Survivor fans weren’t pleased by the length of screen time country singer Zac Brown (of Zac Brown Band) got in Season 50 Episode 4 (read the recap here). The cameo was announced in advance, but no one knew that the singer would be getting solo confessionals and entire scenes dedicated to just watching him. The winning tribe enjoyed the reward, but when there was a major blindside being orchestrated on the losing tribe’s camp, fans felt that highlighting the country singer for so long was a waste of time that could have been spent showing more strategy talks. It also made them worry about how much screen time MrBeast will get when he appears later this season. The episode is now the lowest-rated Survivor episode of all time on IMDb. Warning: Survivor 50 Episode 4 spoilers ahead!
Brown traveled to Fiji for the episode after pitching his cameo to Jeff Probst himself. Survivor is his favorite show, he said, and he’s watched every season. He was there to be part of the reward. The winning team got to spend the day in the sanctuary and eat fresh fish that Brown caught himself (his other favorite thing is spearfishing). While the players relaxed, he played two songs for them. Fans have differing views on the reward itself, but what most agree on is the fact that there was too much solo screen time for the celebrity.
The presence of celebrities on this season at all, fans argue, is also antithetical to the Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans theme. They didn’t get to vote on whether or not there would be celebrity cameos this season, but they’re getting four anyway. There’s the Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol, Brown’s cameo, an upcoming crossover with MrBeast of Beast Games, and Jimmy Fallon‘s participation, the nature of which is yet to be revealed.
Brown was shown spearfishing and had four confessional interviews, which is two more confessionals than Tiffany Ervin has gotten all season. Fans on X/Twitter and Threads expressed their dislike for the singer’s screen time.
“I don’t want to be too negative because I’m sure [Zac] Brown is a nice guy but having like 30 minutes dedicated to solely him when the show is called Survivor: In the Hands of the Fans’ is just insulting because… the fans want to see THE PLAYERS,” one viewer tweeted.
Another fan wished that the reward had been tied to Fijian culture.
“Remember when special rewards were tied to the culture of the setting of the season, with some community service?” they tweeted. “Instead we’re getting Zac Brown confessionals, this is one of the most embarrassing production choices of all time.”
“I don’t doubt that it was fun AF to be at a personal concert — but it doesn’t translate to TV,” podcast host Kellyn Bechtold tweeted. “Another example how CBS and producers underestimate how the CONTESTANTS make the entire show. We watch despite the gimmicks, not because of them.”
Tommy Smokes, who was one of the cast members of the Survivor Influencer Experience, criticized the length of Brown’s cameo as well, calling it a “bizarre” decision.
“What an absolute whiff by Survivor here,” he tweeted. “So much good will built up through these first 3 episodes, and now we’re spending 20 minutes on Zac Brown? I’m sure it’s a very cool experience for the players, but this could’ve been done in 5 minutes max. Bizarre.”
Smokes, like many other fans, also pointed out that there is little time to waste with this, the show’s biggest cast ever.
“What the hell is happening? Is this is a fever dream? We have 20 All-Star players left, and we’re watching Zac Brown spearfish and play guitar? What planet am I on?” he tweeted.
On Threads, fans shared their thoughts on the cameo directly to the Survivor account.
“Raise your glasses for a toast…to Zac Brown on Survivor,” the account posted.
“We all hated this,” one reply said.
“Never do these celebrity cameos again. Embarrassing. Focus on the players,” said another.
“A toast to the end of that insufferable commercial!” said another reply.
“Shoehorning celebrities into the show is awkward and annoying,” another fan posted, “especially for as long as he was featured.”
“Only celebrity I need in Survivor is Mike White. Thank you,” said another reply.
The episode is now the lowest-rated Survivor episode ever on IMDb. It has a 4.2/10 rating, as of the time of publication. It’s a shame, considering how good the episode was outside of the cameo’s runtime.
Vatu lost another challenge, and Ozzy Lusth set his sights on voting out Angelina Keeley so he could be Mike’s No. 1 ally. Mike campaigned for Emily Flippen‘s elimination to save Angelina, one of his close friends. Christian Hubicki, who was voted out of David vs. Goliath by Mike’s orchestrations, refused to be manipulated by Mike, calling him the most dangerous player on “this or any island.” Christian staged a successful blindside against Mike and sent him home. Another moment viewers loved was Charlie Davis‘s secret rivalry with Rizo Velovic.
See more fan reactions below. What did you think of the cameo’s runtime? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Survivor 50, Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS
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