Billie Eilish has discovered a whole new fanbase since becoming a Survivor idol. The pop star’s involvement in the CBS reality competition has opened doors to a crowd she never quite reached before.
Billie Eilish, a 10x Grammy winner, shared her excitement over the “Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol”, which debuted on Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans in February. The twist carries her name and her letter, hidden somewhere fans least expect.
Contestant Genevieve discovered the idol in the first episode. Eilish’s letter explained she had to give it to someone on another tribe. If that person was eliminated while holding it, it would “boomerang” back to the previous recipient.
Credit: Gail Schulman/CBS
The reaction from Survivor fans has been mixed. The twist didn’t really pan out, leading some fans to push back on Eilish’s involvement in the show. Still, Eilish says the feedback she’s been getting in person tells a different story.
“First of all, it’s so amazing because I’m such a big Survivor fan,”
“And the other thing that’s been pretty surprising and also incredible, is the amount of people who have never complimented me on one thing in my life, are like, ‘I love you on Survivor, Bill.'”
Eilish told Entertainment Tonight
That’s a fanbase crossover few artists can claim. Survivor has been on the air for over two decades, and its audience runs deep.
How she chose the idol’s functionality
Host Jeff Probst explained to People that his team “sent her a couple of ideas, and she decided which one she liked.” Probst added, “It was really fun to collaborate with her. She was enthusiastic about it.”
Probst has said all four celebrity participants are Survivor super-fans who expressed interest in being part of the milestone season. The theme of Survivor 50 is “In the Hands of the Fans,” with celebrity fans Zac Brown and Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson also taking part in challenges. Jimmy Fallon, like Eilish, introduced his twist via a letter to the castaways.
Probst, a 5x Emmy winner, also offered Eilish a spot competing on a future season. “I saw a little interview with Billie where she said, ‘I think I might want to play,’ and I’m just saying, the invitation is there,” he said, adding, “Billie’s always welcome.”
Eilish herself has talked about the appeal, and the hesitation. “I think that the physical stuff, I’d be great at,” she said previously. “But you have to do math and stuff, and I would not be good at.” She later echoed that sentiment, saying the “math part of the problems” is what holds her back.
Eilish won’t be on the Survivor set anytime soon. However, she is hitting screens this weekend with her concert film Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D). It is co-directed with Avatar director James Cameron. The film opens in theaters on May 8.
For now, the Boomerang Idol is her stamp on one of TV’s biggest milestones, and clearly, it’s winning her fans she never saw coming.
