Survivor is an American reality television show, based on the Swedish program Expedition Robinson. Contestants are referred to as "castaways", and they compete against one another to become the "Sole Survivor" and win one million U.S. dollars. First airing in 2000, there currently have been a total of 47 seasons aired; the program itself has been filmed on five continents.
Contestants usually apply to be on the show, but the series has been known to recruit contestants for various seasons. For Survivor: Fiji, the producers had hoped to have a more racially diverse cast, and hoped that a more diverse group would apply after the success of the racially segregated Survivor: Cook Islands. When this did not happen, the producers turned to recruiting and in the end, only one contestant had actually submitted an application to be on the show.[1] For the most part, contestants are virtually unknown prior to their Survivor appearance, but occasionally some well-known people are cast.
On two occasions, contestants have been cast but ultimately withdrew before the game began without being replaced: a 20th contestant, model agency owner Mellisa McNulty, was originally cast in Survivor: Fiji, but dropped out and returned home the night before the show began because of panic attacks,[7] while in Survivor: San Juan del Sur, the 19th and 20th contestants, sisters So and Doo Kim, were removed just before filming due to a medical emergency.[8] So would later appear on the following season Survivor: Worlds Apart. Fiji and San Juan del Sur proceeded with an uneven gender balance. This occurrence made the show's fourteenth season, Fiji, the only season in the history of the show to start with an odd number of players.
Key legend
Table key:
Contestant played the game for a second time.
Contestant played the game for a third time.
Contestant played the game for a fourth time.
Contestant played the game for a fifth time.
Seasons 1–5 (2000–2002)
All information is accurate as of the time the season was filmed, and thus may vary from season to season for returning players.
Seasons 6–10 (2003–2005)
All information is accurate as of the time the season was filmed, and thus may vary from season to season for returning players.
Seasons 11–15 (2005–2007)
All information is accurate as of the time the season was filmed, and thus may vary from season to season for returning players.
Seasons 16–20 (2008–2010)
All information is accurate as of the time the season was filmed, and thus may vary from season to season for returning players.
Seasons 21–25 (2010–2012)
All information is accurate as of the time the season was filmed, and thus may vary from season to season for returning players.
Seasons 26–30 (2013–2015)
All information is accurate as of the time the season was filmed, and thus may vary from season to season for returning players.
Seasons 31–35 (2015–2017)
All information is accurate as of the time the season was filmed, and thus may vary from season to season for returning players.
Seasons 36–40 (2018–2020)
All information is accurate as of the time the season was filmed, and thus may vary from season to season for returning players.
Seasons 41–45 (2021–2023)
All information is accurate as of the time the season was filmed, and thus may vary from season to season for returning players.
Seasons 46–present (2024–present)
All information is accurate as of the time the season was filmed, and thus may vary from season to season for returning players.
References
General
Specific
^Young, Susan (February 8, 2007). "New 'Survivor: Fiji' divides haves and have-nots "Survivor: Fiji"". East Bay Times. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
^"'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' cast revealed". Today. January 6, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
^Holmes, Gordon (May 6, 2015). "'Survivor: Second Chance' Invites Viewers to Select the Castaways". Xfinity. Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
^"'Survivor': They're baaaaaaaack! Russell and Boston Rob join the cast of 'Redemption Island'" (Press release). Entertainment Weekly. January 13, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
^Ross, Dalton (August 24, 2011). "'Survivor: South Pacific': Ozzy and Coach to return for new season. They talk about it here! -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
^Ross, Dalton (December 19, 2018). "Four former Survivor players to return for Edge of Extinction season". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
^Rudolph, Ileane (February 7, 2007). "Survivor Bombshell: Fiji's "Babe" Reveals Why She Bailed!". TV Guide. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
^Bierly, Mandi (June 2, 2014). "'Survivor': Two contestants left show before filming began in Nicaragua -- EXCLUSIVE". EW.com. Retrieved June 2, 2014.