Season 40 ofSurvivorwill finally unfurl when theWinners at Waredition premieres Feb. 12 on CBS.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So here we are, all-winners edition.
Sandra is not going to say yes.
Robert Voets/CBS
I dont want to.
Like Cochran, for instance.
Hes not on this season, but hes someone who we wouldve wanted.
‘Survivor: Winners at War’.Timothy Kuratek/CBS
I want to leave on a high note.
So whenever we talked to anybody, they were not that excited about playing again.
And I think people just started assuming that it would be something like this.
That was overwhelming and exciting.
And thats really what sold it, at least for me and Jeff.
Who are you most excited about that you guys got back?Oh, thats tough.
God, there are so many.
Parvati playing that to me was a huge win.
I didnt think she would ever play again.
Shes got a young kid at home, shes come out here as part of the press before.
So we just thought, she hung it up.
Shes a huge threat.
I know how good she is.
Im really curious how shes doing out on the beach right now.
She was probably the one I was most excited to see to say yes.
If Ethan can win this game, is there a better story than that?No.
And hes super likable.
What Ive been impressed with him talking to him before we started the game is the way he talks.
Hes not talking like a season 3 guy.
Sometimes when we bring someone in from one of the old seasons, theyre like, You know what?
I still want to play that old school game.
And thats just not what he was about.
I mean, talking to him, we would cast him if he had never played before.
He had the intensity and the creativity of a new school player.
Whos the best winner ever?
And what I mean by that is who gave the best single season winning performance ever?
Im not talking about the totality of theirSurvivorexperience.
Im just saying who played the best single season.Are you saying, like, dominance?
Those are all factors you might consider.
So, for instance, for me, Boston Rob was dominant.
But I subtract points for his fourth time going against all newbies.
But thats just me.
Thats the way I do it.I think youre probably gonna say who I actually think it is.
I think Kim is definitely in the conversation.
Kim, was her competition as tough as some of the other seasons?
If Im just being totally honest.
Parvati went against great competition…In season 16.
But Sandra season 20, how do you not?
Youre saying Sandra.Im going to say Sandra, season 20.
How does it get more impressive than that?
Four winners from that season.
And she was able to make her way through that tribe.
She not only beat Parvati, she beat Russell.
Talk to me about another final three that was tougher.
I mean, usually in the final three theres someone whos considered a quote-unquote goat.
She took down Parvati.
She took down Russell and she won.
I mean, I dont know how you argue with that one.
Lets go ahead and argue it!
I think its a good pick.
I did pick Kim.
The one reason you wouldnt pick Kim was the level of the competition.
But first time out, dominant all the way through, and I think shes just so well-rounded.I agree.
I think shes really well-rounded.
I think she might even be my winner pick for this season.
Sneak through is not the right term.
I think thats the biggest obstacle in her way.
Shes athletic, shes charming.
Shes got crazy drive.
I mean she could do some damage.
Id get rid of Rob.
After shooting season 39, I see how his mind works and how smart he is.
How cutthroat he is.
Hes got Amber on his side immediately.
I dont know how you dont get rid of Rob first.
I dont think theyre going to, but I dont know how you dont.
How do you think Rob and Amber impact the season?
Do you have a good story that you could tell at the end?
And you know, Rob and Amber have the most amazingSurvivorstory ever.
I dont know how you dont see that as a massive threat.
But crazy things happen all the time.
And these guys are winners for a reason.
Thats the thing when you look at them, they all have something and there are no goats here.
What about the early season winners?
Ethan, Yul, Danni are they going to be able to adjust to the pace of this game?
Because its so fast.
And he was very careful about how he played and what he said.
And hes like, look, thats out the door.
I can play how I want to play this time.
Hes got a crazy smart mind.
So Im actually really interested to see what he has to say.
Danni, she has actually really impressed me.
So I think this is an interesting experiment.
The average age is over 35, and I dont know how its going to affect things.
More than just their age, I think where people are in life could affect things.
I think the fact that so many of these people are parents.
Tyson is a good example.
When he last played, he wasnt married yet, didnt have any kids.
Here he is, a father of two and a wife who also played.
A lot of these players, theyre in a different place in their life.
Sophie, shes only 29.
Thats actually a great age to be playing this game.
But more than anything, shes getting married this summer.
Shes a much different person than she was.
I mean, she was a kid when she won.
She beat Coach, one of my favorite players of all time.
And she was a kid.
Shes a mature woman now.
Shes very different in a different place in her life.
And, actually, I think shes, in a way, more dangerous.
You guys are offering $2 million this time instead of $1 million.
In the pregame press, theyre like, I think its going to be 2 million.
They have to do 2 million, this isAll-Stars.
And they didnt get it.
Now you all are doing 2 million.
They were eyeing each other, it was the first time the men and women had seen each other.
And so there was the general excitement of being around all these winners.
It was the first time weve actually seen the group together, which was very thrilling.
But I dont blame them.
I mean, $2 million is a lot of money.
Lets talk about the Edge of Extinction twist.
You introduced it in season 38, it wasnt in season 39.
Now you bring it back for season 40.
You hate seeing these fantastic players go.
Season 40 is obviously a huge season.
I remember season 20 had all the huge stops pulled out for that one.
It doesnt get bigger than all-winners.
A lot of it is just more in our daily approach.
Everyones really excited about this.
Theres a lot of pride in it.
I think that yes, we want this to be a big splash.
Were getting a two-hour episode to begin season 40 just that puts a lot of pressure on us.
Filling two hours is difficult.
Thats a lot of time to fill.
So, its funny, the more I talk about it, then I guess the answer is yes.
Some of them copyrighted by other organizations.
You know how hard it is to get a title these days?
Everything has a copyright next to it.
But we wanted this,Winners at War.
And I think our whole theme aesthetically reflects that as well.
Gut feeling right now.
Matt, does this show make it to season 50?Yes.
Why no hesitation?Because I have a two-and-a-half year old daughter.
I dont think he likes that.
I love thinking that way.
Im the eternal optimist.
I always like thinking that way.
And the truth is, there are not a lot of shows like this on television.
And I feel like people continue to come back.
We have great, great characters.
I think our casting has gotten better.
And what Ive really enjoyed watching in the last few years, is how many younger viewers we have.
Youve got someone like Adam Klein who watched the show as a kid and then ended up winning it.
And there is that feeling among young kids of: Hey, I could do this.
Thats a good way of describing it.
And so yeah, for me, season 50?
Its family viewing now, and folks love to root and watch this show together.
And not all of its beautiful.
And so I do take pride in our human stories.
Were not telling them what to do.
Were not feeding them off camera.
And its as real as it gets.
Everyone whos playing in this season has had a life changing experience thanks to the show.
And I think we all take a lot of pride in that.
Winner prediction for the all-winners season: Go.We talked about this last night in our meeting with the producers.
Why?I just think that Kim is such a smart player.
I think shes super competitive.
Shes the daughter of a Texas football coach, so shes got drive.
She spits really well.
I dont know if you know this, but she can really hawk a loogie.
Ive been saying this for like three years now.
Ive been picking women every season since Sarah won and Ive been wrong every single time.
But I do feel like this is a season that a woman could come through.
