After 46 seasons, is Jeff Probst lastly leaving Survivor behind?
After internet hosting the franchise for 25 years, many have been positive that the host of the lengthy operating actuality present could be able to name his time on the island completed.
Through the years, which have been rumors and experiences that he’s almost performed simply that.
However Jeff has been very clear about his future with the present, in addition to his ideas on who would substitute him as host when he lastly leaves for good.
Is Jeff Probst Leaving ‘Survivor’? Not But!
Journey again to us shortly to the beginning of the brand new millennium.
That’s when Jeff began internet hosting Survivor. In 2000, the present debuted on CBS and have become in immediate sensation. As we speak, after 46 seasons, Jeff is just not solely nonetheless the host, however he’s additionally the showrunner and govt producer.
That bump in standing – and in paycheck – may be the rationale that Jeff has caught round longer than many thought he would. However because the present is creeping in the direction of it’s milestone fiftieth yr, the query stays: will he keep?
For now, the reply is a convincing sure. In truth, he’s already occupied with the following decade of seasons.
“When you’re in an executive producer position, you have to have a global look at the show,” Jeff stated to Selection in a June 2024 interview. “I can’t just be worried about this season. I have to go, ‘How are we going to get to 50?’ And then, ‘What’s 51? How do we get to 60?’ So, I’m always taking a big picture view.”
Wow! Season 60! That’s exhausting to even think about! Simply as it might be exhausting to think about Jeff leaving as host of the present.
But whereas Jeff has been clear that he sees a future with the present, he’s additionally not as positive which means sticking round as host.
Jeff Probst Is aware of Who Ought to Exchange Him as ‘Survivor’ Host
Whereas there’s no finish in sight for Jeff proper now, the reality is sooner or later, each host retires. (We’re taking a look at you, Pat Sajak!)
And when that day comes, Jeff already has directions laid out for who ought to take his place subsequent.
“I ever left ‘Survivor’ and it continued on, there are lots of types of people that could bring a whole new perspective to it,” he informed Selection.
“I wouldn’t suggest hiring a television host. I’d say hire a curious person, who’s interested in people … I always feel like the mistake that networks make is they hire a name or hire somebody based on how they look, and they don’t hire a producer. You should hire a producer who happens to work in front of the camera.”
The Future Of Survivor
Reality is, Jeff has been upfront about his plans with the present for awhile.
In an episode of his On Fireplace podcast from the top of 2023, Jeff mentioned his future on the franchise. A listener requested whether or not season 50 shall be his final, and Jeff pledged to proceed with the present indefinitely… underneath one situation.
“I still love Survivor very much,” Probst stated on the podcast. “I think that’s pretty clear. Survivor 50 is definitely our next big target in terms of a milestone, but you’ve got to remember: We’ve got to get there. So you have to do 45 and 46, then you have to do 47 and 48, then you have to do 49, then you get to 50. So it is one at a time.”
A diplomatic, but dodgy reply. He principally is placing the ball within the networks courtroom. In the event that they hold operating the present, he’ll hold internet hosting it.
Easy sufficient, proper? However Jeff added that the sport solely works if sure different folks hold returning yr after yr, not simply him.
Maintain the ‘Survivor’ Group Collectively
“The biggest thing for me is keeping our team together,” Jeff added, talking because the showruner on the helm of manufacturing.
“That’s sort of the whole enchilada, because I get way more credit than I deserve. This show is made by a giant group, and we’re all in it together, and I would not want to do the show with another team. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to start over with new people. So I’m in it as long as everybody else on the team is in it.”
So there you will have it: if CBS continues to resume the present, Jeff will get to maintain his crew in tact, and folks hold making use of to compete…
Oh yeah – what about new contestants? Are there actually nonetheless so many people who find themselves prepared to play the sport that appeared so novel 20 years in the past, however now feels prefer it’s run it’s course?
Jeff hopes so, and if we would like him to maintain internet hosting, it’s a situation of his return.
“I have no intention of wanting to stop so long as the show continues to be fun and the people applying continue to be interesting,” stated Jeff.
How Covid Stopped Jeff From Quitting ‘Survivor’
In an interview in 2022 with Leisure Weekly, Jeff revealed that there was a time he was about to go away the present for good.
Jeff revealed that the pandemic turned out to be blessing in disguise. It afforded him the reset time he wanted to think about his future with the franchise.
“The Covid break was a great Survivor reset for me,” he shared. “Coming on the heels of Winners at War, which I loved, I was more tired than I realized. When we had to postpone our shoot, it gave me a chance to step back and once again reflect on all the things I absolutely love about this show.”
He added that since then, and since he was promoted, the present has given a lot extra again to him then ever earlier than.
“It’s right in line with the ideas I try to impress on our players,” Jeff defined.
“It’s about pushing myself further than I think I can go, about trying to stay in the moment”
He ended with: “The same opportunities Survivor offers the players, it offers me. I love Survivor and I still need Survivor.”
