https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/arts/television/jeff-probst-survivor- popcast-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EVE.PrEP.iXhyaVGu_ke-&smid=url-
share
rCLProbst, now 64, (has) made it his mission to pull Survivor to more family-friendly territory,
reframing it as a collection of inspiring, interwoven character studies in the guise of a game....rCY
Exactly right IMO! For too many seasons to count, the game has been far less important
than the characterrCOs stories.
In this interview, Probst responds to questions about a lot of things surrounding Survivor
eg. CBS, the betting markets, previous Survivor players appearing on other shows, and Mr.Beast,
topics that I generally have little interest in. However, he does address the speculation that he is
going to be leaving Survivor soon, and defends the rCLairing of his grievancesrCY in S51E01. The
accompanying photos of him posing as rough trade on the streets of New York are an odd choice
IMO.
On 9/27/2026 5:37 PM, Zeppo wrote:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/arts/television/jeff-probst-survivor-
popcast-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EVE.PrEP.iXhyaVGu_ke-
&smid=url-
share
rCLProbst, now 64, (has) made it his mission to pull Survivor to more
family-friendly territory,
reframing it as a collection of inspiring, interwoven character
studies in
the guise of a game....rCY
Exactly right IMO! For too many seasons to count, the game has been
far less
important
than the characterrCOs stories.
In this interview, Probst responds to questions about a lot of things
surrounding Survivor
eg. CBS, the betting markets, previous Survivor players appearing on
other
shows, and Mr.Beast,
topics that I generally have little interest in. However, he does
address the
speculation that he is
going to be leaving Survivor soon, and defends the rCLairing of his
grievancesrCY in S51E01. The
accompanying photos of him posing as rough trade on the streets of New
York
are an odd choice
IMO.
I'd go further and say the scenes of Jeff walking around the streets of
New York (if that's where they filmed them) are outright dumb.-a Jeff is from the midwest (Kansas) but acts more like he's from Hollywood.
There's nothing even remotely New York about him
I only read the written summary and didn't listen to the audio.-a I was really struck by this comment.-a Jeff said:
"IrCOm not always proud of the decisions IrCOve made, not always proud of the things IrCOve said on the shows. There were things I said 20 years ago
I would never say today. So IrCOve had to find grace for myself, because
the good and the bad of being on camera on a show like rCLSurvivorrCY for 25 years is you see a lot of yourself."
I really wish the questioner had followed up on this and asked what
things Jeff said 20 years ago he wouldn't say today.-a Maybe it's in the audio.
And I guess I missed the memo on the Survivor animated film being
planned for 2030.-a Apparently is a comedy cartoon about animals going on Survivor.-a Yup, funny animals on Survivor.-a Doesn't get much better than that.
On 9/28/2026 12:30 PM, Rick wrote:
On 9/27/2026 5:37 PM, Zeppo wrote:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/arts/television/jeff-probst-survivor- >>> popcast-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EVE.PrEP.iXhyaVGu_ke-
&smid=url-
share
rCLProbst, now 64, (has) made it his mission to pull Survivor to more
family-friendly territory,
reframing it as a collection of inspiring, interwoven character
studies in
the guise of a game....rCY
Exactly right IMO! For too many seasons to count, the game has been
far less
important
than the characterrCOs stories.
In this interview, Probst responds to questions about a lot of things
surrounding Survivor
eg. CBS, the betting markets, previous Survivor players appearing on
other
shows, and Mr.Beast,
topics that I generally have little interest in. However, he does
address the
speculation that he is
going to be leaving Survivor soon, and defends the rCLairing of his
grievancesrCY in S51E01. The
accompanying photos of him posing as rough trade on the streets of
New York
are an odd choice
IMO.
I'd go further and say the scenes of Jeff walking around the streets
of New York (if that's where they filmed them) are outright dumb.
Jeff is from the midwest (Kansas) but acts more like he's from
Hollywood. There's nothing even remotely New York about him
I only read the written summary and didn't listen to the audio.-a I was
really struck by this comment.-a Jeff said:
"IrCOm not always proud of the decisions IrCOve made, not always proud of >> the things IrCOve said on the shows. There were things I said 20 years
ago I would never say today. So IrCOve had to find grace for myself,
because the good and the bad of being on camera on a show like
rCLSurvivorrCY for 25 years is you see a lot of yourself."
I really wish the questioner had followed up on this and asked what
things Jeff said 20 years ago he wouldn't say today.-a Maybe it's in
the audio.
And I guess I missed the memo on the Survivor animated film being
planned for 2030.-a Apparently is a comedy cartoon about animals going
on Survivor.-a Yup, funny animals on Survivor.-a Doesn't get much better
than that.
I posted about the movie on June 17. I'd post a link to my post but POS Thunderbird doesn't appear to have that basic functionality.
IG post from Jeff and the show. I wonder if Billie Eilish and her
brother will be asked to write the music for the movie? ____________________________________________________________________
IrCOm so excited to be teaming up with Paramount Animation to bring you Survivor like yourCOve never seen it beforerCain the animal kingdom!
This will be an all-out comedy with animals competing for the chance to
be crowned the sole Survivor. LetrCOs go!!!! EfoN
I really wish the questioner had followed up on this and asked what
things Jeff said 20 years ago he wouldn't say today. Maybe it's in the
audio.
And I guess I missed the memo on the Survivor animated film being
planned for 2030. Apparently is a comedy cartoon about animals going on Survivor. Yup, funny animals on Survivor. Doesn't get much better than
that.
On Sep 28, 2026, Rick wrote
(in article <119ebom$2bg7o$1@dont-email.me>):
I really wish the questioner had followed up on this and asked what
things Jeff said 20 years ago he wouldn't say today. Maybe it's in the
audio.
The interviewers did attempt to probe a little deeper, but Probst
didnrCOt provide any examples that we didnrCOt already know about.
For example:
-He mentioned the rCLCome on in guysrCY change in S41.
-He told a story about Sarah Lacina challenging him on his tendency
to address certain male players by their last names.
-He expressed regret about his on-screen handling of the Hawk/Hatch
incident in S08. He admitted that his primary motivation was to find a
way to prevent Sue from quitting. And, in a somewhat opaque way, he
admitted that Rich shouldnrCOt have been allowed to participate in the challenge while naked.
And I guess I missed the memo on the Survivor animated film being
planned for 2030. Apparently is a comedy cartoon about animals going on
Survivor. Yup, funny animals on Survivor. Doesn't get much better than
that.
Before reading this interview, I knew nothing about the planned animated Survivor movie, and assumed that it would feature caricatures of famous players. However, using animals makes more sense given the demographic
that Probst is going for with this movie.
BTW, in the taped version of the interview, Jeff talks a little about S51 and how
difficult it was to cast. After all the hoopla of S50, Production realized how
important it would be for 51 to be a good season, so they really worked hard to reach an agreement on the 21 best contestants from the interview pool.
On 9/28/2026 6:46 PM, Zeppo wrote:
On Sep 28, 2026, Rick wrote
(in article <119ebom$2bg7o$1@dont-email.me>):
I really wish the questioner had followed up on this and asked what
things Jeff said 20 years ago he wouldn't say today. Maybe it's in the
audio.
The interviewers did attempt to probe a little deeper, but Probst
didnrCOt provide any examples that we didnrCOt already know about.
For example:
-He mentioned the rCLCome on in guysrCY change in S41.
-He told a story about Sarah Lacina challenging him on his tendency
to address certain male players by their last names.
-He expressed regret about his on-screen handling of the Hawk/Hatch
incident in S08. He admitted that his primary motivation was to find a
way to prevent Sue from quitting. And, in a somewhat opaque way, he
admitted that Rich shouldnrCOt have been allowed to participate in the
challenge while naked.
You're right - none of that is particularly new other than perhaps the comments about Rich and Sue. I still think Sue exaggerated the effect
the inadvertent contact by Rich had on her in the hopes of getting a big settlement from CBS, which I'm pretty sure she got.
And I guess I missed the memo on the Survivor animated film being
planned for 2030. Apparently is a comedy cartoon about animals going on
Survivor. Yup, funny animals on Survivor. Doesn't get much better than
that.
Before reading this interview, I knew nothing about the planned animated
Survivor movie, and assumed that it would feature caricatures of famous
players. However, using animals makes more sense given the demographic
that Probst is going for with this movie.
BTW, in the taped version of the interview, Jeff talks a little about
S51 and
how
difficult it was to cast. After all the hoopla of S50, Production
realized
how
important it would be for 51 to be a good season, so they really
worked hard
to reach an agreement on the 21 best contestants from the interview pool.
Did he say anything about why they cast an odd number of contestants?
The last, and I think only time that happened previously was when
someone either dropped out or was dropped at the last moment.
I still think Sue exaggerated the effect
the inadvertent contact by Rich had on her in the hopes of getting a big settlement from CBS, which I'm pretty sure she got.
Did he say anything about why they cast an odd number of contestants?
The last, and I think only time that happened previously was when
someone either dropped out or was dropped at the last moment.
On Sep 28, 2026, Rick wrote
(in article <119fg6h$2bg7o$3@dont-email.me>):
I still think Sue exaggerated the effect
the inadvertent contact by Rich had on her in the hopes of getting a big
settlement from CBS, which I'm pretty sure she got.
Yes. At the time, I felt that her delayed emotional reaction to something that had happened three days earlier to be suspect.
On a related note, the NYT interviewers asked if the Hatch/Hawk
incident was the reason why Rich has been treated as a rCLpersona
non gratarCY during ProbstrCOs time as Survivor showrunner. Jeff didnrCOt answer the question directly but, when pressed, stated that Rich is
one of a number of former players who are no longer considered to
be members of the Survivor rCLfamily". Unfortunately, he was not
asked to identify some of the other people who fall into this category.:-)
He also stated that a player would not be allowed to parade about
in the nude nowadays.
Did he say anything about why they cast an odd number of contestants?
The last, and I think only time that happened previously was when
someone either dropped out or was dropped at the last moment.
No. The only thing that he said about S51 was that it was difficult to
cast.
As far as the Survivor blacklist is concerned, you have to assume it
includes Rich, Russell Hantz, probably anyone else with surname Hantz,
Brian Heidik, Mike Skupin, Stacey Stillman, maybe Chris Daugherty and
perhaps even Sue Hawk herself.
That confuses me a bit since there must have been several players who
didn't quite make the final cuts for the seasons immediately preceding
S50 that would still want to play.
On Sep 29, 2026, Rick wrote
(in article <119i3gg$3tcr1$1@dont-email.me>):
As far as the Survivor blacklist is concerned, you have to assume it
includes Rich, Russell Hantz, probably anyone else with surname Hantz,
Brian Heidik, Mike Skupin, Stacey Stillman, maybe Chris Daugherty and
perhaps even Sue Hawk herself.
Yes, IrCOm with you on each of the people you named, and I would add
Dan Spilo, Colton Cumbie, Jon Dalton, Silas Gaither, Alec Merlino,
Vytas Baskauskas, and most of the quitters to the list of past
players who have been relegated to the Survivor penalty box forever.
ItrCOs also worth mentioning that Julie Berry (who was a good player)
was never asked to return after S09 due to her long romantic
relationship with Jeff Probst. However, she is not blacklisted per se,
and has attended some official Survivor events. FWIW, it has been
speculated that Probst has held a long standing grudge against
Chris Daugherty due to the way Julie left the S09 game at F5.
That confuses me a bit since there must have been several players who
didn't quite make the final cuts for the seasons immediately preceding
S50 that would still want to play.
When Probst talked about S51 casting during the NYT interview, he
stated that he, Matt Van Wagenen, and Jesse Tannenbaum were
cognizant of the possibility that, after S50, casual fans might stop
watching if 51 was perceived to be a weak season. Therefore,
they spent more time than usual searching for people who they
felt the editors could turn into compelling characters. One of the
ways they did this was to broaden the pool of potential contestants
by reconsidering applicants who had sent in audition videos, or had
been interviewed, but not selected for previous seasons.
On Oct 1, 2026, Rick wrote
(in article <119mh0t$1bh2l$2@dont-email.me>):
Those are great adds to the list, and I can't believe I forgot about Dan
Spilo who probably belongs at the top of the list. I think I've
mentally blocked out that season. The other obvious name I missed was
Osten, the first player to overtly quit for no reason except he couldn't
handle the game, and Jeff reacted by angrily throwing down his torch
rather than snuff it.
Ha! IIRC, Osten claimed that his lungs were filling up with fluid which necessitated him leaving the game.
I may be missing somebody, but there are a number of quitters who may
not have been blacklisted due to the circumstances which lead to their requests to leave their games:
-Jenna Morasca (S08)
-Gary Stritesky (S14)
-Kathy Sleckman (S16)
-Dana Lambert (S25)
-Terry Deitz (S31)
-Bi Nguyb+an (S37)
There has also been some speculation that Janu Tornell from S10 (the
first player to spend a night alone on Exile Island) was invited to participate
in, at least, one official Survivor event despite her sketchy reason for quitting.
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