'Survivor: Ghost Island' Premiere: Spoilers and Speculation

Another season of Survivor is upon us, which means it is time to start speculating wildly about who’s being voted off, who will make it to the merge, and who will ultimately take home the grand prize. Ghost Island promises to be a wild season as it introduces ghosts of Survivor past in the form of relics from prior seasons of the series. When banished from their team, castaways must survive on Ghost Island and surround themselves with the memories of other failed contestants.

Survivor has always been a rather tight-lipped show, but spoilers are still bound to leak or, thanks to more astute fans, be determined through promos and wild speculation. Take to the Survivor Reddit board, r/SpoiledSurvivor/, and you’ll find yourself immersed in a sea of observations and guestimations as to how the season will play out. Maybe the most significant piece of speculation revolves around the premiere’s two-hour length. Some Reddit users believe, based on prior seasons, that the extra-long episode means two people will be getting the boot. Who is on the receiving end of the extinguished flame, however, is a matter of debate.

Based on promos and images released since filming, Reddit users have pointed out that Morgan Ricke, Jacob Derwin, and James Lim are unlikely to be among the first to go. As rileymarks1 states, Morgan has been seen partaking in a challenge that isn’t the first immunity challenge. In the same thread, Anthonyd46 supports Jacob and James’ survival past the premiere based on a photo of the two where James is sporting facial hair that clearly had time to grow.

The most prominent spoilers to come about, however, came directly from CBS during a three and a half minute preview. During it, eagle-eyed survival fans noted that Chelsea Townsend and Kellyn Bechtold, who also makes the first confessional, are seen wearing the orange Malolo buffs. At the start of the season, both are a part of Naviti tribe, which is designated by a purple buff. Stephanie Johnson is also said to be visible in the since-removed clip, indicating that all three must make it beyond the premiere.

Beyond CBS’ alleged slip-up, little else has been officially revealed about the fate of the 36th season’s contestants. Ghost Island premieres tonight at 8 pm EST on CBS for a two-hour-long season opener.