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The Survivor Season 44 premiere showed a lot of promise for the fourth installment of the reality competition series’ “new era,” but since then, fans have pointed out flaws in the show’s format. There are too many advantages and idols (and fake idols) at play in the game, and only women have been voted out. But hopefully, things will turn around soon, and by the time the finale arrives, we’ll be talking about how great Survivor Season 44 was.

Jeff Probst, who hosts 'Survivor 44' and its finale on CBS, wears a light gray button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves at Tribal Council.
Jeff Probst | Photo: Robert Voets/CBS

CBS sets a date for the ‘Survivor’ Season 44 finale

On March 14, only two weeks following the Survivor Season 44 premiere, CBS released the date for the finale. The final episode will air on Wednesday, May 24, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The finale will also be available to stream on Paramount+ the following day.

So fans have two more months of blindsides, (hopefully) exciting challenge wins, idol plays, and more before the Survivor Season 44 finale rolls around at the end of May.

The finale will (unfortunately) follow the traditional ‘new era’ format

The “new era” of Survivor has been controversial, to say the least.

It’s given us moments like Xander Hastings, Evvie Jagoda, and Tiffany Seely tricking Liana Wallace into misplaying her Knowledge Is Power advantage, Jesse Lopez using Cody Assenmacher’s own idol to blindside him, and Jaime Lynn Ruiz being the first castaway to gain safety from Shot in the Dark. But the “new era” has also had major flops, like the hourglass twist, Do or Die, and the removal of tribal swaps (we’re not counting season 44’s ridiculous “swap”).

But one central bone of contention has been over the “new era’s” finale setup. It’s three hours, with the first two spent in the last few days of the game and the last one spent in the reunion. But unlike previous seasons where host Jeff Probst would announce the winner live back in the United States, he does so directly following the Final Tribal Council in Fiji. And then, the castaways get pizza and alcohol and discuss the season.

The “After Show” replaced the standard reunion format because CBS couldn’t produce live shows due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. So now, the final three (who have been starving and without a shower for 26 days) are immediately forced to recap the season without any time to reflect. Survivor producers think of this as a positive, but we see it as a negative.

Emotions are running high for the Sole Survivor and the two runner-ups, plus their bodies have just been through a great ordeal. The way we see it, it isn’t easy to get any honest reactions out of them until they have time to process and recover. But, unfortunately, the Survivor Season 44 finale will follow the same format as the previous “new era” seasons, even though a live reunion show is feasible in 2023.

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Which ‘Survivor’ Season 44 cast members remain in the running for the title of Sole Survivor?

There is still a lot of game left to be played before the Survivor Season 44 finale. And so far, only five people have left the island.

Following the medical evacuation of Bruce Perreault and the eliminations of Maddy Pomilla, Helen Li, Claire Rafson, and Sarah Wade, only 13 castaways remain in Survivor Season 44. They are:

  • Brandon Cottom
  • Carolyn Wiger
  • Carson Garrett
  • Danny Massa
  • Frannie Marin
  • Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt
  • Josh Wilder
  • Kane Fritzler
  • Jaime Lynn Ruiz
  • Lauren Harpe
  • Matt Blankinship
  • Matthew Grinstead-Mayle
  • Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho

New episodes of Survivor Season 44 air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. And the Survivor Season 44 finale premieres on Wednesday, May 24.

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