‘Survivor 51’: Jeff Probst on Rule Violation That Forced Producer Intervention in Episode 2

Two players were injured in Survivor 51 Episode 2, and one of the injuries was a bloody mess that left a huge chunk of the player’s thumb on the cutting room floor, and viewers got a close-up shot of the severed piece. But that bloody scene paled in comparison to the wild move one player made at Tribal Council that made a producer speak up in the voting booth to remind them of the rules. Jeff Probst reveals how he reacted on set in his new “Field Notes” from Survivor 51 Episode 2 (see below), writing in all caps, “WHAT WAS HE THINKING?” Warning: Survivor 51 Episode 2 spoilers ahead.

There aren’t many rules in Survivor, but one of them is clear (and, after 50 seasons, should be obvious): You can’t vote for yourself. One player had to be reminded of that while casting a vote in Episode 2, a plan they devised in an apparent attempt to save someone else from elimination.

Rob Antonson wanted Eric Macksoud out for the entire episode, but then, just before Tribal Council, Rob pulled Eric aside and told him to follow his lead as he made what he thought would be an historic move. Rob, who has an idol to protect himself, said in the voting booth that he wanted to give Eric a second chance at the game, so he voted for himself to try to do that. His intentions with this plan were confusing, to say the least, but a producer piped in and told Rob that voting for himself wasn’t allowed. Rob was shocked and said his plan was ruined. He ended up voting for Eric anyway.

Jeff Probst’s Reaction to Rob Voting for Himself

CBS

Probst was with the rest of the cast on the Tribal Council set, so he didn’t hear what happened as it happened. In his field notes from Episode 2 (CBS is posting his episodic production notes weekly on social media during Season 51), he shared his reaction to the move.

“ROB: WHAT WAS HE THINKING?” Probst wrote. “I rarely comment on player moves, but I still don’t fully understand what plan Rob was trying to pull off by having Eric give him his Shot in the Dark and then hoping he could vote for himself?”

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“INSANE. Another live Tribal. Back to back. And this one even weirder than the first one,” Probst continued, referencing the live Tribal from the Survivor 51 premiere. Probst said that he loved seeing Rob ask for permission to “speak to Eric” before voting started, something he didn’t need permission to do. “If something doesn’t feel right then you should take action to try and ensure you know where the vote is going and that it’s not going on you,” Probst said.

“This actually is the first time I can remember a player actively choosing to vote for himself and us having to tell him, ‘You can’t,'” the host continued. “I respect complex strategy; I just couldn’t track this one, other than Rob was trying to vote himself out of the game, which makes no sense.”

Scott Duncan/CBS

This was the second time in the episode that a producer was involved in a scene; usually, they’re just behind the cameras and only appear in the cases of medical emergencies. This episode had a producer pipe in when Brady Booker chopped his thumb and when Rob was in the voting booth — Probst said the latter was a Survivor first.

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“I’m pretty sure we’ve never had a single episode with two separate events that required us to break the 4th wall two times and include a producer. But once again, we felt we had to because we had to explain what was happening with Rob trying to vote for himself. So mark this down as another Survivor first!”

Who was voted out in Survivor 51 Episode 2?

What’s interesting is, none of Rob’s tribe mates know what he tried to pull in the voting booth. All they know is that Rob started a live Tribal before the votes. Ana Sani ended up blindsided when voted out. Stay tuned tomorrow for our exit interview with The Boys actor.

A second injury was incurred in Episode 2 during the reward challenge, when Kristin Flickinger fell on top of her twisted ankle, hurting her foot. Thankfully, neither Kristin nor Brady was medically evacuated from the game. It would’ve been particularly heartbreaking to see Kristin sent home early for the injury, considering that she’s been applying for Survivor for 26 years, ever since she watched Season 1.

Survivor, Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS