Rules

The draft

• Everyone signs up before episode 2 airs (Wednesday, Sept 30, 8PM ET).
• Draft order is randomized, then we snake: last picker in a round picks first in the next.
• The 20 remaining castaways get drafted in full rounds, so every player ends up with the same team size. Any leftovers stay undrafted.
• Aaliyah went home in the premiere, so she's off the board (sorry).

Scoring

• Your castaway survives an episode+2
• Makes the merge+5
• Reaches the final three+10
• Sole Survivor+25

Survival points start with episode 2 (the draft happens after the premiere). Bonuses stack — the winner banks final-three and Sole Survivor points.

Winning

Most total points after the finale wins the pool. Ties break by most castaways still alive, then by argument at the reunion viewing.

This season

Jeff Probst calls season 51 the start of the "Open Era": any twist, idol, or advantage from any past season can return at any time, without warning. 21 new castaways, two tribes, a 26-day game — and the Million-Dollar Coin Toss carried over from Survivor 50.

Wednesdays 8PM ET on CBS · finale expected mid-December.