The On Fire podcast is back for Survivor 48, with Survivor host Jeff Probst, producer Jeff Wolfe, and Survivor 47 winner Rachel LaMont. On this week’s episode, the three discuss the interaction between Sai and Mary, how the players’ backstories are framed on the show, and Eva’s unforgettable moment after the immunity challenge. Plus, Probst explores how he felt during the emotional moment between Joe and Eva, how this caused him to have a first in Survivor’s history, and answers some fan questions.
Wolfe starts by mocking Probst for the latter’s challenge commentary, particularly when balls are involved, the billiard kind. In his defence, Probst admits he can’t help himself and that the fourth grader inside of him takes over. “I have a limited wit; it expands to about like the seventh grade,” Probst says. “So, if there’s a chance to make a joke about balls, I have to. I mean, it’s truly the limits of my comedy.”
The interaction between Sai and Mary is then brought up, and Probst and Rachel agree that trash-talking is part of the game. Probst says Sai is fantastic and can figure out how to needle people. Rachel voices trash talk is fine as long as it’s in the spirit of the game, but it’s also almost a guarantee someone will take it personally, and it could be what people use against that player later.
Later, Probst discloses how people’s backstories are framed on Survivor, particularly impactful stories such as the ones that Kamilla, Joe, and Shauhin shared about their family backgrounds. “We never push a player to reveal anything, even if we know it’s an incredible story, or it might be full of emotion, or it might really connect with someone who’s watching, it’s their adventure, and it’s their story to tell,” Probst says.
The host also brings up Zeke Smith’s case, where production wouldn’t have said anything regarding his story until Jeff Varner forced it out of Zeke. When a player brings up a story, then production decides where and when to include it to advance that player’s story arc further.
Afterwards, Probst further expands upon the emotional and impactful moment where Eva publicly shared her experience with autism and her connection with Joe. Probst details that he decided to let Joe hug Eva at the moment as a gut-telling decision, as he trusted his instincts that it was the right thing to do. Probst admits he still feels emotional every time he watches that scene and feels honoured to be part of a show that allows such human moments as these to occur, which can potentially help others to feel seen and heard. On the other hand, Probst also shared that his kids found his crying reaction funny and even started writing meme captions.
Lastly, Probst answers some fan questions and reveals quite a controversial idea. When asked what kind of twists Probst has thought about including in a season, Probst confesses he’s fantasised about somehow including AI (artificial intelligence) and having an algorithm that could potentially create multiple “perfectly designed” seasons. Before fans have a heart attack, Probst clarifies production would never design Survivor that way because “part of the [Survivor] design is the unpredictable messiness.”
Written by