Nowadays, celebrities seem to be everywhere on reality TV. Of course, there are shows specifically around stars like Dancing with the Stars and The Masked Singer. The Traitors had gone all-in on celebrity casting as of late. And, over 25 years, Survivor has occasionally dipped into notable names to fill out its casts. But it’s nothing like what the show is about to debut on Thursday, Sept. 18.
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Back in April, eight influencers and superfans agreed to fly over to Fiji for a whirlwind 36-hour Survivor speedrun. The new castaways included RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Monét X Change, MrBeast onscreen talent Karl Jacobs, Pop Culture/Unwell’s Hannah Kosh, Barstool Sports’ Tommy Scibelli, lifestyle/beauty influencer Alyssa Amoroso, Executive Producer of Beast Games Sean Klitzner, TikTok creator Davis Burleson and faith and beauty content creator Phaith Montoya. Over the course of a day and a half, the internet celebrities build a new beachside home, weaving palm fronds, trying to start a fire, and, naturally, going on the occasional idol hunt or two.
But, of course, the Survivor producers wanted to give the octet their own truncated version of a castaway experience. So, much like the surfside scheming we’ve seen for the better part of a quarter century, the influencers participated in an Immunity Challenge, as well as a vote at Tribal Council. Who secured their safety through immunity or a well-timed advantage? Who made the alliances they need to get through the night? And, most importantly, who found their on-island follower counts drastically reduced when they got voted out by their fellow tribe members?
Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 49
We won’t find out until Thursday, when CBS posts the edited version of the Survivor influencer experience online. Until then, however, you can get a sneak peek of the cast above through their own version of the show’s iconic opening credits. As you can see, the eight are getting as much of they can from a Survivor journey in 36 hours (without going on a literal journey), including buffs, coconut chopping, and lots and lots of mud.
Check out the Survivor influencer experience on Thursday on the show’s YouTube channel. Survivor 49 premieres with a special two-hour episode on Wednesday, Sept. 24 on CBS.