The contestants are instructed to “Drop your buffs!” and then instantly rearrange into new tribes in tonight’s tribe swap on CBS’s Survivor 48. However, it is entirely up to the audience whether or not such a moment occurs during the much awaited season 50.
This is because, as Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans (which will premiere in early 2026) continues to take shape, viewers will be able to vote on the issue of a pre-merge tribe swap in the second round of season 50 fan voting, which will be presented to them during tonight’s episode. Voting will begin with host Jeff Probst during tonight’s episode, and viewers can cast their ballots at Survivor50cbs.votenow.tv.
Fans will have two alternatives when it comes to the tribe switch question. “I want the tribes to switch,” will be the first choice. I want to test existing alliances and impose new ones, pushing players to demonstrate their ability to endure in any situation. “I do not want the tribes to switch,” will be the second choice. Strong ties should be formed and rewarded, not shattered. I want alliances to develop organically and without interference.
In this round of categories, fans will vote on more than just that, though. Additionally, they will choose from three possibilities for the Survivor 50 final four challenge. Given that the “Simmotion” task has been the last immunity test for the Tocantins, Cambodia, David vs. Goliath, Winners at War, Survivor 42, and Survivor 44 seasons, it is quite likely that it will be one of the options.
Lastly, gamers will vote on how many power boosts the game should have. They will receive explanations of the meanings of Minimal Power, Strategic Power, and Dynamic Power, from which they might select.
The first set of categories was unveiled at the Survivor 48 season premiere on February 26. The season 50 tribe colors, whether the players should be given rice, and whether the show should do away with the last four fire-making scenes were then up for voting by viewers. Additionally, viewers had the option of whether the show would continue with the after-show that was shot just after the final Tribal Council in Fiji ended or return to a live finale in Los Angeles.
Naturally, these findings will not be made public until the players in Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans actually hit the beach in a few months. The significance of all that pre-game fire-making exercise will then become clear.
