INTRO
Survivor host Jeff Probst, Edge of Extinction’s Rick Devens, and producer Jeff Wolfe meet to discuss the tenth episode of Survivor 45 on the On Fire podcast. The trio discusses the reward challenge, the girls’ and boys’ nights that followed, the players’ potential jury management, how the show helps the players adapt to the game, and the aftercare they receive once Survivor ends. To wrap the episode up, Probst answers some fan questions.
EPISODE 10
- Wolfe and Devens praise Katurah and Emily for their performance in the last episode.
- Regarding Julie’s struggle to compartmentalise how she is being perceived in the game instead of how she is in her daily life, Probst agrees it’s difficult to do so as Survivor is “so much more than a game.”
- Devens reveals some of his best friends now are people he met on Survivor. He also jokingly admits he shouldn’t have given Chris Underwood his idol back when the latter came back from Edge of Extinction.
- The trio comments on Bruce’s decision to lie about his idol. Devens admits Bruce fooled him at first and wonders why Bruce would tell Katurah about his plan, as Bruce should’ve played this move out secretly once he decided to do it.
- Probst says sometimes Survivor fulfills the idea that a person believed might be possible, which is why players get so emotional when they win a challenge.
- Probst applauds the editing team for their entertaining portrayal of the girls’ and boys’ nights out, especially as the audience was excited at how even Top Gun music was incorporated into the montage.
- Devens highlights the importance of a loved one’s involvement in the game, as decisions such as including or excluding players to participate in these rewards can make or break a player’s game.
- Probst mentions that he noticed Katurah’s fear of water ever since he explained the challenge and made sure Katurah knew she would have divers in the vicinity at all times to help her feel at ease.
- Probst says he thought Emily was willing to work with Bruce at first, but once production realised it was all a ruse for Bruce not to play the idol and be voted out, he admits he thought this would be more entertaining for the audience.
- Devens says it will be tricky for Emily to get recognition for Bruce’s elimination, as she would have to manage her threat level to make it to the end and then hope the jury buys the argument that she was responsible for the move while not alienating Bruce either.
- Probst says he’s glad Bruce came back and how Bruce did exactly what production hoped he would do in the game when it came to playing hard. Probst admits he also feels for Bruce, as he knows Bruce’s reception on social media hasn’t been the best.
- With Bruce now out of the game, Devens and Wolfe admit they’re excited to see how Emily manages the endgame, and they predict Jake might be the one who brings the Reba Four alliance down.
FAN QUESTIONS
- How codified are Survivor’s rules, and are they accessible for players, for instance, in a document back at camp? There isn’t a formal manual, and Probst admits there should be one.
- What kind of safety and production orientation do the castaways go through before the show starts? Production shows the contestants a pamphlet of things they shouldn’t eat, such as food that might be poisonous.
- Do players receive counseling after the game? Production takes emotional support seriously, and players are given welcome packages to help them prepare for everything they will encounter, including social media. Probst says there’s even a page dedicated to showing how much hate he gets to remind players they are not alone in this. Probst adds that when it comes to mental and physical health, they have a thorough aftercare program as the game takes a toll on the players, and production will be there for them as long as they need it.
- Has production ever had people try to crash the show by visiting the island while they’re filming? Probst reveals this was an issue in the early seasons. Nowadays, production has a lot of security to help avoid the press or other people trying to crash, and they also have an agreement where they get complete control of the locations where Survivor is being filmed, such as camps, tribal councils, and challenge areas.
- Will Survivor 50 be Probst’s last season hosting the show? Probst says Survivor 50 is their next milestone, but they must get there first. He mentions he doesn’t intend to stop so long as the show continues to be fun, the people applying continue to be interesting, and keeping the production team together, as Probst can’t imagine doing the show with a new team.
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I’m confused. You posted this story on the Survivor podcast, one week AFTER the episode. It would be more timely if you could get this posted within a day or two. There’s already a new podcast out.