By Terry Terrones
Get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and camaraderie as TV’s greatest game kicks off its landmark 50th season
Have you ever wanted to dive into your TV screen and land right in the middle of your favourite show? That’s exactly what it feels like to be on location in Fiji for Survivor.
The granddaddy of reality TV, Survivor is a thrill to watch from your couch — but standing on a Fijian beach while Colby quietly strategizes with Rizo? That’s a whole different kind of rush. That’s where I found myself in June 2025, along with a handful of other journalists, as filming kicked off for Survivor 50.
To be honest, I was a little nervous going in. I’d been invited to fly out to Fiji, interview the cast and crew, watch the marooning, tour the tribe camps, compete in challenges with the Dream Team, and watch the season’s first Tribal Council live. For a lifelong Survivor fan, it sounded too good to be true.
But the reality? It didn’t just live up to the hype, it blew it out of the water.
Meeting the Cast
My time in Fiji began with cast interviews, held on one of the Mamanuca Islands. I’ve been to a lot of TV locations, but none like Survivor. Remote, outdoors and rugged, it required being ready to get wet, dirty and hike through jungle. Exactly what I’d signed up for.
Because the cast was bigger than usual — 24 players instead of the typical 18 — interviews were spread over two days. Each press outlet had a small setup: canopy, folding table, two chairs and no electricity. Just sand, heat and prep. But the interviews were dynamite.
I got about 20 minutes per castaway (shortest was 18, longest 30), and could ask anything. No publicist hovering, no question approvals, no cutoffs. Honestly, I was stunned. Compared to typical press junkets, this was generous and rare.
Even better? The cast. They were genuinely thrilled to be there and all understood the weight of season 50. Chatting one-on-one gave me a true sense of who they were. Cirie was magnetic. Genevieve was playful, Christian funny and thoughtful. And Coach? Totally zen.
Marooning Day on Castaway Island
Members of the press got to watch the season’s marooning on none other than Castaway Island — that’s right, where Cast Away with Tom Hanks was filmed. Unlike in the movie, the island isn’t isolated; several others are nearby, including the one where we interviewed the cast.
Players arrived by boat, host Jeff Probst welcomed everyone to Survivor 50, tribes were revealed and then the marooning challenge almost began. After Jeff greeted everyone, filming paused. The players took tribe photos, the crew reconfigured their setup, and Jeff walked each group through the course, explaining every detail and answering questions. Jeff’s a machine. Everything goes through him and during filming there’s no earpiece, no retakes. Once the cameras roll, he hits every beat: what to say, where to stand, who to ask what. His job is far more complex than it appears.
When all tribes were prepped, filming resumed and the challenge began. Viewing it up close is amazing. Between the 24 players, Jeff’s live commentary, drones buzzing overhead, divers waiting offshore and camera operators weaving around it was a chaotic ballet that was beyond captivating.
A Visit to Camp
Of all the experiences I had, visiting camp might have been the most surreal. Most of the early conversations at camp between players were light as people were still feeling each other out. But watching the game unfold in real time, just feet away, was wild.
I saw Jonathan crack open a coconut in 10 seconds, leaving Dee genuinely impressed. Christian launched into a hilarious explanation of his math-themed t-shirt, one that still baffled Ozzy. And I watched Charlie try on Coach’s toe ring while the rest of the tribe howled with laughter.
Witnessing these moments up close, close enough to touch a castaway if I wanted, was as bizarre as it was unforgettable. As long as I stood behind the boom mic operator, I could get right in the thick of it.
Competing in Challenges
One of the things I was most excited about when I got the Fiji invite was competing in a challenge rehearsal with the Dream Team. I thought I’d get to do one. I ended up doing three.
The first, and toughest, was the season’s first immunity challenge. It was brutal fun. John Kirhoffer, who’s overseen every Survivor challenge since the start, walked us through each section. Some parts were team-based, others required one or two people to take the lead. My group had four press members and four Dream Teamers. By the end, we were caked in mud, scraped up and completely spent. We finished, but it was a blast.
Tribal Council
Our final day on location was packed. That afternoon, we watched the first immunity challenge. It looked just as tough on the castaways as it had been on us, which made me feel slightly better about my group’s last-place finish. That night, we witnessed the season’s first tribal council.
On TV, tribal council lasts about 10 minutes. In real life? Try 90. The press were in a nearby tent, watching on a monitor. First, we saw Dream Teamers stand in as lighting and camera references. Then the real thing played out, unfolding slowly, full of tension and subtle strategy. Afterward, we saw the exit interview with the first person voted out. What’s a quick sound bite on the show was a five-minute postmortem packed with emotion.
Once the remaining players were sent back to camp, we got to explore tribal council. It was massive in scale and rich in detail. I sat in every tribe member’s seat, checked out the fire pit, spotted hidden cameras, and examined the torches up close. Best of all, I got to step into the iconic voting booth. I wrote my wife’s name on a parchment (as my winner pick!) and would later give it to her as a souvenir.
The Survivor Experience
I flew to Fiji with sky-high expectations and a carry-on full of Survivor fanboy dreams. Surely nothing could possibly live up to the Survivor of my imagination. And yet, it did. In fact, it’s fair to say that the experience outwitted, outplayed and outlasted my expectations entirely.
I spoke with 10 crew members — Dream Teamers, producers, camera operators — and every one of them was thoughtful, generous, and in love with the show. Jeff Probst, who I interviewed and chatted with often, was smart, warm, and somehow still had time to ask me questions. (Jeff Probst asked me questions. I’ll be riding that high until season 60.)
Everyone I met cared deeply about what they were doing and that care shows up in every frame of the show. I didn’t think it was possible to love Survivor more than I already did. By the time I left Fiji, I was muddied, sunburned and even more in awe of the game I thought I already knew inside and out.
Terry Terrones is a Television Critics Association and Critics Choice Association member, licensed drone pilot and aspiring hand model.
Survivor airs Wednesdays on Global & CBS