The reason why Survivor has aired for almost 25 years is because Jeff Probst’s beloved reality show has millions of fans. While some Survivor fans have been around long enough to remember the first medical evacuation, the show also has new fans who figure out which seasons to watch first. Many long-time and new Survivor fans want to someday compete in one of the best seasons, be considered a great player, and be named a fantastic winner.

While some fans are interested in casting returning players for Survivor 50, there are a lot of questions about how new players could compete on the show. Fortunately, some former Survivor players have revealed the fascinating truth about the show’s casting process.

The Audition Process For Survivor Is Intense

Whenever a season of Survivor with new players is introduced, the show’s dedicated fans get introduced to many new players. By the time that season ends, those same fans have come to care about many of those players and root for some of them to win and play again.

One of the keys to Survivor’s success has been the show’s ability to find compelling new players. To prove that point, all anyone has to do is look at the fact that the worst seasons of Survivor all tend to have the most lackluster casts.

The reason why Survivor seasons almost always have great casts is simple, the show’s production team works hard on the casting process. With that in mind, it makes a lot of sense that Survivor’s audition process is very intense for new players.

In June 2016, Business Insider published an article about what Survivor players go through before the show. That article revealed how challenging Survivor’s audition process can be.

While speaking to the outlet, the former winner, Tyson Apostol, explained how long Survivor’s audition process can take for first-time players.

“They’re like, ‘Oh, we’ll stay in touch’ and ‘We’ll call you next week,’ and then three weeks will go by and they’ll text you, ‘Sorry, we don’t know yet.'”

Tyson went on to explain that many people who work on Survivor have to weigh in on potential players before they are chosen. As a result, anyone who goes through the audition process has to sure they can be “good at the waiting game.”

On top of having to wait weeks and months to get through the process, potential Survivor players have to prove their mental fortitude, according to Malcolm Freberg.

While talking to Business Insider, Malcolm explained how the casting agents may “push your buttons” to “see how you’re going to react.” Malcolm then explained that he believed his reactions impressed the casting agent he dealt with.

“My casting director is infamous for trying to rattle you and see how you deal with it, like to get the personality out of you on the phone. And I think she likes me because I stood up to her a lot.”

If potential players get far enough through the process, they will meet Jeff Probst. According to Business Insider’s article, those players get interviewed by Jeff in person. However, it is unclear how accurate that may, or may not, be now.

However, during the premiere episode of Survivor 48, fans saw footage of the season’s players learning they’d been cast during a video call. While it is possible that the players still go through in-person interviews, it also wouldn’t be shocking if Jeff only interviews players online now.

In September 2023, Jeff Probst told Entertainment Weekly what he is looking for when he interviews potential players. During that conversation, Jeff explained that potential players won’t succeed unless they are committed to the idea of competing on the show. “First of all, there has to be drive.That should seem obvious, but it’s not always the case. Sometimes people apply and even though they say and do all the right things, you can tell that the drive just isn’t there. And if we don’t sense a real need to be on this show, then we know it’s not the right time for you.”

Most importantly, Jeff explained that potential Survivor players have to be self-aware.

“Do you know who you are? If you haven’t spent time reflecting on who you are or if you don’t have a circle of friends who will tell you who you are, you need to know how you see yourself. And it really helps if you have an idea of how the world sees you because they’re not always the same.”

After potential players pass many tests, even those that get approved may still have to be patient. As Business Insider’s article details, some people who are chosen are only named alternates. That means they only get to play if someone who made the cast drops out for whatever reason. Some alternates are even flown to Fiji and still don’t get to play.

Some alternates who are flown to Fiji and then sent home, unfortunately, never get to play. However, some are brought back. As a December 2024 Surviving Tribal article shows, Rachel LaMont is a perfect example of the latter group. After being an alternate for Survivor 46 and flying to Fiji only to be sent back home, Rachel was chosen to play during Survivor 47 and she won.

One Former Survivor Winner Offers To Help People Through The Audition Process

When Adam Klein won Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, it was extremely obvious that he was very passionate about the show. With that in mind, it makes sense that Adam has created a business for himself based around reality shows.

As AdamKlein.com shows, the former Survivor winner created a business helping people audition for the show. As Adam posted on Instagram in September 2023, he helped coach three Survivor 45 players through the audition process.

“Super excited to root for my casting coaching clients on #Survivor45!!! These guys worked so hard to make this dream a reality and no matter how they do in the game I am so proud that they made it happen.”

However, it is worth noting that Jeff Probst expressed his frustrations with Adam’s business. As can be heard on Spotify, during an episode of the “On Fire with Jeff Probst: The Official Survivor Podcast,” Jeff criticized Adam’s business.

“This business is very specific. Former players are charging money to potential future players with advice about how to get on the show, how to get us to notice you, what you should do or say on your video, things like that. Here’s the headline to anyone who’s thinking about doing this. If you need the coaching of a former player to help you get on the show, you’re not gonna get on the show.”

So, it seems like it would be wise for anyone who uses Adam’s business to keep that a secret from Jeff and anyone else working on Survivor.

Survivor

Release Date

May 31, 2000

Network

CBS

Showrunner

Jeff Probst

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