The Cast of ‘Survivor’ Season 48 Reveal the Players They Want to see Return for Show’s 50th Season

The highly-anticipated 50th season of “Survivor” is slated to debut on CBS in Spring 2026 and, less than a year from its premier, the castaways of “Survivor” Season 48 have weighed in on which contestants they’d like to see return for the landmark season. 

‘Survivor’ Season 50 Puts the Power “In the Hands of the Fans”

Executive Producer Jeff Probst, who has hosted the show since its inception in 2000, announced that the upcoming 50th season would be “In the Hands of the Fans” in February. Probst went on to claim that the season would be “unlike anything we’ve done before. For the first time ever, our loyal fans will take control – deciding key elements of the game, from twists to idols to advantages. I can’t wait to see what the fans choose for our returning players.”

”Survivor 50” will be the first season since 2020’s “Survivor: Winners at War” season to feature returning castaways from past seasons. However, it remains uncertain as to whether or not fans will play a role in casting the upcoming season, as they were able to for Season 31, “Survivor: Cambodia – Second Chance” in 2015. 

Here’s Who the ‘Survivor 48’ Cast Wants to See Return for ‘Survivor 50’

While fans may not be able to vote in their favorite former cast members, the cast of the show’s currently airing 48th season have weighed in on which of the former castaways they’d like to see return and earn the title of “Sole Survivor” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. 

Mary Zheng, a substance abuse counselor from Montgomery Village, Maryland, kicked off her “Survivor” journey on Season 48’s Vula Tribe. Despite a rocky start for the tribe, Zheng has earned a spot in the post-Merge game. 

Zheng called for “Survivor 48” castaway Emily Flippen to return to the game, telling Entertainment Weekly, “I feel like she just started hitting her stride and I saw her make a complete 180 and be very strategic, but in a way that seemed caring, which I feel like is a deadly combo.” Both Zheng and Flippen’s original tribes suffered a string of harsh losses in the early stages of the game, though both women later made it to the Merge. 

Kevin Leung, who was voted out of the Vula Tribe on the fifth day of “Survivor 48,” said he’d like to see Season 37 castaway Christian Hubicki return for another stab at the competition. 

“[Christain] showed everyone that you don’t have to be this gigantic physical brawn. You can be yourself, you can be witty, and you can utilize your strengths,” Leung said. 

While many players called on ‘new-era’ (Season 41-47) castaways to return to the show, others called on legacy players to return, including Season 48’s Cedrek McFadden and Kyle Fraser, both of whom said they want to see Cirie Fields to return for yet another shot at the crown. 

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Fields first joined the cast of “Survivor: Panama” in 2005 before returning to the series an impressive four additional times in “Survivor: Micronesia”, “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains”, “Survivor: Game Changers”, and, most recently “Survivor: Australia vs. The World.”

”I want to be her friend,” said McFadden, adding, “I just think she is all that’s right in the desire to enter this game – to be at home, to look at the screen and say, ‘You know what? Maybe I can do that’.”

Fraser echoed his tribemate’s sentiment, telling Entertainment Weekly, “Obviously [Cirie’s] a good player, but I think she truly embodies this game. She has these talents that are far beyond her just coming out here and coming into herself.”

While Fields has never won “Survivor,” she became the first-ever winner of the American version of “The Traitors” in 2023. Since then, a number of “Survivor” contestants have appeared on the competition reality series, including two-time “Survivor” winners Tony Vlachos and Sandra Diaz-Twine, as well as Season 44’s Carolyn Wiger, who played ‘Traitor’ alongside Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano on “The Traitors” Season 3. 

“[Carolyn’s] freaking awesome,” said “Survivor 48” contestant Chrissy Sarnowsky, calling for Wiger’s return on Season 50. “I could just see she was street smart, a little dizzy, which I loved, and she had great gameplay. I think what killed her was her speech at the end. You could see her shoulder. I don’t know what sunk out of her.”

Other former “Survivor” players recommended by the Season 48 cast to return for “Survivor 50” included Season 46 first-out David Jelinsky, “Survivor: One World” winner Kim Spradlin-Wolfe, and “Survivor 45” finalist Austin Li Coon.