Jeff Probst Explains Why Past ‘Survivor’ Contestants Wouldn’t Be Allowed on Show Now
Jeff Probst says there are past players on Survivor who would never make it onto the show now. The host said in the April 11 episode of the On Fire podcast, the show’s official aftershow podcast, that this is the result of a changed culture, which he says is for the better.
Probst was joined in the episode by co-host Jay Wolff and Survivor 45 winner Dee Valladares. The trio broke down Survivor Season 46 Episode 7, which aired on Wednesday, April 10 on CBS and featured a scene during which a contestant, Ben, had a panic attack in the middle of the night. Fellow contestant Kenzie supported him through it in a show of compassion and care.
Probst said on On Fire that Ben had a psychological team on standby should he need assistance. The medical and mental health services provided to the players are factors Probst loves, noting that these services are unique to the reality TV industry.
“I’m very proud of our aftercare program for both medical and mental health issues,” he says in the Thursday, April 11 episode. “I don’t know of any show in our genre who does what we do. We follow through, and that support continues for as long as a player needs it. And watching it within the episode, I’m obviously moved and very satisfied that Ben’s community — in this case, Kenzie specifically — took care of their own. It’s a very big shift in the game from say 15 years ago where this might not have happened.”
Probst admits some players lacked this kind of compassion in previous seasons and wouldn’t make the cut on the show now, as their casting process has evolved along with American culture. He doesn’t name any past players specifically.
“A lot of players — and this is not any disrespect, but there are players from 15 years we would not even interview today,” Probst reveals. “They were perfect for that time, but today we want more emotional depth, that you understand and have compassion for people. That’s what we just saw [with Ben], and then our storytelling is aligned with that. Our emphasis has shifted from just a pure game approach of ‘who will be voted out tonight?’ to a much more complex and emotionally layered adventure and life experience.”
The longtime host and Survivor showrunner says he couldn’t have imagined this shift when the series began in 2001.
“This gets overlooked, but Survivor has always been a reflection of our culture,” he explains. “If you go back and look on our past 23 years, you will see us reflected in every season, and you will see the shift and growth of our culture with every season. Things that happened back in those early seasons, they would never happen today. And things that are happening today, we couldn’t have imagined happening 15 years ago.”
“I know I’m on a soap box, but it’s for that reason that that moment with Kenzie and Ben doesn’t surprise me at all,” Probst continues. “So much so, that if you had had a crystal ball and say, ‘Hey, in Season 46 one player’s going to have a panic attack at night. What do you think will happen?’ I would’ve said, ‘That player will be comforted with genuine concern, and it will not change anything about the game or who is intended to go home next.’ Mental health is a giant problem in our country.”
Valladares noted that Ben’s panic attack could affect his and Kenzie’s games, but positively. Having won the show herself, she knows that helping a friend in their time of need on the island can make a huge impact down the line. Probst agrees, noting the real possibility that if Kenzie was on the chopping block and Ben was the deciding vote, her support during his panic attack could very well make him inclined to save her.
Elsewhere in the episode, Probst admits that he used to be much more cutthroat as a host and felt that having less sympathy for players’ emotions made for better TV. Becoming a father, he says, changed that perspective entirely.
Survivor, Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS
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I've been watching early seasons with my mother who had only started watching survivor the past couple of years. She is amazed at how much better the early seasons were. The players were strong, intelligent, and brought varied personalities to the game. Current seasons lack the "backbone" that made survivor a great program - in the past.
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"Emotional depth" has made this show one huge bore. I see nothing but a bunch of people that seem to think this show will somehow cure all their emotional and mental challenges and force it on us viewers.
We tune in for the fights, conflicts and backstabbing fun. All of these contestants look out of place now.
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THANK YOU!
My thoughts exactly.
I like watching smart players, not sob stories and panic attacks.
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Have you noticed that the producers are casting clones of earlier, popular contestants like Carson, Cirie, and Aubrey? The Aubrey clone even pointed it out.
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It’s like one big therapy session each week. Too much checking the boxes instead of selecting people who are tough and like to compete. It is boring now; too much whining, too many liberals with agendas.
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Funny......I was just explaining to my son last night how the older seasons were so much better! After season 40 it has all been down hill. Just like today's society, the contestants are just a bunch of whining brats. Survivor is on its way out.
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Most of today's Two-Week Wonders wouldn't have lasted five days while starving for 42 days in the brutal environments of early seasons. 'Survivor" has always been deceptive and somewhat manipulative of the audience, but now it's just become a cheap game show recycling old challenges. They do less on 90 minutes than the original show did in 60. Now it's "Dr. Jeff" virtue-signaling and acting childish while "players" quit right and left. Meanwhile, Amazing Race maintains it's high standards. Survivor is all gimmicks, time fillers, whiny brats, and wokeness on steroids..."guys."
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Hello!I LOVE your comment!! You said it all!
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He just explained why Survivor now sucks. This is easily the worst season ever. Bring back Probst from 15 years ago.
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He's long gone.
REPLACE him!
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"Things that happened in the old days would never happen now"?
You mean like:Players actually trying to win the game, not "have an experience "?Challenges that were diverse and interesting, not a dozen flavors of "relay race then a puzzle"?Production basing decisions on what makes good TV, not what insures nobodies feelings get hurt?Players having to cope with the environment and figure out how to survive, not getting a pristine camp and pre-prepared shelter materials?
Yeah Jeff, we know.
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So much more boring now. Too “soft”-it’s called SURVIVOR for a reason.
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I stoppped watching this nonsence this season. I'm sick of contestants having an "emotional breakthrough". Same 'ol challenges everyweek. Bring back the days of Boston Rob and Hank.
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Used to be my favorite show it has gone downhill with all the lovey dovey crap. Get back to your roots or go off the air.
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they should rename the show to Victim, instead of Survivor, since most contestants are "overcoming challenges" and whining about "how much they have been through".
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Russell Hantz, the greatest player ever. Would eat the current contestants alive.
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Loving that all of these comments say exactly what I came here to say. It was much better before and more like a game. I hate the three teams. I think it makes it much more boring, Go back to two there are many more chances of different interactions instead of watching the same things over and over again. I know there were some compassionate people in the first seasons, how about Elizabeth when that guy fell in the fire on his hands? And that Tevin seems like he’s got a mean streak, would he really have done that for anybody like Kenzie did, I doubt it! I think Jeff’s just making excuses for how boring and wimpy it’s gotten.
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This cast should be on Big Brother, not Survivor.
Survivor should stay a competition not a therapy session.
How many more relay race and a puzzle competitions will there be??
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Hey Jeff
I hope you're reading these comments!
Everyone HATES the "new" Survivor.
Why don't you try listening to the actual people that watch?
I know you won't. You're only interested in virtue signaling.
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Exactly! Hit the nail on the head. As soon as he stopped saying catchphrases because it may be "offensive", I knew right then the series was going in the toilet.
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Drives me nuts. And would it kill them to listen to us?
Yes, yes it would, because they certainly don't want to piss off that tiny percentage of people they are pandering to. They are so much more important than the people that have been watching forever.
But that's how everything is these days. Screw the majority!
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Wheel is full of malapropisms. They're either idiots or it's nefarious.
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This new "touchy-feely" kumbaya crap will bring this show to its cancellation. Few people want to watch a survival show and have a gay man lament about his feelings in not being picked for the softball team when he was 7.
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Survivor sucks now. It went downhill after 40 imo. The Traitors is so much better
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This show has gone down hill so fast. Starting with season 40, this 'new era' is a joke. They're all soft, delicate pansies. Feelings? Emotional support? What the hell has happened??? Lame!
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Probst has proved with his recent comments that he needs to be fired as a producer. He is trying to turn Survivor into his own personal sitcom moving it away from the competition it used to be. It is why Australian Survivor is far more popular. It is what American Survivor used to be. He doesn't want to cast villains? He makes the show for children? He doesn't want fights and drama? Survivor can be produced remotely now. He really has lost his edge. Fire him before he ruins the American version even more.
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Emo Survivor...greaaaaate
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I love Survivor past and present. It never disappoints me. I will be a loyal fan til the end and I sure hope that is not in my lifetime.
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Jeff has forgotten what the show is about. One survivor suggests that people compete in rough conditions. They plan and scheme. This is not supposed to be one big family having therapy sessions. I like cut throat honest competition, not people rooting for each other. Thirteen % of the population has to have 50% representation on the show. It’s ridiculous! They cry, they complain, they whine, and try to outdo each other with sob stories. I used to love this show, but not now. It’s on its way out.
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The earlier shows were much better. The ones today could not compete with Boston Rob, Russell, and so many others. I am about to quit watching because all they do is sit around and tell sob stories. They can’t make fire or build a shelter. They are lazy.
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Must be nice to be able to not have to worry about ratings anymore, Jeff. Personally, I can't stand turning on the TV and seeing so many people literally unable to regulate their emotions or deal with any adversity without having a "panic attack". Survivor is boring now, has been boring for at least ten years, and the only reason it's still on is because Probst et al are foaming at the mouth to make it to "Survivor 50".
Want to know why we didn't used to see these sorts of emotional meltdowns all the time? It isn't because people feel more "allowed" to be their "authentic selves" or other BS nonsense. He's correct though, in that the culture has changed. Back in the "olden days", we all learned how to cope with adversity from the time we were small children, with tiny disappointments or discomforts. As we got older, we built on that resilience so when we became adults we didn't turn into what we see so much of on TV today. This is the easiest time in American history to be an alive. No one judges you, no one forces you to be accountable. No one has to deal with anything. Just cry and someone will be along shortly to save you. Or whoever made you cry will have his or her life ruined. Soft times make for soft people. Soft people make for hard times. That's not opinion, that's fact.
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The commenters here seem to all be MAGAs. I'm sure their negative comments have nothing to do with the reduction of the number of caucasians on the show.
Also, no one is making you watch it. Quit whining.
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Excuse me, I think Jeff is meaner than he used to be.
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🤣🤣🤣🤣
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