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:

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

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

Alliances are quickly forming

01:54 , Inga Parkel

The all-male alliances are... going

01:56 , Inga Parkel

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!

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

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.

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.