It’s wild to think that Survivor has been airing for over 25 years now. That’s a quarter of a century! But while the popular CBS reality series has been chugging along in ratings throughout the years, the accolades had mostly dried up.
That is, until this year, when Survivor received four Emmy nominations for seasons 47 and 48—the most since 2013—including an Outstanding Reality Competition Program nomination for only the second time in the show’s history. Likewise, it also received nods for Outstanding Cinematography For A Reality Program, Outstanding Casting For A Reality Program, and longtime host and showrunner Jeff Probst received a nomination for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program.
Speaking with Parade about the recognition, Probst called the spate of nominations “terribly exciting.”
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“Because we had a very long drought where the show wasn’t recognized at all, even with a nomination,” Probst explained. “And you do reach a point where you think, ‘Okay, well, either the Emmys are just done with us, or they feel there are other shows they want to recognize.’ Both of which are okay. But it was surprising to be back in the conversation.”
“Of course, it feels great. Because these are your peers, so it’s very different from the support you get from your fans,” he continued. “I mean, the fans are what keep us on the air. But when you do get peer recognition, like when our cinematographers get recognized for their work, it’s very validating. And when you don’t get recognized, you just have to remind yourself, ‘We’re still doing a good show. There’s just only so many slots.’”
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“And the truth is, this genre is full of great shows. There really are some amazing shows out there,” Probst added. “So I never take it personally if we’re not nominated. But of course, I take it personally when we are.”
While the winner of the Outstanding Reality Competition Program category won’t be revealed until Sunday evening’s ceremony, Survivor has since unfortunately lost out in the other three categories. Love on the Spectrum nabbed the casting nomination, while both host and cinematography went to Alan Cumming and The Traitors.
But even if Survivor gets beat out in the final category to fellow nominees The Amazing Race, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Top Chef, and The Traitors—it does have one distinction that those other shows don’t have. According to Variety, Survivor is the most-watched Emmy nominee in 2025, across not just reality programming but all categories. Not bad, after all these years.
