- Survivor season 49 premieres on CBS on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m. EST.
- Two of this season’s castaways, Jason Treul and Michelle “MC” Chukwujekwu, are alternates who joined 12 hours before filming started.
- For the first time in the show’s history, two alternates were brought in at the same time as replacements for original cast members.
Though season 49 of Survivor is just getting started, there’s already some behind-the-scenes drama. (Because, let’s face it—it wouldn’t be reality TV without some off-camera chaos). As we get introduced to the 18 castaways during the season premiere tonight, host and showrunner Jeff Probst revealed that two of this year’s contestants, Jason Treul and Michelle “MC” Chukwujekwu, were actually alternates who joined 12 hours (!!!) before filming started. This is a huge deal in the show’s history, as this marks the first time that two alternates were brought in at once.
You might be asking how we even got to this point. As we tune in to the season 49 premiere, let’s break down what might have happened. But, first...
What does it mean to be an alternate on Survivor?
Every season, Survivor casts several alternate choices in case one of the main castaways breaks one of the show’s many rules. So, if they break a rule, they kiss their chances of becoming the Sole Survivor buh-bye—and an alternate replaces them in the competition. It’s certainly a way to stir the pot for other players, too.
Who are the Survivor season 49 alternates?
According to Jeff, the two people originally set to compete in Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands allegedly broke a major rule before filming even started. Enter: Hina tribe members Jason Treul and Michelle “MC” Chukwujekwu, who reportedly joined the cast a mere 12 hours before filming started.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly on August 28—the day before the switch was made—Jason and MC got candid about their short-lived experience as alternates.
“I call it being Schrödinger’s Survivor. Like, is he alive? Is he dead?” Jason told the publication. He also revealed part of his strategy in the eliminated player resort complex, Ponderosa.
“I need to play the hell out of Ponderosa in three ways,” he continued. “Most alternates get back on, but I might not, right? It’s always a possibility. So I have to live now, I have to live for the future, and I have to live for the never—all three.”
As for MC, she knew her knowledge as an alternate held some power. “A cool thing is that the people here don’t know I’m an alternate,” she said. “So they’re still sizing me up. ‘Do I want her as an alliance or not?’ It's been great reading people, and if I don’t make it in, I can watch the show and see how close I am. And also just mentally preparing myself [for the future].”
She added, “Ponderosa is rough. No talking, a lot of downtime. But if I come back another season, I’ll know that ahead of time and I feel like that’s going to make me stronger starting the game. Whereas other people will be weak from that.”
While transferring from alternate to a main cast member status in the same season is rare, Jason and MC aren’t the only alternates to play the game this season. Sage Ahrens-Nichols and Sophie Segreti were alternates on seasons 47 and 48, respectively, before becoming main castaways this season.
What major rule was broken for Jason and MC to be cast on Survivor?
So, what happened to the original players who were going to compete in Fiji? Per the show’s rules, cast members and alternates are largely isolated from one another before the game so they can’t form opinions that will affect their gameplay.
Survivor showrunner and host, Jeff Probst, told Parade, “We always try to remind the audience that the game is also alive for us at all times. Every single day we’re shooting Survivor, the game is alive. You don’t know what’s going to happen. That same uncertainty extends to casting, and we’ve never had it tested in this way.”
As for Jason and MC’s last-minute casting, Jeff separately explained to Entertainment Weekly that it happened because of a rule violation during the pre-game.
“This season, something unexpected happened and we removed two players from the game and our two alternates—who thought they were there just as insurance knowing that most likely they would be invited back next year to play—were suddenly thrust into the game. It was a shock, for sure,” he said...though he didn’t mention the violation in question.
But at long last, Jeff gave a clear answer for what went down during an interview with TV Insider, saying “blatant disrespect for the casting team” prompted him to send the players home. Per Jeff, the cut players were (as many fans had already guessed) interacting with other cast members before filming—and though they were “warned,” the two continued defying the rules.
“I cannot think of a time we have ever pulled somebody for violating our pre-game rule policy of not talking to other players,” Jeff told TV Insider. “I’m sure over the years we’ve had people push the envelope a bit and then our casting team will step in and say, ‘Hey, we know it’s difficult, but just remember you can’t talk until the game starts. And that’s when you’re in front of Jeff.’ This was very different.”
He added, “The decision was as swift as imaginable, and it was, ‘They’re both gone. Tell the alternates they’re in.’ And I’ll be honest, I didn’t lose any sleep over it.”
So...will Jason and MC be at an advantage or disadvantage this season? Only time will tell!! I, for one, can’t wait to watch their gameplay in action.
