Elita 10 Premieres September 5 With Regional Cast

Zeljko Mitrovic announced on July 23 the exact start date for Elita 10: the milestone tenth season of Serbia’s most-watched reality show begins on September 5, 2026. That sets the Mitrovic production apart from previous years, launching the new season earlier than audiences have grown used to.

The Pink owner also confirmed a regional concept. This year the house is expected to feature contestants from across the former Yugoslavia, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. It is a clear signal that the production is counting on viewership across the region, not just in Serbia.

The push to make the tenth season stand out is underlined by the announcement that the winner of Elita 9 has been invited to open the new cycle. Stanija Dobrojevic, who took the title last year, is set to appear alongside Mitrovic at the launch of the milestone season. The first announced contestant remains Zmaj od Sipova, whose name was confirmed earlier.

Why is Mitrovic starting earlier this time?

The decision to move the season up to early September reads as a production play. An earlier start means Elita enters the autumn schedule ahead of the competition and catches viewers while the broadcast lineup is still settling. For a format that lives on continuity and daily drama, every week of scheduling advantage counts.

The regional concept points in the same direction. Contestants from six countries mean six markets following their own competitors, six linguistic and cultural backgrounds colliding under one roof. Across previous seasons Mitrovic has shown that a mix of profiles, pop stars, influencers and contestants from the region, can hold attention for months. Judging by the announcement, the tenth season pushes that formula to the limit.

What is still missing is the full lineup. For now the production is releasing names in a slow drip, a tactic that keeps the temperature high every year before the launch. Zmaj od Sipova is confirmed, Stanija is announced for the opening, and the rest of the cast awaits an official reveal. There is plenty of time before September 5 to fill out the list, and every new name will spark another round of speculation.

What does the milestone season mean for the reality scene?

The tenth season is a turning point for a format that has topped domestic viewership for years. A round number is reason enough for the production to present itself more boldly than usual, and the launch featuring the previous winner and a regional cast suggests exactly that. For Pink, Elita has remained one of the anchors of its autumn schedule.

For viewers, the announcement means the reality calendar is shifting again. Anyone who follows the format knows a September start changes the rhythm of the entire autumn, from daily broadcasts to weekend specials. The first names are in, the date is fixed, and the rest of the list is still to come.

Will an earlier start and a regional cast convince you to follow the milestone season, or have you already left reality formats behind?