I've written so many essays in my time as a Survivor fan... calls to action, campaign speeches, all of it... however, here and now, we may be standing at the precipice of the most critical off-season we've ever had. Because if you haven't watched it already, take a look at Probst's interview here:

https://www.etonline.com/jeff-probst-teases-season-50-of-survivor-what-to-expect-exclusive-224677

One big takeaway? Jeff feels they've already done WaW. They're not necessarily interested in topping 40, or trying in trying to make S50 the highest-stake season ever: they've already done it. Rather, production is eager to have fun with Season 50. They want to think outside the box. Currently Jeff favours a fun celebration of Survivor's history and success.

"I am seeing the enthusiasm is there and there's the freedom to do something fun and different," he says of fans' suggestions. "It doesn't have to be winners at war, it can be a celebration and that's kind of where I'm leaning into. 'How do we celebrate 50 seasons of this really fun show?'"

It's a 2-minute video and we know Jeff can change his mind at the drop of a hat sometimes, but I still encourage everyone to watch & read. What I find most notable in the interview is the following:

"Then you look at some of the Hall of Famers and you're like, 'How could you ever have them too many times? We want them all back!' So I'm not kidding when I say [the process] is nothing other than everybody's writing a list of all their favorite players and then I think we'll look at it and start to figure out [how to break it down]," he shares. 

Luckily, fans haven't been shy when it comes to offering suggestions on all the ways to ensure that season 50 is a hit. Probst says he's been taking note of all the ideas fans have been pitching and even admits, "There are some really good ones in there."

That last sentence especially. This is potentially huge news. Sure, sometimes Jeff just says things, but I believe him here. Production is reading Social Media. So this is my call to action for myself, for you, and for all of us as fans: DON'T BE AFRAID TO SAY WHAT YOU WANT FOR 50!

"I want [player] back but production hated that season, so no use posting."
Post it.

"It would be amazing to see [player] back but they just turned 60, no use posting."
Post it.

"I would love [player], but they were pre-merge and no way production remembers them."
Post it.

Jeff has now confirmed - whether we believe him or not - that he's taking fan reception into account. Hey! There's nothing to lose by posting what you want for Season 50. Be that a format you think would be cool, a theme, twist, or your favourite past players. Send it into the universe. This show has been running 24 years and we've never had an opportunity like this... there's nothing to lose and if you never share your opinion or idea, you just may live to regret it.

Throughout S50 discourse this past week, I've seen a lot of: "Who cares? The cast will be 99% New Era, don't waste your energy campaigning for anyone else." This thread isn't to call anyone out. And if you WANT New Era folks back, then go ahead and post about it! But what I'm getting at is the philosophy of, "Who cares? We have no power anyway so why even bother!?"

Because - if we are to believe Jeff - we DO have a voice for S50. So I encourage everyone, don't be shy to throw your ideas out there! Be loud and be bold about what you want to see. Even if you think nobody else would ever want to see that player, that idea, that twist, what do you have to lose? Maybe your post is the one post a producer randomly sees with their morning coffee on Reddit, and by some miracle your random fave comes back.

So yeah. Basically I'm just saying, the sky is the limit for S50 and I don't say that out of delusion: Jeff himself confirmed it in that interview. Idk. That's how I feel as a Survivor fan. It's kind of now or never, right? And you can see I made this Reddit account in 2015 but I've been campaigning for my faves even before that too. I've also sent a few emails over the last year to Jeff's podcast with theme ideas, because why not? I know for myself I will NOT be taking this off-season lightly and I'll be in the trenches on Twitter every day if I can manage it. What do we have to lose?