After 46 seasons, is Jeff Probst finally leaving Survivor behind?
After hosting the franchise for 25 years, many have been sure that the host of the long running reality show would be ready to call his time on the island finished.
Over the years, that have been rumors and reports that he’s nearly done just that.
But Jeff has been very clear about his future with the show, as well as his thoughts on who would replace him as host when he finally leaves for good.
Is Jeff Probst Leaving ‘Survivor’? Not Yet!
Travel back to us quickly to the start of the new millennium.
That’s when Jeff started hosting Survivor. In 2000, the show debuted on CBS and became in instant sensation. Today, after 46 seasons, Jeff is not only still the host, but he’s also the showrunner and executive producer.
That bump in status – and in paycheck – might be the reason that Jeff has stuck around longer than many thought he would. But as the show is creeping towards it’s milestone 50th year, the question remains: will he stay?
For now, the answer is a resounding yes. In fact, he’s already thinking about the next decade of seasons.
“When you’re in an executive producer position, you have to have a global look at the show,” Jeff said to Variety 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 hard to even imagine! Just as it would be hard to imagine Jeff leaving as host of the show.
Yet while Jeff has been clear that he sees a future with the show, he’s also not as sure that means sticking around as host.
Jeff Probst Knows Who Should Replace Him as ‘Survivor’ Host
While there’s no end in sight for Jeff right now, the truth is at some point, every host retires. (We’re looking at you, Pat Sajak!)
And when that day comes, Jeff already has instructions laid out for who should take his place next.
“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 told Variety.
“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
Truth is, Jeff has been upfront about his plans with the show for awhile.
In an episode of his On Fire podcast from the end of 2023, Jeff discussed his future on the franchise. A listener asked whether season 50 will be his last, and Jeff pledged to continue with the show indefinitely… under one condition.
“I still love Survivor very much,” Probst said 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, yet dodgy answer. He basically is putting the ball in the networks court. If they keep running the show, he’ll keep hosting it.
Simple enough, right? But Jeff added that the game only works if certain other people keep returning year after year, not just him.
Keep the ‘Survivor’ Team Together
“The biggest thing for me is keeping our team together,” Jeff added, speaking as the showruner at the helm of production.
“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 have it: if CBS continues to renew the show, Jeff gets to keep his team in tact, and people keep applying to compete…
Oh yeah – what about new contestants? Are there really still so many people who are willing to play the game that seemed so novel 20 years ago, but now feels like it’s run it’s course?
Jeff hopes so, and if we want him to keep hosting, it’s a condition 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,” said Jeff.
How Covid Stopped Jeff From Quitting ‘Survivor’
In an interview in 2022 with Entertainment Weekly, Jeff revealed that there was a time he was about to leave the show for good.
Jeff revealed that the pandemic turned out to be blessing in disguise. It afforded him the reset time he needed to consider 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 show has given so much more back to him then ever before.
“It’s right in line with the ideas I try to impress on our players,” Jeff explained.
“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.”
