Jeff Probst Explains Reason For Post-Merge Rock Draw

The host also talks about how past players influence the game.

CBS

Survivor host Jeff Probst, producer Jeff Wolfe, and Survivor 46 runner-up Charlie Davis meet on the On Fire Podcast to discuss the seventh episode of Survivor season 47. During this episode, they talk about why there was a rock draw at this point in the game, the “Take your Pick” advantage, and the influence feedback from former players has on advantages. Also, Probst reveals how he tallies the votes at the end of every tribal council. 

Probst explains that production decided to have a rock draw at this point in the season before it began, as the randomness a rock draw provokes “works because it’s dangerous, and in Survivor, danger means fun.” The possibility of the game flipping on its head incentivises new dynamics, alliances, and opportunities, creating more fun chaos. 

When it comes to the “Take your Pick” advantage, Probst goes into detail about all the different scenarios in which this advantage could’ve been used or not, as he clears up that if an advantage doesn’t clearly state that it must be used, a player can opt-out of not using it. Probst adds that former players’ feedback has influenced how advantages have been adapted or modified. Also, Charlie and Probst advise future players not to rely on how things or twists were done in previous seasons. Survivor is fluid regarding its twists and turns and relying on something that previously happened can seriously hinder someone’s game.

Later, when answering a fan question regarding how Probst tallies the votes, he replies it comes down to memory and maths. He details how he takes the votes to a private area and rearranges them not only for dramatic purposes but also to demonstrate how all players voted and the rest, which aren’t read, are for the last person mentioned. Probst lastly comments on how maths is involved in this process, as he needs to keep a mental tally of how many votes each player has so he doesn’t make any mistakes, which could confuse the players and the audience alike. 


Written by

Mariana Loizaga

Mariana is a lawyer and a writer from Mexico City, Mexico. She has a masters degree in International Relations from the University of Surrey. Her hobbies include reading, blogging, and of course watching Survivor. The first season of Survivor she ever saw was Survivor: Philippines and she became so fascinated with the game and its many layers that she went back through the archives and watched every single previous season.


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