Jeff Probst Has No Plans to Put Down the Torch: 'I Never Think About Not Doing Survivor' (Exclusive)
Survivor fans have spent years wondering—and occasionally fearing—when the torch might finally be snuffed for good. But as the show heads into its milestone 50th season, Jeff Probst assures that they are far from a finish line.
“I’ve had times over the 25 years where I did look at Survivor and think, ‘How much longer do I want to do this?’” the Emmy-winning host exclusively told Men’s Journal while on set in Fiji. “But I think those were moments where I was maybe my personal life wasn’t where I wanted it, or something else was happening. I don’t really think it was ever about Survivor. And now I never think about not doing Survivor.”
The perspective shift was born out of the pandemic. After the "massive shoot" that was Winners at War for Season 40, the forced hiatus gave Probst and executive producer Matt Van Wagenen a chance to rethink the show’s direction. "I just realized I want to be a part of something positive. I want Survivor to be fun," Probst said. "I’m not putting on a show. I’m genuinely joyful that I still get to do this. I find it incredibly rewarding to come out and work with this team."
That sentiment is echoed by a crew that functions more like a tight-knit family than your standard TV production. Challenge producer John Kirhoffer, who has been around so long he remembers doing carpentry work while waiting to see if Season 1 would even get picked up, can't exactly pinpoint an end in sight either. "I see it going five more years. I think I will retire when Survivor is over. If I’m blessed enough to be on it that long,” Kirhoffer told MJ. “I don’t see being here when I’m 70. But like five more years, I easily could see it…10 more seasons. Survivor 60.”
Van Wagenen, a self-described "barnacle" who has been with the show since Season 14, says fans see two 90-minute seasons a year, but the behind-the-scenes work is a 365-day grind. “It has been non-stop for like 17 or 18 years,” Van Wagenen explained. “I will be cutting Season 49 throughout Season 50… We will be wrapping editing on Season 50 while we are shooting Season 51.”
For Van Wagenen, he looks at the franchise like a permanent fixture at this point. “Is there an end to the NFL? No. Keep going,” he told MJ. "My daughter is 8 and a half years old… My dream is to be working on the show and letting her be on the Dream Team.” (The Dream Team is a group of young production assistants who test, refine, and set up challenges before the contestants play them.)
Lucky for him, Probst shows no interest in slowing down either. “I’m sure there’ll come a point where I’m so old I just can’t raise my arm anymore,” he joked. “But in terms of excitement and enthusiasm and creativity, this is just an endless well of fun.”
Survivor 50 premieres on CBS Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Related: Jeff Probst Says 'Survivor 50' Won’t Be a 'Gentle Season' (Exclusive)