Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Last season Survivor announced the biggest change ever to its format by allowing people that were voted off to stay in the game and compete to get back on a tribe courtesy of a little something called Redemption Island. Fans were divided. Some liked it. Others, like myself, felt that it diluted the impact of Survivor‘s most important moment of all — the Tribal Council vote out. But Redemption Island is back. In a video interview taken just a few hours after filming began on Survivor: South Pacific, Emmy-winning host Jeff Probst tells us why he’s glad to do it all over again, and explains one big change to the Redemption island format. To hear Probst break down the controversial twist, just click on the video player below. Then, make sure to enjoy his prediction for the first player to go, as well as him ranting at me about press coverage (mostly mine) of the show. And if you do nothing else today, make sure to take a look at Jeff Probst in a truly incredible hat. Good stuff! Then, for more Survivor news and views, follow me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss. Take it away, Jeff… READ FULL STORY »

Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

While on location for Survivor: All-Stars, executive producer Mark Burnett and I were talking about the upcoming immunity challenge about to take place. In typical Burnett style, he was telling me how “epic” it was going to be and how each team had to dive 13 feet underwater to unhook a raft from the ocean floor. “I’d like to do that,” I responded. Next thing you know, Burnett and I were swimming out to the spot and diving down ourselves. And a new tradition was born: press members taking part in a challenge rehearsal.

Fast forward to this summer in Samoa, where filming had just commenced on Survivor: South Pacific. But instead of one lonely loser putting his life in danger, we had…well, I didn’t bother to count, but it was a lot of press people all willing to sacrifice their bodies and their reputations for the sake of challenge-winning glory.  And this time the whole thing was captured on tape. How? Well, for one thing that wily Jeff Probst was sticking a camera in our collective face half the time. (The other half he was turning it on himself to show off the raddest hat this side of the international date line.) READ FULL STORY »