By Jennifer Asencio
| Published 1 hour ago

Like a lot of Survivor fans, I tuned into its 50^th season premiere on February 25, 2026, expecting more of the production elements that have diminished the show for many fans. Season 50 is subtitled “In the Hands of the Fans” because fans got to vote on game elements, and the results of their votes are to be revealed during the season.

It is also a returnee season, which is the main thing that motivated me to watch it: I’ve been watching since season 1 released in 2000, and I’ve seen every season multiple times as I introduced my friends to the show. I may have criticized the direction Survivor has taken in the past, but I still watch it every season, and the returnee seasons tend to be a lot of fun, even in the “new era.” I’m very glad I’ve stuck with the show because Season 50 is already promising to be more than just a shameless attempt to draw viewers.

24 Iconic Players In Three Tribes

24 former players started the game across three tribes. If you know your Survivor, you know that even the “new school” players in this cast are among the best.

Cila, in orange, has nerdy Christian, firefighter Joe, golden boy Ozzy (excuse me, he’s playing as “Oscar” now), the wacky Rick Devens, social queen Cirie, the strategic Emily, original cast member Jenna, and recent winner Savannah.

The purple team of Vato has cowboy Colby, lawyer Kyle, the offbeat Q, fanboy Rizo, the negotiator Angelina, the analytical Aubry, the intelligent Genevieve, and true survivor Stephenie.

Kalo is the blue team and consists of “dragonslayer” Coach, strongman Jonathan, youthful Charlie, prestige producer Mike, hero mom Chrissy, puzzle champ Kamilla, content creator Tiffany, and famously big-toed Dee.

While the season is devoid of names like Boston Rob, Sandra, Rupert, and Tony, that’s fine: we’ve seen a lot of them and not enough of some of the players competing now. Plus, personalities like Jenna, Colby, Ozzy, Aubry, and Cirie are just as embedded in Survivor’s lore and history as any of them. The newer cast was also well-chosen, relying on players who really competed in their seasons rather than choosing feel-good stories.

These Contestants Are Here To Play, Not Talk About Their Feelings

Opening with a beautiful tribute to past seasons that included beloved players we’ve lost over the years, the premiere episode dove right in with a fire challenge that was reminiscent of those from its early days. It was awesome to feel like I was watching Survivor again. This was heightened when Jeff told the tribes they’d have to compete for supplies, a match that pitted past rivals Ozzy and Coach against one another again and continued a story that has echoed over seasons.

Meanwhile, back at camp, the contestants all socialized and started to cluster into alliances. Jonathan, now destined to appear in the next season of The White Lotus, bonded with Mike, Coach, and Chrissy. Colby started out disliking Rizo but couldn’t help growing endeared to the young superfan. Cirie drew attention for her early elimination, sparking the gameplay that earned her a spot not only in Survivor history but also in Big Brother and Traitors.

Everybody got along, but the episode didn’t wallow in the “Kumbaya” vibe I’ve criticized about the past few seasons. People talked, evaluated one another, and got ready to play. No sad back stories, no compelling motivations: these two dozen people are here to play.

The Worst Twist In Survivor History

When Tribal Council took place with an hour left in the show, I braced myself for a stupid twist.  During this final hour, they did introduce the infamous Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol, but that wasn’t the worst twist of the game. What was arguably the worst twist in Survivor history (you’ll get this “joke” when you watch) left me a little sad, but definitely eager for more.

The combination of castaways this season is already providing interesting and compelling television without any of the garnishes that production seems to think enhance the show. Sure, there are some advantages here and there, and numerous ads featuring needless celebrity callouts and appearances have already warned us all that there will be more.

The ones introduced so far have fallen into the hands of such an intriguing cast that they show promise rather than diminishing the game’s integrity. One hopes the rest of the season will continue that way, because I am not the only fan disenchanted with the overabundance of advantages and twists that have taken over the game in recent years. Like a lot of Survivor fans, I’m wondering what the hell Mr. Beast is doing there.

A Combination Of Survivor’s Best

Comparisons have been made between older seasons, middle seasons from approximately 20 to 39, and the more recent seasons of 41 to 49. The gameplay has evolved into “old school,” “new school,” and “new era.” Normally, these play styles clash, with one style prevailing over the other. The best part about this season, if the premiere is any indication, is that the players are so far combining the best of all three eras of the game.

“Season 50: In the Hands of the Fans” is off to a good start that seems to recall all the best elements of the game. Hopefully, it continues to exclude the worst, because the premiere gave fans everything they’ve been asking for and little of what they hate. If it continues the way it started, this might be a season for the books.

Survivor is on CBS on Wednesday nights at 8 pm, and then available for streaming the next day on Paramount+.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is for people who like to gamble.

As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Headed to the casino

• Green: Quarterback reads the play

• Blue: Buy a tennis racket

• Purple: Types of fields

Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:

Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #524 is…

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Bet – GAMBLE, RISK, STAKE, WAGER

• Pre-snap Football Motions – AUDIBLE, HARD COUNT, MOTION, SHIFT

• Tennis Racket Brands – BABOLAT, HEAD, PRINCE, WILSON

• ___Field – PROGRESSIVE, RIGHT, SOLDIER, WRIGLEY

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to today’s Connections.

In a joint effort between Minnesota lawmakers, local law enforcement, and the Department of Commerce, legislation has been introduced to ban crypto ATMs across the state in response to widespread fraud and financial abuse, particularly of the elderly. 

Bill HF3642, sponsored by Rep. Erin Koegel, would prohibit the use of virtual currency kiosks or “crypto ATMs,” that also accept cash and debit cards, in response to 70 official complaints of financial fraud totalling over $540,000 in 2025.

The catalyst for the legislation was a single incident in which police officers responded to a call about a senior citizen who appeared confused at a gas station cryptocurrency kiosk. Upon further investigation, police discovered that she had been giving 50 percent of her monthly income to scammers, leaving her on the verge of having to live out of her car.  

According to law enforcement, the scammers often target the elderly, using false identities and emotional stories to gain power over them and coerce them into parting with their pensions or retirement savings. 

For scammers, the appeal of cryptocurrency is obvious, since converting digital currency into cryptocurrency makes it all but impossible for law enforcement to trace the money and make an arrest. But cryptocurrency platforms are opposing the ban, arguing that they’re being unfairly punished.

Larry Lipka, in-house counsel at digital currency platform CoinFlip, acknowledges the problem but opposes the proposed legislation.

“The scammers are vigilant. They’re terrible, and they’re stealing from Americans,” he told Gizmodo before arguing that their existing safety protocols, which include transaction limits and a holding period, were sufficient protection. “I know that these tools work because we’ve got 8,000 customers in the state, we have 12,000 transactions that happened in the last year and less than 1% of those were refundable by customers.”

The Commerce Department, however, disagrees. Sam Smith, government relations director at the Department of Commerce, points to the fact that just 48% of consumer complaints resulted in a refund, while those refunds averaged just 16% of the total fraud amount, as evidence that additional legislation is necessary.

As of now, approximately 350 licensed cryptocurrency kiosks operate in Minnesota, but digital currency companies across the United States could be affected by the legal precedent this bill sets.