Hey, Survivor has finally reached my age! The without-a-doubt, greatest Reality TV Competition Show of all time returns this September with it’s 43rd installment! Yes you’ve read that right, non-believers. I am 43…but also, Survivor is still on the air (and holding quite steady in the ratings). Survivor 43 comes at us with a two-hour premiere on Wednesday, September 21st, marking the third season in this “new era” of the game and the 22nd year on CBS (minus the pandemic-gap from 2020 through 2021). Oh it’s still hosted by the venerable Jeff Probst, who has put some wear on those proverbial tires, but who is still simply the best reality host there is (regardless of what the Emmys have to say about it).

CBS has just announced the all-new cast of 18 Sole Survivor hopefuls, and it’s another refreshingly diverse crew. After Season 41 took some getting used to, I found Season 42 to be top-tier…I ranked it as #9 on my “Most Memorable Seasons” list, and its winner, Maryanne Oketch, was one of the most satisfying winners in the show’s long history (see where I ranked her on my “All-Time Survivor Winners List“). You just never know how Survivor is going to reinvent itself, and/or how its players will continue to adapt. But the ongoing experiment continues to fascinate.

Well what can we expect with Survivor 43? It was once again shot in Fiji, like most every recent season has. By CBS‘s count, there have been 646 total castaways with 639 torch snuffs, and the premier episode of Season 43 will be the show’s 621st overall. For comparison, “Gunsmoke” was on TV for 635 episodes, and “Law and Order” was on for nearly 500 episodes. You read that correctly: There are more episodes of “Survivor” than there are “Law and Order.”

The initial CBS press release doesn’t reveal many twists or turns that are planned for this season, but we know that the game will continue with its “new era” format of a 26-day game. The shorter duration than most previous years is made up by the game being played faster, and more extreme than ever before.

As for this column? Bookmark us, check back or follow me on Twitter (@tomsantilli) for Survivor Recaps and news each and every week! Plus, we are incredibly honored and thrilled to be the EXCLUSIVE home and only site that features new Survivor artwork each and every week, courtesy of Survivor Legend, Erik Reichenbach! If you’re not familiar with Erik’s work, we can fix that! Check out his site, www.DabuDoodles.com, and even take home some of his art for yourself!

So who will be competing on Survivor 43? Meet your cast!

Name: Cassidy Clark

Age: 26

Hometown: Plano, Texas

Current Residence: Austin, Texas

Occupation: Designer

Name: Cody Assenmacher

Age: 35

Hometown: Preston, Iowa

Current Residence: Honolulu, Hawaii

Occupation: Elevator sales

Looking forward to the Survivor 43 two-hour Premiere episode coming Wednesday, September 21st on CBS!

TELL US: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW CAST? WILL YOU BE WATCHING SURVIVOR 43? WHO STANDS OUT TO YOU?

[Photo: Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment 2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.]

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