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 reveals an interesting tidbit behind the infamous “Advantage-geddon” moment in Survivor: Game Changers, his thoughts on Kyle’s exit, and what he advises future players to avoid doing if they get voted out.
As the audience saw in the latest Season 47 episode, Rachel found an advantage. While discussing how production comes up on how many advantages could potentially exist by that point in the game, Probst reveals that the event in Game Changers, commonly known as “Advantage-geddon” (where all players left in the game played an advantage except for Cirie Fields which outrageously led to her elimination from the game), was purposely designed to happen.
Probst explains production wondered what would happen if everyone pulled out a weapon, Reservoir Dogs-style and had a shoot-out. “We designed the game to where it could happen, and it did.” Suffice it to say, this decision has been one of the most critiqued by fans, viewers, and former players alike, as it completely took everyone’s agency away and led to a beloved player’s ousting who didn’t even receive a vote against that tribal council.
When asked what he thought after Kyle was voted out of the game, Probst responded that it was a gut feeling to thank Kyle for playing it. “I just felt it was the right thing to do at that moment,” Probst says, “and I still feel that way hearing it back.” Probst adds he instinctually knows when players are being genuine when leaving the game, which is when he interacts with them one last time and warns future players he would see if they were doing it for a bit instead, which, in that case, Probst would cease to interact.
Case in point, Charlie brings up the deadpan reaction Probst had when Danny Massa left the game in Survivor 44 and did a Robert De Niro impression, which clearly didn’t amuse Probst. The Survivor host admits he immediately thought about how production could cut this moment from the episode. He also pleads to future players to avoid doing something similar to keep the tribal council moments pure.
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