'I'm Embarrassed' Jeff Probst Says He No Longer Feels The Same Way About Survivor Contestants Going On Other Shows

Survivor might not be the biggest show on television anymore, but you could make a case that opportunities for former castaways haven’t been this plentiful since the first few seasons. A bunch of new reality competition shows have popped up, and many seem eager to cast standout Survivor contestants. Unfortunately, host Jeff Probst historically hasn’t really been a fan. He’s been vocal about his frustrations and even implied appearing on other shows may affect Survivor’s desire to bring players back for returnee seasons. Well, let the record show, he’s apparently changed his mind.

Probst appeared on Reality Derby this week to sit for an interview about Survivor’s recent Emmy success, and during the convo, he talked about The Traitors winning an Emmy for Outstanding Casting and how he didn’t love it until he brought it up with casting director Jesse Tannenbaum, who, to his surprise, said it was an honor. He said they spend a lot of time and money finding good contestants, and the implication Probst took was that he clearly didn’t have any issue with it at all.

That more positive viewpoint has apparently rubbed off on Jeff, who said he’s now “embarrassed” about how upset he was about it in the past. In fact, he’s started to see it from the point of view of the contestants and thinks they should go make money in other places if it’s offered. Here’s a portion of his quote…

I love this quote, and I’m really glad Jeff’s views have evolved here. I get that it feels extra special when you haven’t seen a contestant on television for a long time. It certainly brings an extra intrigue when they show up for a returnee Survivor season, but at the same time, a lot of these castaways are normal people working regular jobs, many of which probably don’t pay particularly well.

If another show is going to offer them an appearance fee and a chance at winning money to come on, that’s obviously more desirable for most than punching back in at the factory. Plus, there's a long history of Survivor contestants thinking they're going to get cast in a returning season, only to get cut at the last minute.

I’m not surprised Probst decided to address the issue, given it has become a major topic of conversation around the casting of Survivor 50. With all due respect to Jerri Manthey, Abi-Maria Gomes, Malcolm Freberg and a handful of others, the most shocking cut in casting was probably Carolyn Wiger. Most considered her the standout of the so-called New Era, and because of Jeff’s comments about not loving players going on other shows, many fans speculated she was cut specifically for going on The Traitors.

Several other contestants, most prominently Cirie Fields and Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, however, were cast despite going on The Traitors. So, it was always a little unclear to fans whether there was an actual rule on the whole going on other shows thing or whether it was a preference. Now, it sounds like it’ll be a non issue moving forward, which is best for everyone involved.

Survivor’s biggest fans can sometimes get a little negative on Jeff. There’s sometimes a feeling that he’s influenced the show to add too many advantages and surprise moments. There’s sometimes a feeling he’s pushed the editors to focus too much on the emotional journeys of players. There was certainly a feeling that it wasn’t fair that he’d hold players going on other shows against them. This, however, is just the latest example of him listening to other people and evolving.

He publicly admitted the hourglass twist back in Survivor 41 and 42 didn’t work, and the show has definitely scaled back a little on all the advantages. Despite some complaints about the casting, the early buzz around Survivor 50 is really strong, and now, we have Jeff publicly admitting he’s happy for contestants to be on other shows. I love that willingness to change from him, and I’m very optimistic about the show’s future.

Survivor will return to the TV schedule this Fall for 49 and again after the new year for the much-anticipated Survivor 50.