The On Fire podcast is back for Survivor 49, with Survivor host Jeff Probst, producer Jeff Wolfe, and Survivor: Cambodia winner Jeremy Collins. In the latest episode, they comment on the pushback Jeremy faced from the Survivor community a few weeks prior over his comments about two-time Survivor winner Parvati Shallow and Probst’s thoughts on the matter. Probst also announces his Survivor Mount Rushmore, his thoughts on Survivor villains, and more.
Before they begin dissecting the latest Survivor episode, Probst opens by commenting on the public backlash Jeremy received for his comments about Parvati. After being asked by Probst whether he thought Parvati should be considered a two-time winner, Jeremy replied that he didn’t think so, as Parvati had won the latest season of Australian Survivor rather than another US Survivor season.
While some people expressed that they, too, thought like Jeremy, the majority of the Survivor fan base, including former players, joined the discourse by commenting that Parvati is indeed a two-time winner after winning two Survivor games. At the time, Probst didn’t share his opinion on the matter and swiftly changed the subject during that week’s podcast.
During this episode, however, Probst clarifies that he innocently believed his question about Parvati wouldn’t spark any particular discussion. Jeremy doubles down on his original stance by saying he thinks US Survivor and Australian Survivor are two different games and, therefore, considers winning AUS “half a win.” Still, Jeremy adds that he doesn’t want to take anything away from Parvati.
For his part, Probst states, “Somehow, Jeremy’s answer, his own opinion as a player, got attributed to me. And that I’m the one who said that Parvati’s win doesn’t count. I didn’t say it. I don’t even have an opinion, and if you think that was a leading question, and I was hoping Jeremy would answer that way, you don’t know me. I have opinions. I state them all the time. I often regret them later. But I don’t have an opinion on this.”
Wolfe then brings up The Culturistas podcast, where hosts Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang expressed their disdain towards Parvati’s wins being questioned during an episode. Probst interrupts to explain that he wasn’t the one who said it and that Matt (whose comments about Parvati and US Survivor, in particular, went viral) “had the wrong guy.” Probst ends this segment by saying he has nothing to do with Australian Survivor’s production and that he has seen AUS get positive feedback.
Later, Probst mentions his Survivor Mt. Rushmore, which he says consists of the following players: Sandra Diaz-Twine, Parvati Shallow, Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano, and Tony Vlachos, who we all last saw on Survivor: Winners at War. Probst then praises Parvati, as he calls her one of the most dominant players ever, noting that she’s known for being incredibly charming, mischievous, deceitful, and duplicitous.
As for his thoughts on Survivor villains, Probst says, “All four of them are villains. Celebrated villains. Villains that we love… and the only reason why I bring up villains, Jay, is that people keep saying that I don’t want villains. Oh, let me be clear. If you know a Rob, a Sandra, a Tony, or a Parvati waiting to play Survivor, give them my personal phone number, because we will put them on the show immediately.”
However, Probst also clarifies that there are different types of villains, and the ones we saw earlier on the show’s run that were more mean-spirited won’t likely make a comeback.
Regarding the episode itself, they discuss Kristina’s decision to give up her reward for Jawan, which they call a selfless yet strategic move. Jeremy says this move might work for some people or backfire on them, as it did for him on Survivor: San Juan del Sur, unlike Natalie Anderson, who did the same and went on to win the season.
Also, when Savannah comes clean to Sophi about her real job, the trio comments that a player must unravel a lie appropriately to, ironically, earn more trust rather than being seen as unreliable. Probst then explains how players should also use confessionals to their advantage, which is an underused tool for people to be brought back to play Survivor more than once, aka by connecting with the audience and then becoming a fan favourite.
Lastly, Probst is asked some fan questions. A fan asks whether the Knowledge Is Power advantage can be used for another player’s Shot In The Dark, to which Probst answers that it can’t, as the SITD is a personal item and can’t be taken, unlike an idol. Also, Probst gets questioned about the rules players must follow when they travel from one place to another. Probst replies that players aren’t filmed during these times; therefore, they’re not allowed to interact until they reach a location again.
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I love Parv and it’s VERY impressive how well she played but you can’t compare this season she won to a US Season. 14 days with 14 people (and half of them were a very different caliber of player) is not like a US season. Otherwise any US winner can join an international version. It’s comparing apples and oranges.