In an unprecedented turn of events, two “Survivor 49” contestants were replaced just hours before filming began.
“Survivor” host Jeff Probst revealed that the decision was due to the unnamed players breaking the show’s rules.
“[This] is a reminder that we take this game very seriously,” Probst told Parade in an interview published on Thursday, Aug. 21. “We want you to have a blast when you play. But we do have rules, and they have to be respected, and if they’re not, we will take action. And we did, and I’m sure it will send a seismic warning to future players. And I’m OK with that, because we don’t ask for a lot.”
It seems that the two contestants were removed for breaking the “Survivor” rule that prohibits pregaming. Castaways are not allowed to communicate with other participants before the competition begins to ensure that everyone starts out on an even playing field.
“All we ask is you’ve got to respect our rules,” Probst told Parade. “We only have a few. But if you don’t, then basically what you’re telling us is, ‘I’m not a team player’, and that’s just never going to work for us.”
Two alternates took the spots of the removed players. Jason Treul and Michelle “MC” Chukwujekwu joined the cast just 12 hours before shooting began.
READ MORE: ‘Survivor 50’ cast includes ‘The White Lotus’ creator — see the full cast list
“In the case of MC, she came into casting late,” Probst said. “We met her at the very end, and we loved her. But we already had a group together, and we told her the truth. We said, ‘We love you, we just don’t have a spot. But we have this thing called an alternate.’”
Over the course of 49 seasons, only one “Survivor” player has been ejected from the game after filming began. Dan Spilo was removed during season 39 in 2019 after inappropriately touching both a producer and fellow contestant Kellee Kim.
“Survivor 49” premieres on CBS and Paramount+ on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Episodes will be available to stream on Paramount+ the day after they air.
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