Welcome To The Defector ‘Survivor 50’ Midseason Questionnaire

You can count on the things that mark the passage of time on Survivor. Early on, there’s the very first tribal council, the first tribal swap, the first double elimination. Nothing looms larger over the early game, though, than the possibility of making the merge. For those uninitiated, at some point about halfway through each season of Survivor, the remaining contestants all join together to form one giant tribe, and challenges broadly turn from team-based to individual; so does immunity, which heightens the tension somewhat. If the early parts of a Survivor season are about figuring out social dynamics and staying alive at all costs, the back half emphasizes the strategic aspects of the game. It’s where moves are made and legends are born, and it’s my personal favorite stretch.

In its sixth episode, Season 50 of Survivor arrived at the merge with a monstrous 17 people. (For reference, most merges are in the 10-13 range.) This made it clear that there would be some shenanigans afoot; tantalizing as the prospect of a jumbo-sized tribal council was, there would have to be. That ended up being true, and we’ll get to that, but the point is that this was a merge in the most technical sense, which situates us roughly at the halfway point of season 50. That seems as good a time as any to gather the Defector Survivor sickos—staff writers Luis Paez-Pumar (that’s me!), Kelsey McKinney, and Rachelle Hampton, as well as Normal Gossip producer Jae Towle Vieira—to check in on how the season is going, what we’ve loved and hated about it, and what we think will happen as we enter the very early stages of the season 50 endgame. So, grab your torch and crack open a coconut, we’re going in.

How are you liking the season so far?

Rachelle: I’m having a great time! This season of Survivor has become appointment viewing, which is always a fun experience. The most recent season that I watched came out in 2008, so this is my first introduction to the scheming children that seem to make up the majority of Survivor casts now. Watching the way they interact with the elder statesmen of the game is hilarious and, at times, deeply poignant; I think it’s that mix that keeps me coming back.  

Kelsey: I can’t decide how I feel about this season. I think the actual game play and vote-outs have been good and the cast is great. But there’s something about how self-seriously Jeff is taking the whole season that I find really insufferable. Stop telling me the fans picked! I also don’t think this show (or really any reality television) is served well by having to fill a longer time slot. I would rather have a great, surprising hour of television than 1.5 hours with 30 minutes where I mostly look at my phone.

Jae: It’s a thrill to see so many skilled players gathered together. Everyone is well-seasoned, everyone is a threat. It’s a joy to see this game played at a higher level. At the same time, it’s deeply frustrating to see the ways in which the production and game design has sabotaged the players’ ability to actually test their mettle. Whether I end up loving this season or hating it will have everything to do with whether Jeff, his twists, and his celebrity guests are capable of getting the fuck out of the way.

Luis: After months of worrying that season 50 was going to be a flop, the premiere really turned things around for me and I got excited as hell. Sure, Kyle getting medevaced ended the first (three-hour; I agree with Kelsey, that’s too long) episode on a dour note, but season 50 started with such joy and excitement, in the way that most returnee seasons have, and I was pumped.

It’s been a slow downhill trend since then, though, in many of the ways I expected heading into the season. The boot order has been atrocious, at least for me personally; what do you mean we lost Jenna, Savannah, Q, Mike White, Angelina, Colby, and Genevieve all before the merge?! The twists have been even worse, though I will get to those a bit later. Jeff Probst doing an Applebee’s ad, rapping, taking half an episode to deify Zac Brown—it’s been a rough ride.

I’m still broadly enjoying 50 though, because it’s a returnee Survivor season and it’s hard to fuck that up completely. Even seasons like Caramoan or Game Changers, which both stunk pretty badly, had their moments, because it’s fun to see legends of the game come back to play. I just wish the producers of Survivor allowed the players of Survivor to actually play Survivor without so many levels of bullshit. In fact, let’s get to that right now.

Favorite moment so far? Least favorite?

Luis: Let’s talk about twists, and specifically, let’s talk about the damn Blood Moon. On the most recent episode of season 50, the 17 contestants came together on one beach for what looked like the merge, and yet turned out to be so much worse. Despite already being in three tribes heading into the episode, the group was merged into one tribe and then…split back up into three tribes of five. (Ozzy and Rizo were sent to exile due to finding an advantage and so were marked safe from the Blood Moon.) There was a challenge, one person from each group won immunity, and, in what was supposed to be a sick twist voted on by the fans, three people were voted out in the same episode for the first time ever, one from each group.

This stunk, and I think everyone involved realized it stunk right away. The problem with doing these split tribal councils with no warning or build up is that the game defaults to preexisting relationships. There’s not enough time to build trust and voting blocks in one afternoon, so what else can you go on? I’m going to take Genevieve’s ousting as an example, because it felt to me the most unfair. (I am a huge Genevieve fan, so I am biased here, but I also think I’m right.)

It’s worth noting how unlucky she was before Wednesday’s episode. Her top ally, Kyle, left the game due to injury; she found two idols, but thanks to Billie Eilish couldn’t use either; her number one rival, Aubry, was sent one of those Billie Eilish Boomerang Idols™ because of a relationship outside of the game. But we can ignore all that and still find plenty to be annoyed about in how she went out. The second she got split into a tribe with Aubry, again, and Aubry’s allies Christian and Rick Devens, it was over for Genevieve. She needed to win immunity or go home, not because of a massive flaw in her game, but because she just drew the wrong color rock. (She’s been saying as much in her exit press, and she hinted at it in the tribal council.)

That sucks! There are, in my opinion, two ways to watch Survivor. As a reality show, it is undefeated. There are just too many ways for fun personalities to interact with each other, and even on the very worst seasons, some fun comes out of the dynamics. But as a competition, Survivor has turned into a glorified raffle for much of the game. If Genevieve draws a different color rock—say, if she ends up on the Colby-Coach-Cirie-Dee-Emily tribe—she probably doesn’t go home. Same for Kamilla, who landed on a tribe with someone she had just betrayed (Jonathan) but without the protection of all the allies she betrayed him with. (Colby was screwed more by his own body, as he injured his foot and, by his own admission, knew that he was going to be evacuated sooner than later.)

I wish Survivor would stop introducing twists just because it can, and instead gave players back some control over their fates, because some of my favorite Survivor moments—Parvati’s double idol play in Heroes vs. Villains, the David vs. Goliath minority flip, Operation Italy in season 47—arise from player creativity, not whatever twist Jeff Probst has to take the better part of an hour to explain before anyone can actually play the game.

Anyway, my favorite moment has to be the R-I-Z-G-O-D RizGod, baby winning over grumpy old man Colby Donaldson. No one can resist the RizGod:

Kelsey: I don’t know what my favorite moment was but my least favorite moment was for sure the fucking 15 minutes we were forced to spend thinking about and talking about Zac Brown for no reason at all. My other least favorite moment was when Jeff took 500 years to explain tribal council in the last episode by describing a blood moon and how “ancient civilizations” (which ones!?) thought they meant death??

Rachelle: My favorite moment was Cirie giggling as she said “I’m in a poly relationship now with Ozzy and Rizo.” My least favorite was having this week’s episode interrupted by the Presidential address.

Jae: I loved the premiere. Like everyone else, I’ve missed seasons with returning players. Seeing so many old favorites and enemies on the beach together legitimately made me tear up. I hate the satisfaction it gives Jeff every time someone says something like this, but I grew up with Cirie and Coach and Ozzy and Colby and seeing them again feels a bit like arriving at your grandma’s house on Christmas morning with all your favorite aunts and uncles. But as small moments go, I’ll never forget Christian peering through the hammock at Joe. 

While it’s difficult to select the worst of all the bad moments this season—dishonorable mention, again, to Zac Brown and the Blood Moon—the anticream of the crop goes, in a 50-way tie, to every time Jeff has said this season is in the hands of the fans. While us fans were afforded the opportunity to vote on various aspects of the game design this season, let’s not forget that these questions revolved around considerations like whether there should be twists, what color buffs the starting tribes should get, and which of two immunity necklace designs we liked the best.

Look, I’m used to Jeff’s bullshit. I’m not immune to it by any means, but I have accepted that until he retires, his ego will call the shots. But something about Jeff framing all of the production’s worst decisions as What The Fans Want rankles me worse than wet jeans, mushroom coffee, or even the sound of sandy shoes on concrete. Not only is this rhetorical move of Jeff’s an insult to our collective intelligence, not only is this an egregious instance of narcissismmaxxing on Jeff’s part, but it makes me despair for the show’s future. Jeff’s sense of what makes for good Survivor is drifting farther and farther from everything I love about the show. What I wouldn’t give for a host, executive producer and/or showrunner with even a modicum of restraint! Save us, Jonathan LaPaglia! But that’s not the kind of wish that gets granted in 2026.

Who is your sweetie/enemy of the season?

Kelsey: My enemy is Joe and the whole moralist crew. I don’t care about honor and integrity. Sweetie, you’re on REALITY TELEVISION. This isn’t church! It’s a boring game to watch and I hate it.

Cirie is always my sweetie. I find it so stunning that she’s just so damn likable that people keep her around even though she’s a massive threat. I also laughed really hard when she made a polyamory joke! Cirie! Get it! My second sweetie is Emily Flippen Financial Analyst, who I think is actually playing a really good game! Congrats Emily Flippen Financial Analyst!

Jae: My sweeties: Cirie, Aubry, Christian. Congrats to Cirie on her polyamorous triad—well deserved! Aubry is coasting into my good graces based on past performances. I’m hoping she turns her game around postmerge. So much of what I’ve enjoyed about this season has revolved around Christian that I’m scared his moves will catch up with him soon. It’s dangerous to burn so bright so quickly!

My enemies: Stephenie (because she’s awful), Rizo, and Jonathan. I want to root for Rizo in theory, but in practice, the lack of humility makes this kid my enemy. Jonathan won’t win and I barely consider him a threat, but I want vengeance for a certain fallen sweetie.

Luis: My enemy is Jeff Probst, both because he is the avatar of all of the twists and turns that no one needed in such a big season and because he rapped, and I was very uncomfortable about it.

Putting aside my obvious sweeties—Genevieve, Cirie, Rizo, Q—I too want to shout out Emily Flippen Financial Analyst, who I have enjoyed a lot more this time around. I love that she can’t keep a secret at all, and I love that, in Colby’s ouster tribal, when everyone was bawling their eyes out, Emily just stood there stone-faced and confused as to why they all had to listen to this old man ramble about finding joy. It was a lovely tribal, to be clear, but I can’t knock someone for clearly wanting it to end so they could get back to playing the game.

Rachelle: This may be controversial but I can’t help but be charmed by Rizo a.k.a. The RizGod™. It’s true that he is, as one of my best friends said, “the definition of a twerp” and I agree with esteemed Survivor expert Luis’ take that he’s “brainrot personified.” And yet, nevertheless, I remain charmed! He has such strong kid brother energy, which I think he very deftly uses to his advantage. Despite being a largely unknown quantity upon entering the game, he’s managed to get three of the veteran players/his personal heroes to take him under their wing and work with him. Look at how quickly Colby changed his mind!

As for enemy: Rick Devens. I’ll admit that he’s great television but he seems too aware of that fact. You’re not a producer! Stop all these hijinks!!

What do you hope happens in the second half?

Jae: I want Tiffany to drag Jonathan through the mud. I want Devens and Christian to fool some dummy with the fake idol they planted. I hope Dee wins an individual immunity challenge over Ozzy purely because of the length and dexterity of her toes. I want Coach to triumph over his own insecurities and leave the game in full Dragon Slayer glory (unlikely). I hope all the contestants throw mud at Mr. Beast whenever he shows up until he slinks away into the jungle, never to be seen again. I hope all the men get voted out first, thus leaving the final episodes to restore balance to the confessional count and the universe.

Luis: I hope that next episode starts with a “ha ha, April Fools!” joke and we bring back Kamilla, Genevieve, and Colby for a 17-person tribal. Other than that, though, I hope for two things. First, I hope that someone breaks into the CBS vault and burns all the Mr. Beast footage that is hanging over this season like the Sword of Damocles. Second, I hope that the second half of the game is less reliant on nonsense twists and more on social relationships and strategic play. There are three idols in the game right now, as well as an extra vote; we don’t need much more than that, especially with some legendary strategic players still in the game. Let Cirie cook something up with her powerful Survivor brain and do not let Cirie get cooked by advantages like she was on Game Changers. God, I’m still mad about that.

Rachelle: Now that we’re dealing with a merged tribe, I feel like the game is really beginning. I know I just said I wanted Devens’ hijinks to cease but I have a feeling that, in general, more hijinks will be ensuing. There are a lot of high level schemers left: Devens, Emily Flippen, Christian Hubicki, Cirie, even Rizo. The strongmen (Joe and Jonathan) presumably have a physical advantage for individual immunity challenges. And everyone seems ready to burn their alliance at any given moment. So basically I hope for mess!

Kelsey: I want the Billie Eilish boomerang idol to fucking do something!!

Finally, who do you think will win?

Rachelle: Honestly, it’s hard to say at this point. People’s votes flip on a dime so it’s impossible to get a sense of anyone’s long game and knowing who our jury will be hasn’t provided me any further clarity. In my heart of hearts, I want it to be Cirie but I have a feeling she’ll be eliminated as too strong of a threat in the near future. Would it be crazy for me to place a bet on none other than the RizGod™? 

Jae: Cirie’s triad—consistening of her, Rizo, and Ozzy—is stacked with information, advantages, and potential swing-vote influence in the broader old-school vs. new era showdown that seems to be forming. Ozzy won’t be able to weather the social heat, but I could see either Cirie or Rizo closing the deal. There are a lot of folks with no shot of actually winning, based on their stubbornness or lack of savvy: Joe, Jonathan, Chrissy, Coach, and Stephenie. Man, I hope I’m not wrong about that. I sound a little bit like Spencer even to myself.

Kelsey: If anyone lets her near the final three, it will be Cirie. As it stands, there was something about the way production focused on Aubry looking really remorseful after Genevieve gave her her blazer that felt a little bit like a winners edit to me, but what do I know!

Luis: I will be so mad if Aubry wins.

I’m going to go out on a bit of a limb here: Dee Valladares, welcome to the two-time winner club! I don’t know if I actually believe that Dee has the best chance to win from here on out—honestly, I’d give that to Rizo if I had to right now; he’s doing some incredible social work—but I am so impressed with Dee that I have to give this one to her. She came into 50 not only as a winner, but as a winner with a massive reputation; if there is anything close to a consensus about “best New Era player,” it is Dee. And yet, not only did she make the merge, she made it comfortably. She has never been targeted by a vote, and in fact controlled the vote that sent Colby home. She has alliances with the women of her original tribe, as well as connections to the Rizo-Ozzy-Cirie trio. (It is hilarious, though, that Dee said her best friend told her to get Cirie out immediately, and now they’re working together.)

Dee’s great at challenges, she’s incredibly charming, and she’s positioned well. She might still lose, either by vote out or in final tribal, because no one ever wants to give someone a second win: Tony Vlachos only won twice because someone had to win a second time in Winners at War, so the only person to truly win a second time is Sandra Diaz-Twine; the queen stays queen. But I’m going to go ahead and believe that Dee becomes the third member of that group.