Jeff Probst didn’t set out to host a television institution. But now, 50 seasons later, Survivor has become exactly that. As the series heads into its landmark 25th anniversary season on Feb. 25, Probst remains its steady center, guiding a franchise that began as a risky social experiment and grew into one of television’s most enduring reality juggernauts.
Season 50, themed “In the Hands of the Fans,” brings 24 returning players (including White Lotus creator Mike White; see the tribes here) back to Fiji for a nostalgia-fueled, high-stakes competition that celebrates the show’s long history while embracing its New Era future. The Hollywood Reporter visited set and spoke with Probst three days into the start of the season about putting together the roster for 50, why he still approaches the game as something he’s building for the next generation of fans — and whether or not we might see him jet ski into a Final Tribal Council ever again.
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How did you decide on a cast of 24 players? Why not 21 or 30?
Typically, 20 is about the max we can pull off and still have it be a situation where you have enough time to invest in people before you start voting people out. If you went with what people were suggesting like “50 people for 50,” you’d be voting out three or four people every tribal council every episode, and it’s not satisfying.
We were looking at 20 as our number. And then we were like, “Well, we could do 21 or 24.” And then we started laying out the math of 24 and, how do you get rid of 24 people in a satisfying way? We realized we can pull it off, but 24 is it.
Did not having an all-star season somewhere between seasons 41 and 49 hamstring you when it came to picking the cast for Survivor 50?
Yeah, a little bit. I think that’s a fair question when you’re looking at somebody playing for the second time. It’s different when you’re Cirie or Colby or Aubry and a proven iconic Survivor player. But bringing somebody back for the second time is saying, “We see you as something special.” So when it came to New Era players, we definitely spent a lot of time asking ourselves, what’s the justification for this person? Why do they fit? In the same way that we did with the older era players.
There were players we considered and talked to, and they’re great. They’re upset because they think they didn’t make “the cut.” Really, it wasn’t that. It was, how many spots do we have and what does each person bring to the spot? What we really wanted was an array. This isn’t Heroes vs Villains, it’s not Game Changers or Fans vs Favorites. It’s a little bit of everything.
Can you tell me some of the people who got away, someone who you asked who was like, “Sorry, my time is up”?
In terms of time being up, Rob [Mariano] and Parvati [Shallow] basically let us know, “We’re done. We played in Winners at War, we’ve had a great career.” I talked to Rob and he was very cool in that he said, “If you need me, I will be there for whatever you need. If you don’t need me, I’d rather not.” And I said, “We don’t need you. I really appreciate it.”
Rob has earned the right to say no. He’s bled for this show for a long time. We built this show on his back, and on Parvati’s back and Tony’s back and Sandra’s back. So once we had that, we said, this makes it easy. No winners from Survivor 40, no players from 40. That got rid of 20 great players, but it opened the door for new players and that was one of the things Rob said. He goes, “Give somebody else a shot. I played a lot.”
Somebody who got away who we really wanted was Amanda [Kimmel]. It was a scheduling thing. At first she was all in. Then when we told her the dates, she started not being as certain because she has a family now. Then a few people who I won’t name said, “We don’t want to do it anymore.” So, we feel good. The only part of it that was unsettling for me is that we couldn’t say yes to everybody we wanted to and to everybody who wanted to do it. We just couldn’t.
Survivor host Jeff Probst during season 49.
CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.
Considering the history of the show and all the great players there’s been, is it even possible to have a perfect cast for 50?
I don’t think so. It’s always going to be subjective. And for this cast, a lot of people weighed in — not just our producers, but people at CBS. I would ask fans all the time. People would come up to me and say, “I know you’re doing returning players. Here’s who I think should be on.” And I took note of who they mentioned.
You also have to remember that super fans who live and breathe Survivor are not the only type of fan. There are lots of young fans who really don’t know Colby but definitely know Charlie and they love Dee. So you’re balancing a lot. We knew not everybody would be happy. But you’re witnessing it. We’re three days in. I’m very happy with this group, very happy.
What is it like to see Survivor become something that not only adults love but that kids are really into, too?
Incredibly satisfying, because that’s been the goal. I tell every 8-year-old I meet, “We make the show for you.” Obviously, we love that adults watch it. But what’s most magical to me is a young person watching the show and looking to their parents and saying, “I could do that.” Every time I meet that kid, I ask the same questions: “Do you really think you could live in the jungle?” Yes. “You think you could catch fish?” Absolutely. “Compete in challenges?” Yeah. “Blindsides?” I do it all the time to my sister. That’s who I make the show for. That’s where all of my energy goes into. It makes me really happy.
How impactful do you think the “In the Hands of the Fans” votes are going to be?
I’m guessing the biggest impact is going to be that there is so much uncertainty that a savvy player can use the uncertainty to their advantage. That’s what I would do — create my own story, because you don’t know if I’m telling you the truth or not. We don’t know advantages or twists or idols or how any of that’s going to play. I would be the type who would say, “Listen, I found a note and the note, I had to burn it. There’s a whole torch there and everything. And it says, ‘Just so you know, there are no idols.’ So just know if somebody tells us they have an idol, they’re lying to us because there are no idols.” I would start spreading rumors.
But given that we’re just into this we don’t know the impact. I know the results from the fans and it illustrates what kind of game they ultimately want. I was curious, because I met a lot of people who said, “No idols, no twists, no advantages.” I was like, okay, maybe that is what people really want. I’m excited by it. I think the fans are going to have a big impact this season.
I have a list of things I’m hoping you bring back. I’m just going to rapid-fire them at you. First up, gross-eating challenges.
Absolutely. We’ve been doing it in the auction a little bit with fish eyes and grubs. We actually had it as a consideration for 50 to bring that back.
How about cool final tribal entrances by you? I loved the jet ski. I loved the hacking through the jungle.
If you and Dalton [Ross from EW] come up with one that is producible, I want to do it. Really. But we ran out of great ideas that were things we could execute.
Ponderosa on Paramount+?
Probably not. It wasn’t a story we really wanted to keep telling. We like what we’re doing now, which is that we get tastes of Ponderosa (via social media). But it started feeling like that’s not what Survivor is. Survivor is out here [referring to where players compete] and so we decided to break it up and do it in pieces where you still see people saying, “Hey, I’m at Ponderosa and here’s what’s happening.” So I would say probably not.
My only thought is that there is an element of the game that takes place once the jury is there.
That’s true. Here’s the thing, though, it’s very hard to tell parallel stories and say, “Go to Paramount+ if you want to see what the jury’s really thinking about final tribal.” That was the problem we were having with Ponderosa: Is that what is our show? Yes, you’re right, stuff happens at Ponderosa. People talk and they bring that up at final tribal. They will say, “Hey, when so-and-so got voted off, they told me this story. Is it true?” So we’re not afraid of having it in the show, but I don’t know about creating a secondary show. I just don’t think it’s coming back. But if you’re producing it, I know you would do it.
(Laughing) You’re darn right I would. Loved ones’ visits? The last one was season 40.
For sure. We’re not opposed to loved one visits and it has nothing to do with the 26 days. It’s really just that when we rebirthed the show, the New Era, we didn’t see a spot for loved ones. We wanted to do a different game and make it what it is now. But the longer we’re on, the more likely some of these things you’re bringing up will find their spot again. Kind of like the auction.
And finally, challenges that reveal alliances. I was thinking of the one from All-Stars where Rupert wins a challenge and gets to pass out progressively worse meals to the remaining players.
Okay, why would you do that from a storytelling standpoint?
I think it’s revealing who your true alliances are when they’re still forming, if you do it early in the game.
Maybe it’s a reframe of, “This is your dilemma: Do you reward the people that you’re loyal to?” It’s an interesting dilemma and maybe it’s just a reshape. Versus the end of the game when we do loved one letters typically, and it’s brutal because it’s loved one letters and if you don’t choose me, even though we’ve been alliance members, it may cost you because I want that letter so bad. So that’s a tough one decision wise, but I like what you’re saying about doing it early. Let’s just have a little fun here. You’re in charge of the Feast of Diminishing Returns. You get to decide who gets the steak. Yeah, it’s a good idea. I’ll bring it to the team. Thank you.
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Survivor 50 begins with a three-hour premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. on CBS, streaming on Paramount+. See how the cast is divided into their tribes here.
