Jeff Probst on why he is 'incredibly proud' to make “Survivor” a family show
Jeff Probst on why he is 'incredibly proud' to make “Survivor” a family show
Dalton RossTue, February 24, 2026 at 1:15 PM UTC
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Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 50'
Robert Voets/CBS
Reality TV fans are looking ahead to the premiere of Survivor 50 tomorrow night on CBS, but during filming of the anniversary season, one man was instead looking back.
That’s what Entertainment Weekly learned when we spoke with Jeff Probst on day three of filming in Fiji and asked what it was like for him personally to be there working on season 50 of a show that most people believed would not even make it to five.
“Definitely in a reflective mood,” the host and showrunner told EW. “Which is not normal for me. I normally only think about the show, but something about the pomp and circumstance surrounding 50 has definitely made me pause and just realize I've been on my own adventure for the last 25 years, but I don't really usually take time to think about it in relation to Survivor.”
Jeff Probst and the cast of 'Survivor 50'
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Probst’s career journey over the past 25 years has mirrored his personal journey. “Survivor is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me in my career and really a giant part of my life,” he explains. “Just trying to figure out how to be a human, and a good person, or a good parent, or a good partner. So I definitely had a couple of moments right before we started the show where I kept reminding myself: Man, you've been out here for two and a half decades doing this. So it's been cool. I'm super proud to be a part of Survivor.”
While Probst is often asked to weigh in on the game and the show by reporters like yours truly, rarely does he go in depth in terms of what it means to him on a personal level. “It's still very private,” he says. “It's not something I really talk about with anybody. It's just stuff I think about.”
That begs the question: Why doesn’t he talk about it? After all, in his role as the Hostmaster General, Probst is always asking players to open up and tell him what they are thinking and feeling. So why does he keep his own Survivor feels trapped inside?
“I don't know,” he responds when asked. “My world and my social life back home isn't really about Survivor. My friends' lives are really about their careers, so we just don't talk about it that much.”
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Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 50'
But that doesn’t mean Probst does not take pride in his work. And what he says he is proudest of is turning the show into one for all ages. “I'm incredibly proud. I can't believe I get to be a part of it. I love that it's become a family show. That was my number one goal, was to make this a positive show for families on Wednesday night that is safe and fun and inspires adventure. And I feel like we do that.”
While longtime fans who miss some of that old-school Survivor spice may bristle at the kinder, gentler iteration currently on display, Probst has often said that he always considers young children as his target audience when creating the show.
He explained it on a 2023 episode of his On Fire podcast. “I will say that my version of the show, for me, is seen through the eyes of kids. So that is my point of view,” the host said at the time. “Everybody knows that works with me, I say, 'Imagine a 7-year-old at home imagining they're the one making fire, they're the one who found an idol.' So when I meet a Survivor family on the street and they say, 'Our kids love the show,' the first thing I say is, 'So how do you think you would do in the jungle? Do you think you could sleep with rats crawling all over you when the rain is coming down?' And they always say, 'Yes! I know I could.' That's the adventure that we're putting into their head."
Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 50'
It appears that vision remains Probst’s firm focus as the franchise moves past the season 50 mark. But what was going through the host’s mind — beyond hoping his hat did not fly off in the wind — as the big barge full of contestants made its way to shore to begin Survivor 50?
"Watching that barge come in…. It took a while, so I was looking at it, and I was looking at the logo, and I was thinking, Man, we did it,” says Probst. “We got to 50. We built a show that's lasted so long, we are on our 50th iteration of it. And that was cool."
He also could not help a quick full-circle moment and thinking back to when it all began. “I remember Mark Burnett and I in Borneo, and suddenly you get flooded with these memories of the first time he brought me to Tribal Council and said, ‘This is going to be a live show and I'm going to trust you to just behave in the moment and react to what you see.’ And then you're standing in the sand going, We've been doing this for 25 years! So the show's not about me, but I am a part of the show, and the show is a part of me, and that's inescapable.”
For Survivor 50 and beyond.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
