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NEED TO KNOW
Christian Hubicki is back for Survivor's all-star 50th season
The robotics professor welcomed his first child just weeks before leaving for filming, and he doesn't plan to share the news with his fellow cast members
"I have to make this mean something for him," he tells PEOPLE
Christian Hubicki is startingSurvivor's 50th season with a secret.
The robotics professor at Florida State University, who won over fans as the "ultimate David" on the show's David vs. Goliath-themed season that aired in 2018, welcomed a baby boy with his wife, Emily, about six weeks before going to Fiji to filmSurvivor's milestone season.
"It can be tough, but he's a secret that I have right here," patting his heart as he speaks with PEOPLE on location in Fiji just beforeSurvivorbegan filming season 50 in June. "He's my reminder, one, not to mess it up, but number two, it's just something I have to fight for that people don't know I have."
When asked if he had any plans to share his news with fellow cast members, Christian replies, "Not anytime soon, that's for sure."
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Ahead of leaving to film, Christian says he recorded himself reading baby books and got a bed that moves to soothe babies for better sleep.
"But it's not a replacement for being there to help," he adds. "I have to make this mean something for him."
Christian talked about becoming a father on an August 2025 episode ofRob Has a Podcast, saying, "It's wonderful. I love it. And it really forced me, finally, to have a set schedule in my life. It really adds a lot of structure and also tears down a lot of structure to your life. Things that you planned on doing at a particular time, it's like, 'Nope, nope, nope. Baby needs attention.' "
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He added that he's enjoying experiencing all the "firsts," including his son's first bath.
"I was always afraid, like, 'What's he gonna respond to the bath?' Like, you know, being in the water, and he came out, and he had this adorable little face as if he just experienced something beautiful for the first time," Christian said on the podcast. "And I'm like, 'Oh, I'll never forget that.' "
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"And my photo roll has never been longer on my camera, that's for sure," he added.
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Christian was a standout on the 37th season ofSurvivor, memorably solving a puzzle in record time during the premiere episode (turns out, he developed an algorithm for solving slide puzzles as an undergrad) and winning an endurance-based immunity challenge that lasted five and a half hours (during which, Christian rambled about everything from exoskeleton research to reuben sandwiches).
However, he was also targeted as a major threat — something Christian credits partially to Mike White, the creator ofThe White Lotuson HBO, with whom he competed alongside in David vs. Goliath and is also back for season 50.
"Mike White understood that this is a story first, and that the story of my season was David vs. Goliath," Christian tells PEOPLE. "He said, 'Christian is the ultimate David. If you let him get to the end, he will slay Goliath and win.' Very simple story. Everyone bought it."
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This time around, Christian is taking that philosophy with him — but making it work in his favor.
"You could callSurvivora social game. I like to think of it as a political game. You could talk about it as a game of votes, as a game of relationships, all these things. Those are all true, but incomplete," he says. "Survivoris narrative warfare. It's a war for the best story."
Survivor's 50th season premieres on Wednesday, Feb. 25, on CBS.
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Celebrate 50 seasons ofSurvivorwith a newspecial edition of PEOPLE, featuring exclusive interviews with Jeff Probst and the milestone season's cast as well as a nostalgic look back at the show's history, fan favorite players and more.
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