EXCLUSIVE: Cirie Fields opens up about filming Survivor 50 just eight months after Survivor: Australia V The World.

Cirie Fields opens up about filming Survivor 50 just eight months after Survivor: Australia V The World. Photos: CBS/Channel 10

Not every Survivor contestant gets invited back to play the game a second time. For Cirie Fields, however, her appearance on Survivor: Australia V The World marks her fifth time wearing a buff, roughing it on the beach, and vying to be Sole Survivor.

The fan favourite, known as the greatest player to have never won, first competed on Survivor: Panama – Exile Island in 2006 before returning for Micronesia, Heroes vs. Villains, and Game Changers. The latter season saw Cirie become the first contestant eliminated without receiving a single vote at Tribal Council in what’s often described as one of the reality show’s wildest moments.

While Cirie’s fate on Survivor: Australia V The World is yet to be determined as the season is currently airing, it was announced earlier this year that she would become the first person to appear on six different seasons when she takes part in Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.

Cirie tells Yahoo Lifestyle that although she can’t say much about the upcoming milestone season, her experience filming Australia V The World in 2024 unknowingly helped her prepare for Survivor 50 just eight months later.

“The new era of Survivor is a shorter game and it’s a faster pace, and I’m used to playing the 39-day game,” she shares. “And that was a question that pre-game, a lot of people asked like, ‘Wow, how are the older era players from old school Survivor who are used to 39 days going to fare with the newer, faster pace game?’.

“Luckily, I had just played a faster place game in Australia, so we’ll see!”

Cirie is one of 24 contestants set to compete on the upcoming fiftieth season of Survivor. Photo: Instagram/survivorcbs

The Survivor moment that lives in Cirie’s head rent-free

Despite never winning Survivor (yet), Cirie has made history numerous times, broken several records, and created countless iconic TV moments across her 20 years playing the game.

From the Black Widow Brigade with fellow Australia V The World contestant Parvati Shallow on Micronesia, to her fire challenge with Danielle DiLorenzo on Exile Island, Cirie admits many Survivor memories live in her head rent-free.

“You can’t help but think about these pivotal moments for you in the game. I think about all of it,” she remarks. “It’s ingrained in my life. I can’t help but think about the thing that made the difference between me staying and going home for all of my seasons.

“And [Game Changers] in particular, how did I go home with no votes!? If I was well fed and showered and maybe had my synapses firing on all levels, I might have tried to fight or argue the point, but at that point, I was so tired and dirty and hungry and in awe of what just happened, not only from a contestant standpoint, but from a fan standpoint as well. I was kind of living in duality. I was the person it was happening to, but I was a fan of Survivor, saying, ‘Oh my god, can you believe that just happened?’. It was crazy.”

Cirie’s knowledge of Australian Survivor

Cirie admits her inner “fan-girl” came out in the early stages of filming Australia V The World, as she was well across Australian Survivor and its iconic contestants.

“I paid for a VPN for a while to watch, and I knew who King George [Mladenov] was, I knew the Golden God, I knew Kirby [Bentley], I knew Shonee [Bowtell] and Janine [Allis], so I was pretty versed in Australian Survivor,” she shares.

“I watched Kirby beast in her season and I was like, ‘Damn, me and Kirby could do some damage!’. Can you imagine a Black Widow Brigade 2.0 with Parvati, Cirie, and Kirby?”

Cirie admits she was a big fan of Australian Survivor before filming Australia V The World. Photo: Channel 10

Jonathan LaPaglia vs. Jeff Probst

She adds that she was a big fan of Jonathan LaPaglia, who’s since been axed as the show’s host, but thinks it’s impossible to compare him to Jeff Probst.

“To compare them would be like comparing banana pudding to creme brûlée. Now, I’m a dessert enthusiast, and those are two of my favourite desserts, but they’re different, but both amazing in their own way,” she laughs.

“I love a good banana pudding with the vanilla wafer crumbles and delicious custard and banana flavour, but I also love a creme brûlée, especially that first crack of that sugar on top. So I can’t compare them in that way, but I will say I love them both in their own way. I love Jeff for his dimples, and I love JLP because he reminds me of Wolverine, who’s one of my favourite, favourite, favourite X-Men.”