Survivor host Jeff Probst, producer Jeff Wolfe, and Survivor 46 runner-up Charlie Davis meet on the On Fire podcast to discuss all things Survivor. Probst gives his thoughts on gender-based alliances, how likely it is for the members of Operation Italy to return for a future season, and how confessionals are key to being invited back to the game.
The trio discusses whether an all-girls or an all-guys alliance has yet to form in the New Era due to the shifting direction casting has taken in the last couple of years. Besides the Black Widow Brigade, Probst thinks gender-based alliances don’t work due to the game’s fluidity. “It’s already a very difficult thing to keep a group of four or five people working together in any situation or any amount of time. So, if you initially base it merely on gender, you’re giving up so many other important factors,” he says.
Charlie adds that historically, several gender-based alliances haven’t been able to work out due to their members not having any bonding aspects or any more incentives to work together aside from their gender.
Later, Operation Italy is thoroughly dissected from a storytelling perspective, and Probst mentions its masterful portrayal on screen was because of Survivor’s top-notch editing team. Plus, Probst highlights how these types of moves are how players are invited back to the show, as the host says, “Those are the type of people you invite back because they’re willing to take the risk… and Andy and the Operation Italy team brought it.”
Regarding confessionals, Probst states that players may use confessionals to vent and explore ideas or potential game moves that may or may not be acted upon. Ultimately, players must be expressive and not be afraid to get an egg on their faces regardless of the outcome, as fearless players are the most likely to be invited back, irrespective of whether their plans worked. If someone holds themselves back for fear of being wrong or silly, Probst declares this won’t work on Survivor, and that person will never be invited back.
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