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 is set to return for another go on CBS. While much of the CBS fall TV schedule is up in the air because of the ongoing writers' strike, one thing we can almost assuredly count on is that Survivor season 45 is going to be 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.
Survivor season 45 release date
There is no release date for Survivor season 45 at this time, but even with the uncertainty surrounding the fall TV schedule because of the writers' strike, the fact that Survivor is an unscripted reality show should ensure that it arrives sometime in September.
While we don't have an exact date, we know that Survivor season 45 is once again going to be a part of CBS's Wednesday night lineup, alongside the latest season of The Amazing Race. In fact, CBS is supersizing both Survivor and The Amazing Race, with each show going from the traditional 60-minute episodes to 90 minutes.
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
We have not been given an official cast list, but the Survivor season 44 finale featured a preview of the next season that gave fans a first look at the "castaways" for season 45, which includes 17 new faces and one familiar one.
After suffering an injury in the very first challenge and being forced to leave the game, Survivor season 44's Bruce Perreault is getting another shot to live out his Survivor dream. Fans will likely be rooting for him to have a better time on the island this go around.
As for who will be joining him, we didn't get any names, but describing themselves in the preview there seems to be a native of Cuba, a US Marine Corp vet, a brainiac who turned down Yale and MIT, someone who wants to live off the grid, a musician, a descendant of a bank robber, a self-described neurotic, an opportunistic player, a Boston native who lives with his grandmother and someone who is restarting her life and attending law school.
Survivor season 45 trailer
Here is the Survivor season 45 preview that was shown during the season 44 finale:
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
