“Survivor” has been one of the top reality TV shows since it came out in 2000. Season 50 has the chance to be the best season yet, as 24 returning players are coming to win the $1 million that eluded them in their prior seasons (except for Dee, Kyle and Savannah, the three castaways that have won the game).

Jeff Probst, who is a producer and the host of the show, shared his excitement about such a historic season with “USA Today” in a Feb. 22 online article. 

“It wasn’t my life passing before my eyes. It was a series of turning points in my life,” Probst said. “I never thought of ‘Survivor’ as a job or game show. I thought of it as an adventure of the human spirit, and people still to this day think I’m a little over the top with it. It’s never changed.” 

Probst also spoke to “Entertainment Weekly” in a Feb. 20 online publication about how fun it has been to be a part of Season 50.

“It’s due to two things,” Probst said. “The fact that the fans decided the type of game gameplay, because that created uncertainty in a way that it didn’t really matter what they decided. The point was they were the ones in charge of deciding. So the players had no idea what was coming.” 

What makes this season so special is that not only is it in control of the fans, but all 24 players that are on this season are a mixture of the old and new generations of “Survivor.”  

“This is the only returning player season where players had real joy and gratitude for being invited back,” Probst said. “And that’s not a slam on the game. And that doesn’t mean that everybody behaves in the same way. We like the mixture. This just so happened to be this beautiful storm of opportunity and gratitude, and you felt it.” 

The cast has a total of 24 players, 3 winners, 12 top three finishers, and multiple players who have played more than two times.  

As an avid fan of “Survivor,” I am super excited for “Survivor 50,” because the fans get to control the game for the first time ever. From idols to advantages to challenges, everything is controlled by the fans. I also love the aspect of combining both old and new players together, because I think it gives both older and newer “Survivor” fans the chance to see how the old and new will work or clash with one another, which is exciting to see.

I think this season is going to contain chaos, blindsides, crazy idol plays and so much more, and I think the success of this season will help lead into the next season. I can’t wait to watch the three-hour season premiere on Wednesday.  

As for my predictions on who I think will win this season, my winner is Rick Devens, who competed in “Survivor: Edge of Extinction.” In my opinion, Devens is a heavy favorite, because in his season, he conducted multiple blindsides, fought his way back into the game and played and found multiple advantages. He also finished in fourth and lost to the winner of Edge of Extinction, Chris. Devens flew under the radar for the first part of the game, and I think he will put himself into the majority alliance and slide under the radar before making moves that will advance him further into the game. Rick Devens is the winner of “Survivor 50,” in my humble opinion.