MISSOULA — Survivor's 50th season has brought an idol hunt to all 50 states.
That's why fans flocked to Missoula hoping to win a spot at the live finale.
"Traveled. I'm from Great Falls," fan Kyle Namen said.
"I came from Bozeman actually. I ran from the airport to here," fan Garrett Forsyth told MTN.
With many fans eagerly awaiting Survivor's 50th season, the show put on a challenge to get everyone involved.
"Since I was a little kid, me and my dad would watch it on Wednesdays, and I've just been a fan ever since. Introduced my wife to it when I met her, and she's a bigger fan than I am," Namen, who was dressed like host Jeff Probst, explained.
Each state had an idol hidden. Missoula's was at the University of Montana inside the Payne Family Native American Center.
"Went down into the planetarium room and got to see some stars as if we were in Fiji, which was cool, and then we got to discover the idol," Forsyth said.
Idol finders won't be protected from going home at Tribal Council like in the show. However, they did get to submit a selfie which could earn them a spot at the season's live finale.
"That'd be amazing. Like, probably second best experience to have other than going on Survivor itself," Namen said.
Survivor 50 premieres on February 25, 2026 with castaways from season one all the way through 49 returning.
"I think just watching how all the dynamics of people who've played before is gonna be a lot different than new people," Forsyth said.
"I'm really excited about some of our favorite players. I saw Ozzy's going to be there. He's a fan favorite of mine. So happy to see him compete," Namen said.
