Survivor 46 premiere: Castaways divided into three teams as first challenges get underway
Survivor returned for its 46th season on Wednesday (28 February)
Survivor 46 welcomed 18 new castaways to compete for the $1m (£794,000) prize as they are marooned on a desert island in Fiji.
Participants were divided into three tribes of six, and according to a press release, “will endure a faster, more intense season from the moment they step foot on the beach”.
The second episode, released next Wednesday, will also run for two hours before returning to its regular 90-minute format in the following weeks.
In the lead-up to the premiere, longtime host Jeff Probst has teased a major change to the show’s format.
He also confirmed that the forthcoming series is “one of the most vicious seasons ever”.
Meet the 18 contestants here and follow along live below for all the biggest moments from the first episode.
Welcome to The Independent’s Survivor blog!
Wednesday 28 February 2024 20:10 , Tom Murray
Hello Survivor fans! It’s that time of year again. We’re gearing up for the season 46 premiere tonight where we’ll be bringing you all the biggest moments and reactions.
As we wait, why not acquaint yourselves with this year’s contestants?
Survivor season 46: Meet the cast of 18 competing for $1m
Watch: Survivor 46 Trailer
Wednesday 28 February 2024 20:51 , Tom Murray
How to watch the premiere
Wednesday 28 February 2024 21:25 , Tom Murray
Not sure how to watch in your territory? The Independent has you covered.
The forthcoming series will debut with two, two-hour episodes airing on Wednesday 28 February and Wednesday 6 March, beginning at 8pm ET/PT on CBS. 90-minute episodes will air weekly after that.
Paramount+ subscribers will also be able to stream the episode live. It will also be available to Paramount+ Essential subscribers the next day on the platform.
Survivor season 46: How and when to watch the premiere
Jeff Probst teases major change to show’s format
Wednesday 28 February 2024 21:53 , Tom Murray
Longtime Survivor host Jeff Probst has addressed the tonal shift in the recent seasons of the popular game show.
Before the hit CBS series was forced to take a pause in 2020 due to the pandemic, it was common for certain contestants to be shown acting rude on camera – commonly known as a “villain edit” by fans.
However, since its return in December 2021 with season 40, several viewers have noticed that the show has appeared to lack obvious villains.
Speaking to two-time Survivor contestant Rob Cesternino on a recent episode of Rob Has a Podcast about the show’s evolution, Probst revealed that this was a deliberate decision.
Read more:
Survivor host Jeff Probst teases change to show’s format ahead of season premiere
You can already watch the first 12 minutes of episode one
Wednesday 28 February 2024 22:34 , Tom Murray
CBS has released the first 12 minutes of Survivor 46 ahead of its two-hour premiere on Wednesday (28 February).
In three separate videos uploaded to TikTok, viewers are given a sneak peek at what they can expect from the season debut.
Read more:
Survivor 46: First 12 minutes of season premiere arrives early on TikTok
Wednesday 28 February 2024 22:56 , Tom Murray
A mood today:
Me @ my coworkers today knowing Survivor 46 is premiering tonight #Survivor pic.twitter.com/xoHAk60Ej7
— Gia Worthy ❤️🖤💚 (@classicallygia) February 28, 2024
What time does Survivor start tonight?
Wednesday 28 February 2024 23:50 , Tom Murray
Tonight’s season premiere will air on CBS at 8pm ET. Viewers on the west coast will also have to wait until 8pm local time to watch the show as it will not be broadcast across timezones.
Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers will also be able to stream the episode live while Paramount+ Essential subscribers will be able to catch up the next day on the platform.
The forthcoming series will begin with two, two-hour episodes airing tonight and Wednesday 6 March. 90-minute episodes will air weekly after that.
Who won Survivor 45?
00:20 , Tom Murray
26-year-old Dee Valladares from Havana, Cuba beat fellow contestants Austin Li Coon and Jake O’Kane in a final jury vote of 5-3-0 for the final prize.
“I thought Dee played a tremendous overall game, which is key to getting deep, but if I had to highlight just one thing that stood out, it would be the pace with which she played,” host Jeff Probst told Entertainment Weekly last year.
“She did a really good job of ebbing and flowing based on the momentum of each day. In the early days, she focused on cementing a solid alliance with Julie, Austin, and Drew. As the game progressed, she decided she could trust that alliance enough to carve out an even deeper alliance with Julie. She continued to pay attention and recognize when the game was shifting to another stage, and that is what she based her decisions on.
“She really didn’t make a big push to take over until late in the game when she could envision a path to the final four. That approach worked for Dee, it might not be the right approach for someone else. The key to playing this game is playing the game that works for you. It’s so hard to be courageous enough to trust your gut because fear can invade and you worry about making the wrong move, but ultimately it is the only path.”
01:01 , Inga Parkel
Here we go!
01:03 , Inga Parkel
The group have already been divided into three tribes: Yanu (purple), Sega (green) and Nami (orange)
01:04 , Inga Parkel
We’ve got a few Swifties in the house. It remains to be seen whether that trait will serve the contestants well or not.
First challenge
01:10 , Inga Parkel
First place team of challenge one will earn the first batch of supplies: a pot, machete and flint.
Second place will earn the choice between a sweat or savvy task.
Team Nami wins!
01:15 , Inga Parkel
They earn their tribe supplies.
While Segu comes in second; it looks like Yanu is the loser of the first challenge.
01:16 , Inga Parkel
Segu chooses the savvy task, and gives Yanu the sweat task.
Early fan favourite?
01:16 , Inga Parkel
30 seconds in and Tevin is the main character of Survivor 46 #Survivor pic.twitter.com/TRCA4Y4gaX
— Gia Worthy ❤️🖤💚 (@classicallygia) February 29, 2024
01:24 , Inga Parkel
Team Yanu (the losers of the first challenge) have been handed down the sweat task. Two team members must fill up a vat with water, using buckets with holes, while the rest seem to be searching for food.
01:26 , Inga Parkel
Team Sega must complete savvy tasks (mental puzzles) to earn their tribe supplies. Two teammates were chosen to try and complete the task, while the rest of the tribe lounges in the water bonding.
01:29 , Inga Parkel
We’ve got 26-year-old Charlie Davis and 31-year-old Ben Katzman as part of the “Dumb and Dumber alliance”. They aren’t doing so hot on that savvy task, so they might lose the supplies for their tribe...
And let there be fire!
01:32 , Inga Parkel
27-year-old Soda was the first to light a fire.
Jelinsky gives up in frustration
01:37 , Inga Parkel
Jelinksy, part of team Yanu, already threw in the towel. Telling the camera that this is the most challenging physical task he’s ever done in his life, he then tossed the hourglass into the sand. His teammate Q was not impressed and took a mental note that when the going gets tough, Jelinksy’s not the one to call on.
Kenzie crowns herself the Queen of the Tribe
01:44 , Inga Parkel
29-year-old Kenzie is forming alliances within her tribe pretty quickly. So far, she’s connected with Q, Tiffany, and Jelinksy. She was unimpressed with Jess, who wasn’t interested in talking strategy.
Fans react to Jelinksy smashing the hourglass in frustration
01:47 , Inga Parkel
Sure I’m not there on that island…..but there was a lot of sand left in that hourglass but idk🤧😅🤣#Survivor #Survivor46 pic.twitter.com/JNYIwTHSp3
— Alex Addison (@alexadd) February 29, 2024
Alliances are quickly forming
01:54 , Inga Parkel
The Andy Griffith Alliance, The Charlie’s Angels Alliance, what’s next? The Brady Bunch Alliance? #Survivor #Survivor46 pic.twitter.com/siF84WRMXx
— Jake (@RingoJake41) February 29, 2024
The all-male alliances are... going
01:56 , Inga Parkel
“I have a wife. I have a grandma. I know how women operate.”
Ah, yes. The two types of women: wife, grandma. #survivor46 pic.twitter.com/zGhA60saxy— paige (survivor commentary, etc) brown (@turnthepaigeh) February 29, 2024
Two-hour special premiere
01:57 , Inga Parkel
We’re nearing the end of the first hour of Survivor 46, but alas we have another hour to go!
No context Survivor 46 premiere
#Survivor #Survivor2024 #Survivor46 pic.twitter.com/4UhWuJ3g5B— inmedialife (@inmedialife) February 29, 2024
Teams enter day 2
02:00 , Inga Parkel
As viewers enter hour two of the premiere, the tribes are entering day two.
Three players must take a boat to an unknown location
02:11 , Inga Parkel
One contestant from each tribe must take a boat to an undisclosed location. They were informed they would return back to the main island by noon.
Q (orange), Maria (green) and Jelinsky (purple) are the three tributes who took the boat ride, where they were whisked away to another sandy beach and underwent another test of trust and whit. Q and Jelinsky basically had to try and convince Maria they were the holder of the correct card.
Jelinsky gave up again... the poor guy doesn’t seem to have a chance.
Jelinsky already has a target on his back
02:13 , Inga Parkel
Jelinsky is the worst #Survivor #Survivor46 pic.twitter.com/t1qioOqaOX
— Zaya J. is writing a romance novel! 🙌🏾 (@JordanZaya) February 29, 2024
Tiffany is at risk
02:16 , Inga Parkel
Tiffany must find the immunity idol to keep her vote. She found the box holding the idol, but now she must find the key to open the box, otherwise she loses her vote at the tribal council.
Team Nami wins immunity
02:39 , Tom Murray
Wow, how incredible were those 500lb geckos? A huge early win for Nami.
Here’s another angle of Nami’s #Survivor Immunity Challenge win, complete with a tribe song pic.twitter.com/ZiwWNGNCDc
— Mike Bloom (@AMikeBloomType) February 29, 2024
First elimination of ‘Survivor 46’
02:57 , Inga Parkel
Jelinsky, the so-called quitter of Yanu, has been voted out in the first tribal council of the season.