Survivor 47 is the forty-seventh season of the American competitive reality television series Survivor. It premiered on September 18, 2024, on CBS in the United States, and is the fifteenth consecutive season to be filmed in the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji.
The season ended on December 18, 2024, when Rachel LaMont was crowned the winner, defeating Sam Phalen and Sue Smey in a 7–1–0 vote. LaMont—who is Thai-American—became the fourth castaway of Asian descent to win, following Yul Kwon from Survivor: Cook Islands, Natalie Anderson from Survivor: San Juan del Sur, and Erika Casupanan from Survivor 41.
Format
Survivor is a reality television show based on the Swedish show Expedition Robinson, created by Mark Burnett and Charlie Parsons. The series follows a number of participants isolated in a remote location, where they must provide food, fire, and shelter. One by one, a participant is removed from the series by majority vote, with challenges held to give a reward (ranging from living- and food-related prizes to a car) and immunity from being voted out of the series. The last remaining player receives a prize of $1,000,000.
Contestants
The 18 castaways competing on Survivor 47 were officially announced on September 4, 2024. Notable castaways this season include Rob Has a Podcast contributor Aysha Welch, Miss Delaware USA 2018 Sierra Wright, comedian and Pod Save America host Jon Lovett, WYPR radio personality Gabe Ortis, and Tennessee Titans reporter Sam Phalen.
It is the third season to have a gender imbalance among contestants, following Survivor: Fiji, and Survivor: San Juan del Sur, due to Teeny Chirichillo participating in Survivor 47 as a non-binary person. Chirichillo would come out as a transgender man in April 2025.
Future appearances
Genevieve Mushaluk returned to compete on Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.
Outside of Survivor, Sue Smey competed on Beast Games: Strong vs. Smart.
Season summary
Eighteen castaways were divided into three tribes: Gata, Lavo, and Tuku. Tuku dominated early with Gabe, Sue, and Caroline forming a strong alliance. On Gata, Sierra became the swing vote between a women’s alliance and Sam, opting to side with Sam. Meanwhile, Lavo was divided due to a feud between Rome and Sol, but Genevieve united the tribe to blindside Kishan.
At the merge, Tuku’s alliance initially held the numbers but lost power after Gabe’s elimination. The tribe soon split into two factions: the "underdogs" and the "threats", the latter of which consisted of Sam, Genevieve, and Kyle. At the final seven, Andy shook up the game by flipping on the "underdogs" and blindsiding Caroline. Rachel, on the chopping block, survived by winning multiple immunity challenges and using an idol to take out Andy. She secured her spot in the final three alongside Sue after claiming final immunity (and thereby tying the all-time record for most individual immunities won by a woman, with four total), while Sam narrowly defeated Teeny in fire-making.
At the Final Tribal Council, Sue was largely ignored by the jury. Sam argued that Rachel coasted on immunity wins, while he fought harder for his survival. Rachel highlighted her challenge victories, strategic gameplay, and strong social connections throughout the game. Ultimately, the jury recognized Rachel's dominance, awarding her the title of Sole Survivor in a 7–1–0 vote over Sam and Sue.
Production
On December 15, 2023, Manoa Kamikamica, the Fijian Minister of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport, announced that the Fijian Parliament had renewed its contract with Survivor for an additional two years. A preview for the season was released on May 22, 2024, right after the finale of Survivor 46 aired.
Reception
Survivor 47 received positive reviews. Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly ranked the season 24th out of 47, praising the cast and the abundance of emotional exits from the game. Nick Caruso of TVLine ranked this season 22nd out of 47.