Survivor is a show that feeds on deception as contestants try to outsmart and outlast their competitors. But it’s not just the players who are dishonest. Longtime host of the show, Jeff Probst, recently admitted to not telling the truth sometimes. Keep reading to find out what he lies about.
Jeff Probst Reveals Why Game Play Is Different Now Compared To Early Years
Survivor completely changed reality competitions when it premiered in 2000. The gameplay has evolved over the last 49 seasons. CBS has already renewed the show for another season. The milestone Season 50 will debut next year with a returning cast of players from various seasons over the years.
Jeff Probst dishes behind-the-scenes secrets on the show’s official podcast, On Fire with Jeff Probst. In one recent episode, he opened up about the changes in game play over the years.
“When we birthed Survivor 41, we birthed a new game. Yes, it is still fundamentally the same format, but we changed a lot of dynamics and we forced a different pace,” the Survivor host said.
He added, “So, you are playing hard out of the gate in the New Era because you have to. It’s a desperate situation. You start on a tribe of 6. You’re almost dead the minute the game starts.”
The upcoming 50th season will feature OG contestants facing off with competitors from the New Era.
Survivor Host Admits To Not Telling The Truth
One thing that hasn’t changed about Survivor is its host. Jeff Probst was raised in Wichita, Kansas, but took Hollywood by storm when he joined the reality competition as host. He now serves as executive producer, in addition to his hosting duties.
Part of his job as a host is to keep the outcome of the show a secret. But doing press interviews to promote the show can make it difficult to keep what happens under wraps. Jeff Probst admitted he has a sure-fire method to avoid spoiling Survivor: lie. He said on the podcast that he pretends to drop spoilers in interviews to keep the real ending a secret.
“On occasion, I would have fun, and at some point in the interview, I would pretend that I just said something I shouldn’t have,” Jeff Probst admitted.
He continued, “I would let my eyeballs kind of roll around in my head, and I could see the reporter catching it. And they would say like, ‘Wait a minute, I think he just gave… did you just give something away? Probst, I think you just gave something away. I saw you roll your eyes!’”
Despite having fun with reporters, Jeff Probst insisted that he never gave away a real spoiler. “I don’t recall ever spoiling it, and I used to have to work hard at it and think very hard. Now it’s so drilled into my head,” the reality show host said.
Let us know in the comments if you think his tactics for avoiding spoilers are genius or shady.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
