Survivor Legends Spill Secrets for Future Contestants in Unpredictable 'Open Era'

Survivor's future is a wild card, and even the legends of the game are left guessing.

“Not to steal Big Brother’s lingo here, but expect the unexpected,” Survivor 50 player Rizo Velovic declared at the Newport Beach TV Festival. “Anything is up for grabs.”

Host Jeff Probst recently announced Aubry Bracco as the winner of season 50 and hinted that season 51 will kick off the “open era” of the show.

“Anything that has ever happened at any time on the show can happen in any season at any time in any order without any warning,” he teased, setting the stage for chaos.

With a sneak peek dropping hints about the upcoming season, Us Weekly sought insights from Survivor's all-stars on how to tackle this unpredictable landscape.

Rick joked, “My piece of advice is do some Deven’s things. It’s the open era. No one knows what’s going on. Use that to your advantage. Come in and do something that’s not been done in 50 seasons of Survivor. Have fun with it.”

Ozzy shared a deeper perspective: “When you go out to play Survivor, you really got to figure out what it is about yourself that is special. That’s one of the gifts about playing the show. Let yourself go on that journey, and play your ass off. Really leave it all out there. Be vulnerable, be honest and kick some ass.”

Tiffany offered a more grounded approach: “I wish I could give some real advice, but because we literally don’t know what to expect, the only thing I can advise these people is to just live for the day that you’re in. Don’t think about tomorrow because baby, we don’t know what tomorrow holds.”

The winner of Survivor 50 emphasized flexibility: “Don’t go in with a predetermined plan, and don’t be afraid to swing for the fences.”

Aubry, reflecting on her $2 million prize, stated she’s being cautious with her winnings. “I haven’t splurged on anything. I put it away for my son, and I should take Rick Devens for a nice dinner. I still need to give a little tip.”

Rizo elaborated on the unpredictable nature of the new era: “Anything is up for grabs — whether it’s a fake merge, the medallion of power from Nicaragua, or heroes versus villains, or blood versus water or fire tokens. You name it, it can be up for grabs.”

Dee speculated on the meaning of “open era”: “I wish I knew what open era meant. I can’t get inside Jeff’s brain, but knowing him for a little bit, I would say it’s going to be a mix of all of the 50 seasons Survivor has already provided.”

“Hopefully that’s it because if you can just do every season [a little] differently, it won’t be as hard as if you just leave Fiji forever… I do know it’s going to be very unexpected.”