There are long-running reality competition shows, and then there’s Survivor. The CBS series helped to change the TV world forever, and the network is still airing two new seasons every year. What’s more, the most recent Survivor season got an Emmy Nomination for the first time in 17 years (although there was debate about who got votes in the Survivor finale). The whopping 45th season will premiere this fall, but filming is seemingly underway for yet another installment. Google Maps photographed the Survivor island in Fiji, and seemingly confirmed one major detail about Season 46. Let’s break it all down.
Survivor has been on the air for decades thanks to its dedicated fanbase (which includes Tom Holland), who dissect and discuss every frame of what happens on the island. Those fans sometimes go to great length in their sleuthing in order to procure any information about what’s coming in forthcoming seasons. Case in point: a viral tweet used Google Maps to seemingly discover a detail about Season 46. Namely that the castaways will start on three tribes at the top of the game. Check it out below:
Google Maps satellite images seems to have captured Day 1 of #Survivor46 pic.twitter.com/UtURyylS6HJuly 27, 2023
How cool is that? While CBS likely didn’t plan this, it looks like overhead cameras managed to capture the moment where Survivor 46 begins. While this arguably ruins that surprise, the network might be pleased to know that anticipation is already building for the season as it’s filming. And smart money says that the viewership will be strong throughout Season 45 as well. CinemaBlend's own Mack Rawden has some suggestions for changes to Survivor 45.
While it might be somewhat hard to see, the image above shows one of the most exciting moments of any Survivor season: the castaway’s first entrance. We can see three different boats speeding toward the shore, as well as the set up for the first challenge of the season. In addition to three boats, we also see that the challenge has three different lines, presumably one for each tribe. We’ll just have to wait and see how it shakes out when Survivor 46 premieres, presumably in the spring.
Three tribe seasons have become fairly common on Survivor over the years. Separating the contestants into smaller groups allows for the audience to get to know them far quicker. What’s more, there’s less place to hide for whichever tribe ends up losing Immunity and going to Tribal Council with Jeff Probst. And as such, it might not be too surprising that the show is following this trend for the forthcoming 46th seasons.
This update is definitely exciting, although I admit that I do prefer the classic two tribe format for Survivor’s first stage of gameplay. I love when there are more numbers to work with, which results in tight alliances forming like the Tika 3. But maybe they’ll go back to two tribes sometime in the future.
Survivor 45 will premiere this fall, although there’s no date yet. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next movie experience.
