Survivor 50 Cast Revealed: Coach’s 100‑Hour Fasts and Long Island’s Notable Absence
The Survivor 50 Cast was unveiled ahead of the Feb. 25 premiere at 8 p. m. ET, confirming a 24-player, all-returnee field split into three tribes and setting up a milestone season built around fan influence.
Survivor 50 Cast: tribes, returns and the theme
The Survivor 50 Cast is the largest returning-player field yet, with 24 contestants from across the show’s history. Players are divided into three starting tribes—Cila (orange), Kalo (teal) and Vatu (magenta)—and the season’s theme is "In the Hands of the Fans. " The opening tribe rosters include well-known competitors such as Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Cirie Fields, Ozzy Lusth and Colby Donaldson, alongside other familiar faces like Mike White, Christian Hubicki and Benjamin "Coach" Wade, who is listed on the Kalo tribe.
This season marks the sixth time the series has assembled an all-returning cast. Producers have set the stage with a mix of veterans spanning early seasons through the most recent, creating a field designed to test both old rivalries and fresh strategies. The full roster of 24 is confirmed and will compete for the Sole Survivor title when the season premieres on Feb. 25 at 8 p. m. ET.
Coach Wade’s prep: 100‑hour fasts and a changed approach
One prominent development in the lead-up to the season is the preparation of Benjamin "Coach" Wade. Coach, a multi-season returnee, says he incorporated 100‑hour fasts into his training for this edition. He described those extended fasts as a major change to how he prepped, bringing a mental and physical edge he planned to deploy during the game. Coach has repeatedly refined his approach over multiple trips into the game, and the 100‑hour fasts represent the most recent adjustment he highlighted ahead of this season.
Coach’s stated preparation is one of the clear personal narratives entering the season, and his inclusion on the Kalo tribe puts that storyline front and center from the start.
Long Island’s legacy — and absence — amid the milestone season
Another notable development tied to this season is a regional shift: none of the 24 returning contestants hail from Long Island, ending a long pattern of representation. Across the first 49 seasons, Long Island produced 17 contestants and yielded two winners and two runners-up. The two winners from Long Island named in the record are Tom Westman and Tommy Sheehan, while Kim Johnson and Domenick Abbate finished second in their respective seasons. That history made Long Island a notable feeder region for the show, and its absence from this milestone cast stands out as a distinctive change.
Producers have packed Season 50 with familiar faces and storylines — the largest-ever all-returning field, the three-tribe opening configuration, Coach’s altered prep, and the theme placing agency with fans — while shifting the geographic storylines that have threaded through the series for decades.
The season premieres Feb. 25 at 8 p. m. ET, when viewers will see how these developments — from the Survivor 50 Cast mix to individual preparations such as Coach’s fasts — play out on the island.
