Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of ‘Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites’.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You’ve had people that have been seriously hurt and needed to be evacuated from the game, and others that maybe used not feeling well as an excuse to leave a game they were no longer prepared to play. Obviously Shamar’s eye injury ended up being serious enough that medical recommend he be pulled, but given his previous inclination towards quitting, when you were on your way out to the tribe camp, did you think maybe it was a case of someone looking for a way out?
JEFF PROBST: Being completely honest, yes. It went through my head because I had already visited Shamar a few days earlier (which we didn’t air) and he really seemed to want to go home, but his tribe talked him into staying. So when I got the call that he needed to see medical I was already speculating about the situation. But when I arrived it was clear his eye was injured, and when it comes to vision, you can’t take any risks. The call from the doctors to pull him from the game was an easy one to make. Whether he was secretly relieved, only he truly knows.  READ FULL STORY »

Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of ‘Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites’.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s get your take on the Shamar situation. What would you do if you were playing and had a guy that you needed in terms of numbers for a majority alliance, but he was tearing apart tribe chemistry and had already threatened to quit once? Would you keep him or cut him loose? 
JEFF PROBST: I would probably go to someone who I felt was on the bottom of the other alliance and make the following case:  “We have the numbers and we will vote your alliance out one by one.  There is an opening for you to make a move and join us but you have to decide right now.”  And then to add a bit of leverage I would add “and if you say no or if you tell anyone else — you will be the next one out.”  If they said yes — I’d make the switch and get rid of Shamar.  If not, I think you have to hold onto him a bit longer until you have enough numbers advantage that you can spare him.  At that point you get rid of him. READ FULL STORY »

Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of ‘Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites’.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Okay, man,  that “1 Survivor!” shot of you standing on that rocky peak looked super dicey. Tell us how the hell you got up — or down — there and if you had any concerns whatsoever about, you know…dying.
JEFF PROBST: Believe it or not just getting to the top of the rock was much more dangerous than actually standing there for the tag line. Here’s how we did it…  I was on board the chopper with the door off — our pilot flew in nice and close to the top of the spire and hovered there for about 5 seconds as I stepped OFF, yes, stepped off, the chopper and onto the top of the rock which is only about 2 sq ft.  Our director was holding my arm from inside the chopper as I stepped out to the rock- where our safety guy (who had climbed to the top – that’s right – climbed) grabbed my other arm to make sure I didn’t fall off the 125 ft rock and down to the ocean below.  He then quickly clipped a safety line to a harness I was wearing under my shirt.  For those five seconds I was definitely vulnerable but because of our well planned transition I was never really afraid, but it was without any question one of the riskiest and craziest things we have done.  After we had shot the tag line we did the same thing in reverse.  I won’t lie, I was concentrating very hard that I stepped carefully and quickly getting out and then getting back inside.  I love this job. [See an incredible video of Jeff being dropped off and picked up right here.] READ FULL STORY »

Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Jeff Probst has defended the Favorites coming back to play Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites (premiering Feb. 13 on CBS) as good players. He has explained when they first decided to bring Malcolm back, and opined that Brandon Hantz was indeed psychologically stable enough to return. He even told us which returning players would not come back to play again for this season. But we have not heard his take on some of the newbies who will be making up the tribe of Fans. Until now. I asked Probst to pick out some of the new faces we should be keeping an eye on, and here’s who he picked and what he said about each: READ FULL STORY »