Survivor Season 42: Release Date, Cast, And New Details

There are very few shows that can say they're on to their 42nd season, but with "Survivor" it's understandable. Countless survivalist programs exist today, but none quite match the iconic level that "Survivor" has reached. Spanning over 21 years, the trailblazing series has one of the most loyal and intense fanbases in the reality competition television world. With every season offering a new exciting location and even more intriguing theme, the show just never gets old. 

The "Survivor" Season 41 finale is just around the corner, with the shorter-than-usual season set to conclude on December 15, 2021. As host Jeff Probst told Entertainment Weekly, the truncated season was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. "For us to shoot two seasons of 39 days, back to back, along with our 14-day quarantine, would have meant nearly 100 days, and that was simply too long," he said. 

Fans don't yet know who will get crowned Survivor, but they do know that the uniquely shorter season will also have a unique ending, with the Final Five heading off to a new island for the remaining days (per Vulture). Meanwhile, CBS are wasting no time and have already secured the next round...

While fans eagerly wait in anticipation to see who will win Season 41, they can rest easy knowing another season is coming right around the corner. The official Twitter account of "Survivor" CBS shared a fun gif of host Jeff Probst with an exciting announcement: "#Survivor 42 is coming for you, March 9th!" Season 41 may have been cut short, but CBS is more than making up for it with another season already under way and a release date already set for a two-hour premiere on March 9th, 2022 (per Parade).

As if that weren't enough, it looks like Season 43 will also be coming pretty soon, with the official CBS website already posting a call to casting asking new contestants to apply for a chance to compete. The post clarified that taping will take place between mid May, 2022 and early July, 2022, so it should hopefully be released a couple of months after Season 42 wraps up. 

For the average viewer, you find out the cast of the new "Survivor" season as they roll up in the boats or helicopters to the island set to be their new home. Well, true fanatics aren't exactly down to wait. Expert scoop website Inside Survivor has always been first to break any big story about a "Survivor" spoiler, and they've been working overtime on Season 42. While CBS has yet to announce the cast of the new season, and certainly haven't confirmed the rumors, Inside Survivor have shared a list of the rumored new cast. According to Inside Survivor, there will be 18 castaways on the Jeff Probst-hosted series, and the detailed lineup shows a diverse range of ages and backgrounds, such as a 19-year-old student and a 57-year-old retired firefighter. 

As Deadline reported back in 2020, CBS implemented a diversity goal that year for their unscripted series that requires 50% of the cast members be BIPOC. It's great to see that the rumored lineup of Season 42 of "Survivor" seems to line up with this goal.

"Survivor" has become known for its exciting and challenging themes, from the iconic Exile Islands to Fans vs Favorites — the latter of which, as the name suggests, brought back old castaways to compete with die-hard viewers of the show. However, CBS decided to switch things up starting from Season 41 and strip the themes down. Host Jeff Probst spoke to Variety all about this move. "For right now, where 'Survivor' needs to go is with fresh faces, fresh voices, players who are of the moment, players who can let us watch them and learn," he explained. "I think we are all ready for a new start. Not because the past wasn't great, but precisely because it was so great. Let's go do it again." For now it seems like Season 42 will be following the same stripped-back formula and won't have a theme. What's more, it also takes place in Fiji (per Gold Derby). 

The rumor mill has spoken, and it sounds like tribe names will continue to be a part of the show. Inside Survivor shared the supposed tribe setup of the new cast: The Vati, Taku, and Ika tribes will all be made up of six contestants.