27 Things You Didn't Know About 'Survivor'
The 'tribes' have spoken 621 times!
Robert Voets/CBS
When Survivor, hosted once again by Jeff Probst, 60, returns for its 43rd season (Sept. 21 on CBS), another group of tribal castaways will be hoping to outwit, outplay and outlast their fellow competitors. Who’ll walk away as the Sole Survivor, with the title’s $1 million prize? You'll have to watch to find out! In the meantime, here are some fun facts about the Emmy-winning series.
Related: Survivor Season 43: Everything We Know So Far
The tribes “have spoken,” eliminating a contestant at the end of each episode, a total of 621 times.
Phil Keoghan, the host of The Amazing Race, was also in the running for Probst’s job.
“Boston Rob” Mariano and Amber Brkich met and fell in love on the show. Now married with four children, they are the only couple boasting two Sole Survivor winners.
There have been 17 female Sole Survivors and 25 male.
Every challenge featured on the show is tested prior to filming, in order to discover loopholes and possible ways to cheat.
Tony Vlachos and Sandra Diaz-Twine are known as the King and Queen of Survivor because they’re the only two-time winners in the show’s history.
In all the seasons of Survivor where they gave away a car, the castaway that won the car never won the million dollars. This became known as the “Car Curse.”
Players have said that CBS provides therapy after the competition.
Before Survivor, host Jeff Probst was best known as the front man of Rock & Roll Jeopardy.
Survivor has filmed in different locations around the world, including Africa, Brazil, Samoa and the Philippines. Survivor has filmed on the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji since its 33rd season in 2016.
The show's fourth season was originally set to film in Jordan in the fall of 2001, but plans were changed following the attacks on Sept. 11. The season filmed in the Marquesas Islands instead.
As some reverse trivia, Francesca Hogi is the "Anti-Sandra," the only competitor to appear on the show twice and get voted out first both times.
Two of the Game Changers have played Survivor four times: prolific fisherman Ozzy Lusth and master strategist Cirie Fields. They join an elite club that also includes "Boston Rob" Mariano and America's favorite pirate, Rupert Boneham.
In the 1,615 days Survivor has been played, there have been only 15 medical evacuations from the show’s tropical locations.
Several celebrities are outspoken about their Survivor fandom, including Jimmy Fallon, Neil Patrick Harris and Adam Scott, who can be seen in the audience during Season 22's live reunion show
Lisa Whelchel, best known for playing Blair Warner on The Facts of Life, appeared as a contestant on Season 25. She finished in third place, and went on to co-host numerous episodes of The Jeff Probst Show
Jonathan Penner, a fan-favorite three-time player who appeared on Survivor alongside Whelchel, is the screenwriter of the 2017 horror movie The Bye Bye Man.
Sisters With Voices singer Taj Johnson-George is another of Survivor's celebrity alums, finishing in fourth place on Season 18. Her husband, football player Eddie George, appeared on the season during a family visit reward.
Music artist Sia made an unexpected cameo during Season 32's live reunion show, donating $100,000 to her favorite contestant, Tai Trang, yet another of the competitors on Game Changers.
Tyler Perry was the brainchild behind one of the key twists in the show's 28th season, an immunity idol with the power to be played after votes are cast. That same season featured basketball star Cliff Robinson as one of the contestants.
In addition to Uncle Cliffy, several other professional athletes have played Survivor, including baseball bad boys Jeff Kent and John Rocker, legendary football coach and broadcaster Jimmy Johnson and football player Brad Culpepper.
Country music singer Chase Rice got his start by appearing on Survivor, finishing in second place behind laidback surfer dude Jud "Fabio" Birza.
The youngest Survivor contestant was Will Wahl, 18; the oldest, Rudy Boesch, 75.
Related: Here's Every Survivor Player Who's Died Since Competing
Survivor boasts a loyal online fan community, with many fans congregating around podcasts, including Survivor Know-it-Alls, hosted by former contestants Rob Cesternino and Stephen Fishbach.
Over the years, Survivor has divided players in numerous ways: age, gender, and even ethnicity during the show's controversial thirteenth season, filmed in the Cook Islands.
There are numerous international iterations of Survivor, including an Australian version. Tina Wesson, winner of Survivor: The Australian Outback, was originally not scheduled to be on that season but was called in to replace a contestant who withdrew from the game.
In 2015, Survivor tasked its audience with assembling the cast of one of its seasons by voting to select 20 of 32 possible returning players. The season, Second Chance, was the third ever to feature only returnees.
Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor 43
