authentically live my childhood dream and I don’t know a lot of people that can say that,” Donlon said upon being voted off.
“You have to come do this. Hopefully you end up doing better than I did by a little bit, but otherwise you will have the most incredible time of your life,” he added.
The ‘Survivor 45’ cast
“Survivor” Season 45 premiered on CBS on Sept. 27. This year’s 18-person cast features competitors from ages 23 to 49, including three lawyers, a therapist and an investment analyst. Fans will also see a return from Bruce Perreault, who is back for a second chance after he got medically evacuated moments into the previous season.
Donlon and Hannah Rose, both from the Lulu Tribe, have been eliminated from Season 45’s competition.
Below is a brief look at the “Survivor” Season 45 cast list, per Entertainment Weekly.
Belo Tribe (blue):
- Brandon “Brando” Meyer, 23, from Seattle, Washington.
- Bruce Perreault, 47, from Warwick, Rhode Island.
- Jake O’Kane, 26, from Boston, Massachusetts.
- Katurah Topps, 35, from Brooklyn, New York.
- Kellie Nalbandian, 30, from New York, New York.
- Kendra McQuarrie, 31, from Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Lulu Tribe (yellow):
- Brandon Donlon, 26, from Sicklerville, New Jersey.
- Hannah Rose, 33, from Baltimore City, Maryland.
- Emily Flippen, 28, from Laurel, Maryland.
- Kaleb Gebrewold, 29, from Vancouver, Canada.
- Sabiyah Broderick, 28, from Jacksonville, North Carolina.
- Sean Edwards, 35, from Provo-Orem, Utah.
Reba Tribe (red):
- Austin Li Coon, 26, from Chicago, Illinois.
- Dee Valladares, 26, from Miami, Florida.
- Drew Basile, 23, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Janani Krishnan-Jha, 24, from Los Angeles, California.
- Julie Alley, 49, from Brentwood, Tennessee.
- Nicolas “Sifu” Alsup, 30, from O’Fallon, Illinois.
Where can I watch season 45 of ‘Survivor’?
“Survivor 45” episodes air live on CBS every Wednesday at 6 p.m. MDT. Episodes are available for streaming through CBS and Paramount+.