Survivor host Jeff Probst has explained why CBS decided to air the Season 47 finale in two parts for a total of four hours.

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"It really started with CBS asking us months before we shot if it would be possible for Season 47 to do 14 episodes instead of 13," Jeff shared during the Thursday, December 12 episode of his "On Fire" podcast.

"They had some things they wanted to try in their schedule, and part of that working out would depend on whether or not we could do 14 episodes."

Jeff recalled sitting down with Survivor executive producer Matt Van Wagenen to see if that would be possible.

"Matt and I sat down and broke the finale down into parts and examined if and how we could pull it off," Jeff shared.

Jeff said it made sense to him to end Part 1 of the Survivor finale after Genevieve Mushaluk was voted out of the game in fifth place.

"What we really quickly realized was, if we structured it so that Part 1 got us down to four players, then in Part 2 we could spend a lot more time with our Final 4 as we lead into the Final 4 challenge, and then the fire-making, and then the Final 3, and then the Final Tribal Council," Jeff explained.

"Because typically our finales are so full of content that we end up not having enough time to show all the stories we'd like to show."

Jeff therefore seemed to like the idea of expanding the usual three-hour finale event into a two-night event.

Part 2 of the Survivor 47 finale will kick off with the following four castaways still competing to outwit, outplay and outlast on Wednesday, December 18: Rachel LaMont, Sam Phalen, Sue Smey, and Teeny Chirichillo.

Survivor finales in the past began with five players still remaining in the game.

"It actually really worked out because we could highlight things we didn't typically highlight," Jeff said.

"And it was a great reminder to us that sometimes you need to step back and examine what you're doing. Just because you've always done it that way doesn't mean it always has to stay that way."

Although the December 18 finale -- which airs at 8PM ET/PT on CBS -- will begin with four players, the format will not change.

Survivor viewers will still watch the Final 3 castaways plead their case at the final jury questioning.

"[A Final 2] would be the way I would've set it up if we were doing a Final 2... but I don't want to have speculation that goes nowhere," Jeff said.

Jeff therefore confirmed there will not be a Final 2 this season.

"I don't want to confuse or disappoint anybody, but I will say, it is a tremendous finish to a great season," Jeff concluded.

Since Survivor premiered its first season in Summer 2000, the show has always aired a three-hour finale.

For 46 seasons, the conclusion of Survivor aired as 180-minute broadcasts -- a two-hour pre-taped episode followed by a one-hour aftershow -- with commercials.

But Survivor 47 featured a two-hour episode on Wednesday, December 11 at 8PM ET/PT on CBS, and another two-hour broadcast will air on December 18.

Survivor's aftershow has typically taken the form of a live reunion filmed at CBS Studio in Los Angeles or a pre-taped on-location aftershow, which, in recent years, has filmed directly after the Final Tribal Council in Fiji.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Survivor: Winners at War aired a live aftershow in which the castaways participated from home via Zoom to adhere to social-distancing regulations amid unprecedented times.

Survivor's aftershow for Season 47 will air on December 18 immediately after Survivor host Jeff Probst reads the jury votes and the winner is crowned.

The upcoming two-part finale is on trend with Survivor's recent pattern of extending the show's airtime.

Survivor has been airing 90-minute weekly episodes, instead of sticking with its original one-hour format, since 2023.

The network has also aired special two-hour episodes over the past three seasons.

On Part 1 of Survivor's Season 47 finale, the Beka Tribe voted out Andy Rueda, a 31-year-old AI research assistant from Buffalo, NY, who currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, in a 3-2 vote instead of Rachel, a 34-year-old graphic designer from Dexter, MI, who currently resides in Southfield, MI, at Tribal Council on Night 23 of the game. (Rachel had blocked Sam Phalen's vote).

"I got idoled out of Survivor," Andy said in his final words, referring to how Rachel had played an idol for herself.

"But after the start I had in this game, I have my head held up high. It's been an amazing transformation I've had over these 23 days, and I'll take it with me for the rest of my life. It made me better."

And then on Night 24, Genevieve, a 33-year-old corporate lawyer from Winnipeg, Manitoba, was voted out in a 3-2 vote instead of Sam, a 24-year-old sports reporter from Schaumburg, IL, at Tribal Council.

"I just got voted out. Five is as far as I get to go in this game, but I am so proud of how I played out here," Genevieve shared after her Survivor exit.

"I exceeded my expectations, and my expectations were high! I wanted the million. I didn't get there, but I did better and I am more proud of myself than I imagined that I could be."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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