Survivor 46 premiere: Castaways divided into three teams as first challenges get underway

18 contestants will compete for the $1m (£794,000) prize as Jeff Probst returns as host for another season of Survivor

Survivor 46 Trailer

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.

[28 February 2024 20:10 · Tom Murray]

Welcome to The Independent’s Survivor blog!

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?

[28 February 2024 20:51 · Tom Murray]

Watch: Survivor 46 Trailer

[28 February 2024 21:25 · Tom Murray]

How to watch the premiere

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.

[28 February 2024 21:53 · Tom Murray]

Jeff Probst teases major change to show’s format

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.

[28 February 2024 22:34 · Tom Murray]

You can already watch the first 12 minutes of episode one

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.

[28 February 2024 22:56 · Tom Murray]

A mood today:

[28 February 2024 23:50 · Tom Murray]

What time does Survivor start tonight?

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.

[29 February 2024 00:20 · Tom Murray]

Who won Survivor 45?

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.”

[29 February 2024 01:01 · Inga Parkel]

Here we go!

[29 February 2024 01:03 · Inga Parkel]

The group have already been divided into three tribes: Yanu (purple), Sega (green) and Nami (orange)