Survivor 41 Reveals Major Changes (Including a 'Game Within the Game') — Plus, Meet the 18 New Castaways

Ready to head back to the island? Jeff Probst is!

CBS’ Survivor is (finally!) returning to screens for it’s 41st season, starting with a two-hour premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 22. But that’s not all. The network announced additional details Monday that are bound shake up the game for its money- and adventure-hungry new crop of castaways. (See cast photos below, and watch Probst’s preview video above.)

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For starters, production has shortened its filming time from 39 days to a “much more dangerous” 26-day game, which will increase the pacing of its twists and overall gameplay. (Keep in mind: Building in production time for quarantining cast members is very much a thing these days.) Probst will also break the fourth wall, addressing the audience directly throughout the season to let us in on some of the twists well before the players are made aware.

Season 41 will additionally include a brand new interactive element. Fans can test their own skills at home by playing the new “Game Within the Game,” where they can find and decode rebus puzzles hidden inside the episodes.

“I cannot remember a time when I’ve been this excited to launch a new season of Survivor,” said executive producer and host Jeff Probst in a statement. “Survivor 41 features a really likable group of savvy Survivor players and they are in for the most intense, most difficult and most dangerous season we’ve ever done.”

If that wasn’t enough to light your (camp)fire, CBS has also released the names and photos of its diverse new cast, continuing to make good on the network’s promise that at least 50 percent of its reality contestants will be Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).

Ready to meet the newest island dwellers who will compete for that $1M check and title of Sole Survivor? View their photos below, then hit the Comments to let us know if you’re stoked for Survivor 41.

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