Survivor season 45: next episode, cast, host, location and everything we know about the reality show

Death, taxes and a new season of Survivor seem to be the things that we can count on in life, as the popular reality series returns for another go on CBS. One of the highlights of the CBS fall TV schedule, Survivor season 45 is entertaining viewers once again this fall.

There is going to be something different about this upcoming season of Survivor though, as it promises to be the biggest one ever in one particular aspect that we'll get into below. Beyond that, we wait with bated breath to see what twists and betrayals await as a new group of castaways tries to outlast each other.

Here is everything that we know about Survivor season 45.

When is the next Survivor season 45 episode?

The Survivor season 45 finale airs on Wednesday, December 20, on CBS starting at 8 pm ET/PT. While episodes have been 90 minutes all season, the season finale will double that as they will whittle down the final five to the Sole Survivor over the course of a three-hour episode.

Here is the official synopsis for the Survivor season 45 finale, "Living the Survivor Dream":

"The remaining five castaways must stack up a win in the immunity challenge to secure a spot in the final four. Then, one castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor on the three-hour season finale."

Survivor season 45 premise

In the odd chance that you have never seen an episode of Survivor and have no idea what it is about, here are the basics: 18 contestants compete to "outwit, outplay and outlast" each other and win $1 million. To do so, they will have to spend 26 days on a deserted island, compete in mental and physical challenges and form alliances and enact betrayals against their fellow competitors.

Survivor season 45 host

Jeff Probst has been the host of Survivor since the beginning of the reality series and that is not changing with season 45, as he is set to return for another year to oversee the show's challenges and Tribal Councils.

During his time as the Survivor host, Probst has won four Emmys for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program, all in consecutive years from 2008-2011. He also is a producer on the show, and earned another Emmy when it won Outstanding Non-Fiction Program in 2001, which actually predates the Emmys giving awards for Outstanding Reality Programs (begun in 2003).

Survivor season 45 cast

Here is a quick rundown of who is in the Survivor season 45 cast, what tribe they are in and who has been eliminated thus far. If you want more information on all of this, check out our feature on the Survivor season 45 cast.

Remaining

• Julie Alley

• Austin Li Coon

• Jake O'Kane

• Katurah Topps

• Dee Valladares

Eliminated

• Hannah Rose

• Brandon Donlon

• Sabiyah Broderick

• Sean Edwards

• Brandon "Brando" Meyer

• Janani Krishan-Jha

• Nicholas "Sifu" Alsup

• Kaleb Gebrewold

• Kellie Nalbandian

• Kendra McQuarrie

• Bruce Perreault

• Emily Flippen

• Drew Basile

Will any of these castaways earn their way on to WTW's list of best Survivor villains?

Survivor season 45 trailer

Here is the Survivor season 45 preview that was shown during the season 44 finale:

You can also watch the first three minutes of Survivor season 45 right here:

Survivor season 45 location

The latest season of Survivor is returning to the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji, which have been the permanent home for Survivor since season 33.

How to watch Survivor

Episodes of Survivor season 45 are going to air first on CBS, which means you need a traditional pay-TV cable subscription, a live TV streaming service that carries CBS (FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV) or a Paramount Plus premium plan to watch the episode live. Otherwise, new episodes are going to be available on-demand via Paramount Plus the next day.

You can watch past seasons, including the most recent Survivor season 44, on Paramount Plus. Two previous seasons (18 and 32) are available to stream on Netflix, while seasons 22-25, 27, 30-34 and 37-41 are streaming on Hulu.

Survivor winners

Here are all the previous winners of Survivor:

Survivor season 1: Richard Hatch
Survivor season 2: Tina Wesson
Survivor season 3: Ethan Zohn
Survivor season 4: Vecepia Towery
Survivor season 5: Brian Heidik
Survivor season 6: Jenna Morasca
Survivor season 7: Sandra Diaz-Twine
Survivor season 8: Amber Brkich
Survivor season 9: Chris Daugherty
Survivor season 10: Tom Westman
Survivor season 11: Danni Boatwright
Survivor season 12: Aras Baskauskas
Survivor season 13: Yul Kwon
Survivor season 14: Earl Cole
Survivor season 15: Todd Herzog
Survivor season 16: Parvati Shallow
Survivor season 17: Bob Crowley
Survivor season 18: J.T. Thomas
Survivor season 19: Natalie White
Survivor season 20: Sandra Diaz-Twine
Survivor season 21: Jud “Fabio” Birza
Survivor season 22: “Boston” Rob Mariano
Survivor season 23: Sophie Clarke
Survivor season 24: Kim Spradlin
Survivor season 25: Denise Stapley
Survivor season 26: John Cochran
Survivor season 27: Tyson Apostol
Survivor season 28: Tony Vlachos
Survivor season 29: Natalie Anderson
Survivor season 30: Mike Holloway
Survivor season 31: Jeremy Collins
Survivor season 32: Michele Fitzgerald
Survivor season 33: Adam Klein
Survivor season 34: Sarah Lacina
Survivor season 35: Ben Driebergen
Survivor season 36: Wendell Holland
Survivor season 37: Nick Wilson
Survivor season 38: Chris Underwood
Survivor season 39: Tommy Sheehan
Survivor season 40: Tony Vlachos
Survivor season 41: Erika Casupanan
Survivor season 42: Maryanna Oketch
Survivor season 43: Mike Gabler
Survivor season 44: Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho