Survivor 49 has not even aired yet, but the focus has already shifted to Survivor 50 and what fans can expect. Longtime host Jeff Probst read out the list of contestants in a video clip posted on Instagram on Wednesday, May 28, and many fan favorites did not make the final cut.

Still, 24 contestants will head to Fiji to compete, and that number had to be whittled down from an initial 750 players. The production team had a tough decision to make when choosing who would be cast in the milestone show and who would not. Probst has offered some insight into how those decisions were made.

How Was The ‘Survivor 50’ Casting Determined?

With 49 seasons to choose from, there was no shortage of competitors, all with unique playing styles and personalities. So, how did the production team determine who would be best suited for Survivor 50?

“Here’s what we realized early on,” Probst said during an appearance on CBS Mornings on May 28 (via Entertainment Weekly). “Casting Survivor 50 was kind of like casting the ultimate all-time movie. And you think about all the actors who are alive today that you could put in that movie, but there is only so many roles, and we wanted 50 to be a little taste of everything. ‘Cause, Gayle, we’ve done Heroes vs. Villains, and Game Changers, and Fans vs. Favorites, and winners. We wanted to taste every flavor, every type personality, all the eras.”

Probst shared that from their 750 players, they continued to drop the numbers, but making the final decisions was “brutal.”

“And so we went from 200 on a list to 100, to 80, to 50. And then those last 26, they were brutal cuts,” he shared. “And they still are. There are so many people we could have put out there, but there are only so many people you can put on the show.”

Who Is The Cast For ‘Survivor 50?’

The Survivor 50 cast was announced on May 28. Survivor 49 has not aired, but two players from the season will go on to compete again in Survivor 50. It was also announced that Mike White (who has now enjoyed fame as the creator of The White Lotus) and Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, from Season 1, have joined the cast.

Other players include veteran Survivor contestants Colby Donaldson, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Cirie Fields, Ozzy Lusth, Benjamin “Coach” Wade, and Aubry Bracco. Season 35’s Chrissy Hofbeck will return to reality TV, as will Season 37 players Christian Hubicki and Angelina Keeley. Rick Devens from Season 38, Jonathan Young from Season 42, Dee Valladares, who was the Season 45 winner, and Season 45 contestant, Emily Flippen.

There are three players from Season 46: Q Burdette, Tiffany Ervi, and Charlie Davis. Season 47 player Genevieve Mushaluk will return, and three players from the recently aired Season 48, Joseph Hunter, Kamilla Karthigesu, and winner Kyle Fraser.

This season is special not only because it is a milestone, but because the cast will comprise entirely of previous Survivor players. Fans have also voted on how they want the game to play out in Season 50, but the comment section of the post suggests that many are not thrilled with the casting.

“I guess I just wanna know the strategy in casting so many people from the 40s when the fans made it SO clear we didn’t want that,” a comment reads. “Wasn’t Survivor 50 supposed to be a celebration for the fans?” another person asked. “Instead, it seems like production just used that as a tagline while doing whatever they wanted. Most fans didn’t ask for a cast full of new era players but hey, who cares what we think, right?”