Jeff Probst on Survivor 50 Returning Players and Going BIGGER THAN EVER! (Exclusive)
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00 Well, what really happened was I asked a somewhat innocent question, just curious what the Survivor fans thought.
00:07 Should we do new players or returning players?
00:10 And the response was so overwhelming, I stepped a little up and said, "Okay, let's just do it."
00:15 Well, about 10 seconds ago, we just decided, thanks to all the fans that were in attendance at the FYC event here in Hollywood,
00:23 that Survivor 50 will be returning players.
00:26 And you all are a part of it!
00:29 I've not heard from CBS if they're okay with that, but that's what we're doing, returning players.
00:34 Jeff Probst is taking the reins on Survivor 50, and promising fans the series will celebrate the milestone with some familiar faces.
00:42 It's tough to figure out, you want to honor 50 seasons, and we've already done some big previous returning player seasons.
00:50 So we're reading ideas, a lot of fans have already been suggesting ideas, so I'm writing all of those down, and there's some really good ones in there.
00:57 Who are the players? So all of us that have a decision in this really just started with a blank sheet of paper the very next day,
01:05 and we're all just writing down names, and there are, we've had almost 700 people play, so it's going to be a very big list.
01:12 I have no idea how we'll end up breaking it down, but we're in the early, early, early stages.
01:18 There isn't a perfect world for returning players, because we've done a lot of returning player seasons, we even did a season of all winners.
01:26 There are some fan favorites, but there's also the argument that some people have played too much, other people have not played enough.
01:33 Then you look at some of the Hall of Famers, and you're like, "How could you ever have them too many times? We want them all back!"
01:38 So what I am seeing is the enthusiasm is there, and there's the freedom to do something fun and different.
01:46 It doesn't have to be winners at war, it can be a celebration, and that's kind of where I'm leaning into,
01:52 is how do we celebrate 50 seasons of this really fun show?
01:56 Yeah, since its premiere in 2000, Survivor hasn't slowed down and has maintained a dedicated fan base,
02:01 so what's the secret sauce behind the show's success?
02:04 That's the question, isn't it? Why is Survivor still thriving and compelling?
02:09 There's some deep, deep answers I have, which I think really it's because it's a great format,
02:16 we continue to innovate it and reinvent it a little bit, but also it's pretty compelling.
02:21 You're having people who are sitting at home get up off the couch and take on this gigantic adventure
02:27 and play this really addictive game, when you can go out there and try to sabotage and lie and control and persuade,
02:34 and all of it is part of the game. I think it's just a very fun experience, whether you're playing or watching.
02:39 The tribe has spoken.
02:41 Survivor.
02:43 (dramatic music)
02:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]