It’s become somewhat of a running joke at this point that the CBS promos spoil Survivor more than a Survivor Sucks messageboard. For years, a vocal minority of fans have complained about this issue, but until now, those gripes have fallen on deaf ears—now fans have found an unlikely supporter in the form of the show’s host.
The long-running Survivor host took to Twitter before Wednesday’s episode to share his frustration at CBS revealing details of future episodes in its TV promo spots. “To those of you frustrated by the #survivor spoilers in the promos… I have to admit I too find it mind numbing,” said Probst, who also serves as the showrunner.
To those of you frustrated by the #survivor spoilers in the promos… I have to admit I too find it mind numbing. And it pains me to have join in your complaints against @survivorcbs but I am…
— Jeff Probst (@JeffProbst) October 2, 2019
It appears the main source of the complaints came from a short promo that aired twice during the Survivor: Island of the Idols premiere last week. The clip showed the Lairo tribe arriving at Tribal Council and dipping their torches into the fire—thereby spoiling that they had lost the Immunity Challenge, despite the challenge not having aired yet.
As if that wasn’t enough, earlier this week, a preview for the second episode revealed Vokai tribe-member Kellee Kim was the person selected to visit Rob and Sandra at the Island of the Idols. This was at odds with the episode itself which presented the moment as a surprise.
It’s not the first season where this kind of thing has happened, but it is the first time Probst has openly criticized CBS regarding the problem. The executive producer tweeted three times on Wednesday, where he voiced his frustration and confirmed that CBS still doesn’t allow Survivor’s production team (SEG) to approve the commercial spots. He also encouraged fans to continue directing their complaints towards CBS.
Despite being on the air 20 years we still have not earned the right to approve our own promo spots. The purpose of a promo is to entice you to watch without giving away what it is we want you to watch. We have no say in that…
— Jeff Probst (@JeffProbst) October 2, 2019
I encourage you to continue complaining in the hopes they will finally submit. But spoilers notwithstanding, tonight's #SURVIVOR episode is GREAT! Super fun! Enjoy!
— Jeff Probst (@JeffProbst) October 2, 2019
Those complaints must have worked, as earlier today, Probst returned to Twitter to announce that the matter has been “resolved.” He didn’t expand on how exactly the issue has been cleared up, but given the nature of the complaint, one could speculate that the production team will now get to approve the CBS ads.
Well, it certainly wasn’t my most gracious moment 🙂 but our alliance accomplished its goal. Thanks to the passion of our fans and a great 20-year partnership with CBS the promo issue has been resolved! Sweet! Moving forward with the rest of a killer season of #Survivor!
— Jeff Probst (@JeffProbst) October 4, 2019
Survivor: Island of the Idols continues on Wednesday.
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So does complaining to CBS get issues resolved or only if your name is Jeff Probst? Oh, wait, my “issue” isn’t with CBS itself….
[…] the recent success of Probst asking fans on Twitter for help to gain more control over the CBS promo spots, can fans also be successful in bringing back the Main Titles? Let’s work together to make […]