CBS has announced a special three-hour season finale of Survivor season 40. The Winners at War episode will also include a digital reunion with all 20 contestants, which is where host Jeff Probst will announce the winner. The finale will air Wednesday, May 13th (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. One week later, the new season of The Amazing Race will premiere with a two-hour episode on Wednesday, May 20th (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT). The Amazing Race assumes its regular Wednesday (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) time period on May 27th.
Survivor season 40 has been effected by the world's current state of affairs, but the finale should still make for an entertaining watch. Plus, fans will have a new season of The Amazing Race to look forward to now. "When Survivor wraps one of its best seasons ever in May, we're excited to schedule another signature reality series, The Amazing Race, to step seamlessly into the time period," said Noriko Kelley, Executive Vice President, Program Planning and Scheduling, CBS Entertainment.
On the 40th season finale of Survivor: Winners At War, following an epic 39-day battle, host Jeff Probst will crown one castaway the winner who will take home the $2 million prize, the largest in reality show history, and earn the title of Sole Survivor for the second time. During the finale, Probst will also virtually connect by video with all 20 players to discuss the highlights of the season. Probst will more than likely do the announcements from his home, since that's where everybody is supposed to be at the moment.
Prior to the finale, Survivor will have a special two-hour penultimate episode, Wednesday, May 6th (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT). On the season premiere of The Amazing Race, 11 new teams will begin their journey of a lifetime when host Phil Keoghan kicks off the 32nd edition from the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. This season's destinations include Trinidad and Tobago, France, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Brazil, among others. The team that crosses the finish line first will be crowned the winners and receive the $1 million prize. This edition completed well before our current situation, so fans don't have to worry about any interruption.
Survivor seasons 41 and 42 are currently on hold. The original idea was to begin production on March 24th, but that had to be pushed back. Jeff Probst previously said production would resume on May 16th, though even that seems like it's doubtful at the moment. For now, the world will have to play it by ear as everyone waits to get back to some kind of normalcy.
Survivor is produced by S.E.G. Holdco., LLC. Mark Burnett, Jeff Probst, Matt VanWagenen, Jesse Jensen and Kahaia Pearson are the executive producers. The Amazing Race is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Worldrace Productions in association with ABC Studios and Amazing Race Productions. Jerry Bruckheimer, Bertram van Munster, Jonathan Littman, Elise Doganieri, Mark Vertullo and Phil Keoghan are the executive producers. CBS was the first to announce the Survivor news.