The return of everyone’s favorite competition series is right around the corner!
We are less than a month away from the premiere of Survivor 45, and we can’t wait to see a brand-new lineup of castaways (with the exception of Survivor 44‘s Bruce Perreault) attempt to outwit, outplay, and outlast their competition.
“These 18 strangers have agreed to be abandoned in the islands of Fiji… They must learn to adapt, or they’ll be voted out… In the end, only one will remain to claim the million-dollar prize,” host Jeff Probst teased in the season’s spine-chilling trailer.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to step on this beach,” one castaway shared.
“The game is more volatile than ever,” another dished.
As the anticipation builds for Survivor‘s highly-anticipated 45th season (which is sure to be nothing short of spectacular) keep scrolling to find out everything we know so far…
When will Survivor 45 premiere?
During the premiere of Big Brother 25, an advertisement for Survivor 45 revealed that the beloved competition series is set to return to CBS on September 27, and it is guaranteed to be even bigger and better than before.
The series will run from from 8pm to 9:30pm ET/PT every Wednesday, making history as the first time that the beloved competition series will have weekly episodes longer than 60 minutes, and we can’t wait to see what these super-sized episodes will have in store!
When and where did Survivor 45 film?
Based on the hit competition show’s previous track record, Survivor typically films two seasons back-to-back in the spring and summer, with one season set to air in the fall of that year and one season set to air in the following spring. Survivor 41 and 42 were filmed in 2021 and 43 and 44 were filmed in 2022, so it is safe to assume that Survivor 45 and Survivor 46 were filmed earlier this year.
As for the filming location, rather than jumping from place to place like the franchise did in the past, Survivor‘s permanent location (at least for now) is Mamanuca Islands, Fiji. Beginning in season 33 — Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X — the brains behind the series set up shop in the stunning oceanic country, and they have not looked back since.
“I hope we stay here forever,” Probst gushed back in 2017.
Who will be competing on Survivor 45?
While we are unsure as to whether or not this cast is 100% accurate, an article from Showbiz Cheat Sheet revealed who will likely be hitting the beach this season, as well as what the tribe divisions will look like to begin Survivor 45:
Blue Tribe:
- Brando Meyer (22): Software developer from Seattle, Washington
- Bruce Perreault (46): Navy veteran/insurance agent from Warwick, Rhode Island
- Jake O’Kane (26): Law school graduate from Hanson, Massachusetts
- Katurah Topps (34): Civil rights lawyer from New York, New York
- Kellie Nalbandian (29): Nurse from New York, New York
- Kendra McQuarrie (30): Bartender from Salem, Massachusetts
Red Tribe:
- Austin Li Coon (26): Business student from Chicago, Illinois
- Drew Basile (22): Grad student from Birmingham, Michigan
- Nicholas “Sifu” Alsup (30): Martial arts instructor from O’Fallon, Illinois
- Dianelys “Dee” Valladares (26): Sales development representative from Miami, Florida
- J. Maya (23): Singer/songwriter from the San Francisco Bay Area, California
- Julie Alley (49): Associate attorney from Nashville, Tennessee
Yellow Tribe:
- Emily Flippen (28): Financial analyst from Washington, D.C.
- Hannah Rose (32): Counselor from Baltimore, Maryland
- Sabiyah Broderick (27): Truck driver/Marine Corps veteran from Decatur, Georgia
- Brandon Donlon (25): Content producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Kaleb Gebrewold (28): Sales and marketing coach from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
- Sean Edwards (34): School principal from Provo, Utah
Based on these tribe divisions (as well as some Instagram sleuthing) fans of the beloved competition series have collectively deemed the Blue Tribe to be the strongest, based on first impressions alone.
“Blue Tribe [is] the frontrunner of the three tribes in my opinion,” an anonymous Reddit user shared. “Brando is definitely the first of this tribe to go, however, that could be well into the pre-merge, as this tribe appears to be clearly physically dominant. I’m not sure where the other five will end up, but I’m sure they’ll all make it quite far.”
In addition to this, @RGSF150 shared their theories regarding the Blue Tribe. “I can see a three person alliance of Bruce, Jake, and Katurah forming with Kellie and Kendra being the equivalent of Ellie and Jeannine from Survivor 43,” the Reddit user predicted. “I think Brando is the most likely to leave first from this bunch, as I don’t see him connecting with several of his tribemates… I’ve been proven wrong before, so maybe I’ll be wrong this time.” Poor Brando!
To top it all off, the Blue Tribe features the return of Bruce Perreault — the Survivor 44 contestant who will be returning to the beach for the second time — ultimately making history as the first new era castaway to play another season of Survivor.
If you remember the action-packed premiere of Survivor 44, you may remember Bruce severely injuring his head during the first challenge of the season, causing him to be removed from the game after just a few hours. Even though he was medically evacuated early on in his season, Probst is giving him the opportunity to join the cast for Survivor 45.
“In the spirit of what Survivor is all about, getting up off the couch, leaving your ordinary world behind — your family, your friends — left to fend for yourself in the jungle and say yes to adventure, I don’t think Bruce got his fair share of Survivor,” the Emmy Award-winning host teased on his On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast back in March. “Here’s the announcement. We are officially inviting Bruce to play Survivor again. First player of the new era invited back. It’s kind of exciting. It just felt like the right call.”
Despite his untimely exit, Bruce proved himself to be a physical threat during his mere hours on the beach, and we can’t wait to see him lead the Blue Tribe to victory!