Survivor has been on air for 84 years (fine, since 2o00) and the show is celebrating with a all-star season. Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans premieres on February 25 with a cast of alums (including White Lotus creator Mike White!), who just revealed what the living conditions on the show were really like.
Us Weekly spoke to the cast about the vibes on set, and the answers were honestly shocking. Rick Devens told the outlet "There’s no hygiene whatsoever. You’re scraping your teeth with a little piece of bamboo. What surprised me most was how quickly I got used to it." Meanwhile, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick said "We had nothing [in 2005], like a boat and a machete, maybe a pot. I don’t think we ever got rice."
The sleeping conditions were especially brutal, with Kamilla Karthigesu saying "The first night, I went to sleep and thought, 'Oh, maybe when I wake up, the producers will have left fruit on the ground for us so we’ll have food.' They didn’t." Charlie Davis added, "Sleeping on the bamboo is the worst. There’s no way to get comfortable. Randen [Montalvo] from my season got nerve damage from it and had to be medically evacuated." Christian Hubicki also noted "I did not anticipate the mental fatigue of it all. I expected the hunger. But the rain sucked. You’re always cold, you’re always wet and nothing’s ever dry.
Then there's the bathroom situation...or lack thereof. Savannah Louie said "I never thought I’d poop in the ocean. I was so anxious. Then you just squat down and do it."
Honestly, all of them are legends for getting through it!
Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans premieres February 25 on CBS and Paramount+. Per the log line, "24 returning players are abandoned on the islands of Fiji for a monumental 50th season, with the chance to win $1 million. The theme of the season, 'In the Hands of the Fans,' quickly materializes as decisions from the fan vote swiftly and forcefully impact the game."
