Jeff Probst Reveals One Recent Return That's Coming Back for 'Survivor 47'

Over the past year, Survivor seemed to usher in the next phase of its "new era." Seasons 45 and 46 brought consistent 90-minute episodes to our screens for the first time, saw the return of elements from the first 40 seasons, and produced some of the best comedy, gameplay, and chaos in recent memory. In talking with the players of Survivor 47 , I was keen to find out if there were any big takeaways from 45 and 46 that they were incorporating into their own game. As Jeff Probst tells me, though, that thinking didn't necessarily expand to production's planning of the season.

"I didn't have a new mentality to it," the host, showrunner, and executive producer exclusively tells Parade . "But what you're speaking to makes me really happy to hear that that's how fans perceive it. Because our goal with the new era has been to create a game that is fun and dangerous and to put players on who want to play the game. And I think what you're seeing with 45 and 46 and now 47 is that the players are evolving the game based on how previous players have played the game."

Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 47

That last sentence serves as Probst and the Survivor team's mindset as they went into plotting out the latest season, premiering on Wednesday, September 18 with a two-hour episode. It's a matter of looking back at the menu of seasons past and tweaking things based on what worked and what didn't. For example, Probst confirmed to me that the Survivor auction, which made its return in 45 after a fifteen-season absence, would be coming back in 47. Even more recent pastiches, like the "Sweat vs. Savvy" challenge that's appeared in every new era premiere, have undergone an evolution for the new season.

"We did it for many seasons because we felt there was more gold to mine there," Probst says. "And then there reached a point where we thought, 'Okay, before this becomes too stale or predictable, let's keep the same premise. You have to earn your supplies, but let's change what you have to do to earn them."

"So we created a new test, which I think fans are really going to like," he goes on to say, "It's the kind of it's the kind of challenge that I think players imagine experiencing when you're dreaming of being on Survivor . These are the kind of things that you hope you get to do. It's a little bit of Indiana Jones. And the pressures on you to either come back as a hero, or come back and have to describe that you failed."

Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor 47

Of course, you need an intrepid group of 18 adventurers trying to escape the proverbial rolling boulder of the new era. And this season's cast, like many in recent seasons, is eclectic and electric. But one notable name certainly sticks out in Jon Lovett , co-host of "Pod Save America" and "Lovett or Leave It." And Probst's reaction to finding out that the former Obama speechwriter was not only a Survivor fan, but wanted to play? "Thrilled."

"This is one of the all-time greatest storytellers that will ever appear on Survivor , whether he lasts the day or all 26," he says. "And the fact that he comes from a political background is really interesting because Survivor is this game of social politics. So love it really was able to bring in this perspective from having been a speechwriter for Barack Obama, but being able to equate how it does relate, how our political system can relate to Survivor , or how Survivor relates to our political system. And then the biggest gift of all is that everything he says is interesting, no matter how lame my question to Jon might be, his answer will be compelling. And that's just the gift of gifts."

Read on for our full interview with Jeff Probst, where he also gets into his thoughts on a coincidental commonality in the cast, the hidden theme of the season, and an update on casting for Season 50. Survivor 47 premieres with a two-hour episode on Wednesday, September 18 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Related: Two Survivor 47 Players Already Recognize a Familiar Face on Their Cast

Seasons 45 and 46 have felt different than the four "new era" seasons that came before them, and they're regarded by many fans as the strongest iterations the show has offered since coming back from COVID. From a production perspective, given the strength of 45 and 46, did that change your mentality at all going into 47?
No, I didn't have a new mentality to it. But what you're speaking to makes me really happy to hear that that's how fans perceive it. Because our goal with the new era has been to create a game that is fun and dangerous and to put players on who want to play the game. And I think what you're seeing with 45 and 46 and now 47 is that the players are evolving the game based on how previous players have played the game.

So, just using 46 as an example, all of the idol play that went on during that season was top of mind for every player in 47. So that forces the player to ask themselves, "Do I have to reconsider how I might regard an idol. Because I just watched a bunch of people have them and get voted out with them. Would I be better to use it as insurance early and get rid of it? Or do I take the same risk?" There's not a finite yes or no way to approach it. But just the fact that you can look at the previous seasons is really fun. And I think that's why the game continues to evolve, is that the players are evolving.

Survivor 45 was the first season that aired 90-minute episodes for its duration. And you were told about that while planning the season, so the runtime was incorporated into the structure. You weren't sure if that would be the case for 46 (though it ended up happening), but now 90-minute episodes are here to stay for 47. How did that guarantee of runtime affect the way you structured this season?
Well, it changes the way you structure the show in that you just want to make sure you have enough turning points in an episode, and you can create turning points by presenting dilemmas or situations. It doesn't really matter what player goes on the journey. It doesn't matter what decision they make on the journey. It doesn't matter what the result of the journey is. It only matters that that event is happening, and that event, in and of itself, is going to change the game. The minute somebody says, "I'll get on the boat, they've just made a decision to change their game." And that decision is going to change how everybody sees them, and then it's going to lead them into a journey where they might have a risk/reward game, and how they handle that will change the game again.

And then when they come back to camp and decide to tell their tribe whatever story they tell them, that will change the game again. So it's a really simple way to impact the game, to give the players the opportunity to impact the game. That's what I think we're good at, is that we don't impact the game. If you look at a Beware Advantage, what it says is, "If you want this, keep it. But if you don't want it, put it back. It's up to you." And I'm really big on that in one way or another. We like the idea of the decisions made by the players to be their decision.

The extra time on 45 allowed you to bring back the auction and the tribe swap. I know you had said in other interviews that you would anticipate doing the auction in particular every two-season filming cycle due to all the logistics in putting it on. Are we going to expect things like the auction and swap–or any other elements from the first 40 seasons–to come back for 47?
Yeah, I think the auction is a great example of something that we think is fun to do maybe once a season. So 47 would be a great season to do an auction. And we do the auction; we bring it back in 47. And it was really fun, and we learned a little bit from the first time. We did it in the new era. So we now can look at it and say, "Okay, let's evolve it a little more". We're constantly doing that with all of our ideas. And, to your point, Mike, we're also aware that we want to nourish and nurture our ideas and not blow them out. We're fortunate enough this many years in to have a pretty good menu of things we could put into a season. So we do like to keep it unpredictable for the player and also keep it fresh for the audience. I think if we started doing the auction every season, it could quickly become expected and a little more routine. And when you do things every so often, it allows you to have a little more fun with them and make a bigger deal of it. So I like all the things you're saying because all the questions you're asking are directly in line with what we're trying to do from a producing standpoint of a game or a season of Survivor .

So, to go back to that menu metaphor, you're creating more of a curated dining experience rather than proverbially opening up the buffet. Because, that way, you're able to help cater to people's tastes so they don't completely overindulge on everything in front of them.
Yeah. I mean, for instance, this season, we've updated–or evolved, I should say–"Sweat vs Savvy." We did it for many seasons because we felt there was more gold to mine there. And then there reached a point where we thought, "Okay, before this becomes too stale or predictable, let's keep the same premise. You have to earn your supplies, but let's change what you have to do to earn them." We like the intention of it, which is a new way that the tribe has to work to earn their camp supplies. But we did feel like this is a situation where this is an area where we could update and try something new.

So we created a new test, which I think fans are really going to like. It's the kind of it's the kind of challenge that I think players imagine experiencing when you're dreaming of being on Survivor . These are the kind of things that you hope you get to do. It's a little bit of Indiana Jones. And the pressures on you to either come back as a hero, or come back and have to describe that you failed. And then that goes back to what you and I were talking about earlier. That single event is going to change the entire complexity of the game for you and everyone else on your tribe and maybe on the other tribes. So everything that's happening out there is impacting the game with these tiny little shifts. And at the end of the season, all those tiny little shifts equal one big fun adventure.

Well, let's talk about the people about to go on that "big, fun adventure." I have to start with Jon Lovett, who set the internet ablaze when people found out he would be a contestant. There were a lot of people–myself and I'm sure yourself included–who were surprised to find out he was a Survivor fan, let alone someone who wanted to play. So give me your reaction to finding out that this political devotee wants to enter a very different type of political game.

The short answer to Jon Lovett applying was thrilled. This is one of the all-time greatest storytellers that will ever appear on Survivor , whether he lasts the day or all 26. And the fact that he comes from a political background is really interesting because Survivor is this game of social politics. So love it really was able to bring in this perspective from having been a speechwriter for Barack Obama, but being able to equate how it does relate, how our political system can relate to Survivor , or how Survivor relates to our political system. And then the biggest gift of all is that everything he says is interesting, no matter how lame my question to Jon might be, his answer will be compelling. And that's just the gift of gifts.

I think the biggest question for Jon Lovett is going to be, is he as recognized as he fears he might be? And if people do recognize him, is that, you know, how does he turn that into an advantage and not an obstacle? Because often on Survivor , when somebody sees that you're extremely clever, and in this case, you're also famous, and therefore they're going to imply that you're also successful financially. Those can be big burdens to overcome. But when you're in the hands of somebody like Mike White, you saw how well he did it. And the question is, can Jon Lovett do the same thing?

Related: Survivor 47 Players Give Their Most Controversial Hot Takes

What I found interesting in talking with this cast is there seemed to be a throughline for many of them of some sort of broadcasting or podcasting experience. Obviously you have Jon. But Rome does esports commentating, Sam is an NFL beat reporter, Gabe hosts his own radio show, Aysha does podcasting about reality TV, and Sierra was previously a broadcast journalist. Was that a commonality you all saw in the moment? How coincidental is it to have them all in one season?
It's a really great question, because it was not planned on our part. And we do evaluate everything, and we look for commonalities and things that are different as well. But I think it's a 50% coincidence, and 50% this is what a lot of young people do. I mean, podcasting and [esports], that's more in this newer era of young people. So it probably won't be the last time that we have somebody who's a social media influencer or something like that on the show. And it's not a bad thing, because those types of people tend to be really good storytellers.

It gets fun to have Rome out there. He's fun to watch and listen to because he knows how to craft a story with his words. Same with Sam. And when you're doing Sam's job, you have to very quickly be able to assess, in a moment, "If I only get one question with this quarterback, what's the question I want to ask him that's going to get the answer I want?" Well, that's a really great skill to have on Survivor . So I think it's interesting to watch the different occupations and how they utilize those skills to help them progress in the game. Just going off last season, you saw it with Kenzie. She basically said, "I spend most of my day doing hair while I do therapy." And she was really good at that, and that ended up being maybe the skill that won her the million dollars, her ability to just listen and talk to people and know what they need in the moment. It's one skill in her toolkit, but it might have been a million-dollar one.

So "broadcasters vs. broadcasters" clearly isn't a theme. But if you had to assign a theme to Survivor 47 in retrospect, what would it be?
Ever-changing power. And if you underestimate anyone, it could be fatal. And that's what we noticed. I was constantly amazed at what was happening and who was in charge.

Interesting. I mean, ideally, that's what the game you design should be, right? The idea that, at any point in time, you can take power, and it's just a matter of playing King of the Hill and making sure you can stay on top before it all comes tumbling down.
I think that's a really good description of it. And that's why, in the new era, it often only takes a moment and you're in trouble. You say one wrong thing at the right time, and suddenly everybody's looking at you, and now you're the target. And that's why this ability to stay present and aware, when it's so difficult to do without sleep and without food and and energy, is so important. Because the new era hits you pretty hard. Players are typically struggling the first night. And by the time you get to Day 10 or 20 or 24, it's very difficult to to continue to be able to be so cognitively sharp that you can pick up on the nuances that are dictating the game. I think that's something that's continuing to be explored in our storytelling as well, which is how quickly a player can be in no trouble at all. And the next thing you know, their torches being snuffed, and they do not know what happened. That's why your torch is being snuffed. You don't know what happened.

Finally, I'd be remiss not to bring up the spectre of Survivor 50 looming on the horizon. It's been a little less than six months since you announced that returnees would be appearing on the anniversary season. Can you offer an update to the planning process? And do you think the knowledge of 50 being a returnee season will affect the way people play for 47 through 49?
That's a good question. I hope it does. Because that's the kind of player we want, is a player who wants to play. But I feel pretty confident that the people were putting on Survivor , they don't need any bigger push. They're coming to play no matter what. We're still forming this whole thing. But what's really important to me is that the fans are happy. We want to put people on Season 50 that the fans want to watch play.  There are obviously a lot of things that will go into who plays 50. But I think I started with 200 or 250 players that were like, "All these people could be on." Then you have to start pulling it down. And that gets really tough, because I want everybody to have this opportunity. I know how exciting it is, and I also know that we can't have 200 people play a season of Survivor . So we're going to have to continue to whittle the list down. And then the emphasis becomes on, who do the fans want to see play? Because this is their show.

And the other thing is, every player started as a fan. So it really is all about the fans. Some of them are going to be fans that ended up becoming players, and some of them are going to be fans who've never been a player. But we want it to be a celebration. That's the thing that's driving me. I want Survivor 50 to be fun. And yes, it's going to be a real season of Survivor. And yes, there will be a million dollars and a winner. But, above all else, let's celebrate 25 years of Survivor by having fun. So that's what we're aiming for. And I'm very excited, because we have a lot of former players who were an absolute blast to play with, and I would love to see back out there again. And the hardest decision is going to be figuring out, ultimately, who it's going to be?

It's the old Mike White adage, "Is it fun?" And I'm glad to hear that you're looking at 50 first and foremost with that lens, as a fun celebration of this milestone achievement of the show.
Mike, I've never had more fun hosting Survivor ever in my life. Every day on location, I wake up and I'm excited to see the players. Because I don't know what they're going to bring to me, whether it's a new negotiation or a funny story. And therefore, I don't know what I'm going to bring to them in return. So I just show up saying, "So where are we? Let's talk." And it's amazing the playfulness that's coming out of the players as they are evolving this game into their game. And our job as producers is to design it in a way that gives you the freedom and the space to maneuver. And they're still finding ways to use the Shot in the Dark that haven't been used yet. Maybe there's a new take on the Beware Advantage that you'll contend with. It's up to you. I just like being a witness to it all. And I think that's why Survivor has been so fun lately. To your earlier point, there's this momentum. And I think by the time 47 and 48 are finished, I think fans will feel very satisfied with where Survivor is as we head closer to 50.

Next, Here's 50 Players Who Should Be on Survivor 50 .