Brian Smith wrote:
Jeff Probst says the time he almost left Survivor 'would have been the
worst decision of my life'
The host once contemplated cutting ties, but is happy he stuck around.
By Dalton Ross
February 4, 2026 11:15 a.m. ET
As Survivor gets ready to celebrate its biggest anniversary yet, it's
almost impossible to imagine the show without the face of the franchise:
Jeff Probst. And heading into season 50, there's no reason to believe
the 64-year-old host and showrunner is close to hanging up his trademark Survivor baseball caps.
But there were times where Probst continuing with the franchise that
made him a star was hardly assured. In fact, almost 40 seasons ago, he appeared poised to leave.
Going into filming on Survivor: Panama (season 12) in 2005, Probst's
contract with the show was up after the season, and the host was
frustrated with the massive pay discrepancy between scripted stars on
the network and what CBS was paying the master of ceremonies for one of
its highest-rated programs.
He also had other interests beyond just snuffing torches. Probst had
already written and directed a taut thriller called Finder's Fee
starring James Earl Jones, Matthew Lillard, and a young up-and-comer
named Ryan Reynolds. Being tied down by a reality TV show a genre that
was still looked down upon by most in the industry at that time was
not necessarily seen as super appealing in the year 2005.
Fortunately, CBS finally backed up the money truck and Probst renewed
his contract for four more seasons, and then again after Survivor: Micronesia.
The other time many suspected Probst might be on the verge of leaving
was when he signed on to host his own daily syndicated talk show
titled, yes, The Jeff Probst Show in 2012. Many wondered if Probst
who had previously been a sporadic fill-in on Live! with Regis and Kelly
would continue snuffing torches on the island if the daytime program
was successful, but the talk show was canceled after a single season.
With Survivor still going strong 26 years after it debuted, does Probst
ever look back and think about all he would have missed had he left the program? We asked the host and showrunner exactly that in Fiji during
filming on Survivor 50 (which premieres Feb. 25), and he is unambiguous
while examining what could have been had he left the show.
"It would have been the worst decision of my life," Probst told
Entertainment Weekly at a production base camp reception area. "Who
knows how serious I really was about leaving. I think there were a
period of years on Survivor where the travel was pretty extensive, and
the time away was a long time away, and the stress to keep the show high
in the ratings all that pressure does have a cumulative effect on you."
He also says the grind of producing season after season had gotten to
him, but that a mandated break turned all of that around.
"There were definitely periods where I was feeling just exhausted,"
Probst admits. "But I haven't felt that way in so long. The rebirth
during COVID is one of the best things that's ever happened to the show
and has ever happened to me."
Probst says once everyone was forced to take a step back, he and the
entire crew were that much more enthused to get back to work after
missing a full year of filming.
"It was the first time we had a moment to step back and just think
without the pressure of doing another season right away," Probst
recalls. "And in that time, I think all of us remembered how much we
love this show. We just needed a moment."
Probst compares it to a mother or father needing their own personal time
out. "It's like when you're a parent with kids, and they're everywhere
and you're like, 'Of course I love them, but I wish all of you would
just leave for 10 minutes.' So I think that's kind of what it was like."
In a way, it's now hard for the host to comprehend that he once
considered leaving Survivor. "When you bring up those periods, I am kind
of embarrassed by them," Probst says. "Because I don't honestly know
that I was completely serious, but I know that I was so tired that I was contemplating it. But let's be clear, that would've been the single
worst decision I could have ever made."
Thankfully, he didn't.
Source: https://ew.com/jeff-probst-leaving-survivor-would-have-been-worst-decision-of-my-life-11888001
--
Brian
Brian Smith wrote:
Jeff Probst says the time he almost left Survivor 'would have been the
worst decision of my life'
The host once contemplated cutting ties, but is happy he stuck around.
By Dalton Ross
February 4, 2026 11:15 a.m. ET
As Survivor gets ready to celebrate its biggest anniversary yet, it's
almost impossible to imagine the show without the face of the franchise:
Jeff Probst. And heading into season 50, there's no reason to believe
the 64-year-old host and showrunner is close to hanging up his trademark
Survivor baseball caps.
But there were times where Probst continuing with the franchise that
made him a star was hardly assured. In fact, almost 40 seasons ago, he
appeared poised to leave.
Going into filming on Survivor: Panama (season 12) in 2005, Probst's
contract with the show was up after the season, and the host was
frustrated with the massive pay discrepancy between scripted stars on
the network and what CBS was paying the master of ceremonies for one of
its highest-rated programs.
He also had other interests beyond just snuffing torches. Probst had
already written and directed a taut thriller called Finder's Fee
starring James Earl Jones, Matthew Lillard, and a young up-and-comer
named Ryan Reynolds. Being tied down by a reality TV show-a a genre that
was still looked down upon by most in the industry at that time-a was
not necessarily seen as super appealing in the year 2005.
Fortunately, CBS finally backed up the money truck and Probst renewed
his contract for four more seasons, and then again after Survivor:
Micronesia.
The other time many suspected Probst might be on the verge of leaving
was when he signed on to host his own daily syndicated talk show
titled, yes, The Jeff Probst Show-a in 2012. Many wondered if Probst
who had previously been a sporadic fill-in on Live! with Regis and Kelly
-awould continue snuffing torches on the island if the daytime program
was successful, but the talk show was canceled after a single season.
With Survivor still going strong 26 years after it debuted, does Probst
ever look back and think about all he would have missed had he left the
program? We asked the host and showrunner exactly that in Fiji during
filming on Survivor 50 (which premieres Feb. 25), and he is unambiguous
while examining what could have been had he left the show.
"It would have been the worst decision of my life," Probst told
Entertainment Weekly at a production base camp reception area. "Who
knows how serious I really was about leaving. I think there were a
period of years on Survivor where the travel was pretty extensive, and
the time away was a long time away, and the stress to keep the show high
in the ratings-a all that pressure does have a cumulative effect on you."
He also says the grind of producing season after season had gotten to
him, but that a mandated break turned all of that around.
"There were definitely periods where I was feeling just exhausted,"
Probst admits. "But I haven't felt that way in so long. The rebirth
during COVID is one of the best things that's ever happened to the show
and has ever happened to me."
Probst says once everyone was forced to take a step back, he and the
entire crew were that much more enthused to get back to work after
missing a full year of filming.
"It was the first time we had a moment to step back and just think
without the pressure of doing another season right away," Probst
recalls. "And in that time, I think all of us remembered how much we
love this show. We just needed a moment."
Probst compares it to a mother or father needing their own personal time
out. "It's like when you're a parent with kids, and they're everywhere
and you're like, 'Of course I love them, but I wish all of you would
just leave for 10 minutes.' So I think that's kind of what it was like."
In a way, it's now hard for the host to comprehend that he once
considered leaving Survivor. "When you bring up those periods, I am kind
of embarrassed by them," Probst says. "Because I don't honestly know
that I was completely serious, but I know that I was so tired that I was
contemplating it. But let's be clear, that would've been the single
worst decision I could have ever made."
Thankfully, he didn't.
Source:
https://ew.com/jeff-probst-leaving-survivor-would-have-been-worst-
decision-of-my-life-11888001
--
Brian
Glad he didn't leave
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