Jeff Probst Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Filming ‘Survivor 50’

This as-told-to essay is predicated on a dialog with Jeff Probst, the Emmy-winning host and showrunner of CBS’s “Survivor.” For the premiere of the present’s all-star fiftieth season, he walked us by a day of filming the truth sequence on the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji. The dialog has been edited and condensed for readability.

“Survivor” is just not a gig. For me and most of the people who work on the present, it truly is our inventive life. Each thought now we have goes into the present.

The best way we run the present has modified rather a lot in 26 years. Within the early seasons, we went to a brand new nation or a brand new island each season. That is an arduous job for our workforce since you’re primarily constructing a metropolis on an island, and then you definitely’re packing every part up and placing it on massive transport crates throughout the ocean. And when it will get there, you’re taking it off, and also you construct a brand new metropolis once more. So the quantity of labor was enormous.

For a lot of seasons, me and the crew had been dwelling in tents — little single-person tents, after which we’d have modular housing on one other season. As soon as, we had very tiny trailers, and I imply tiny — they had been perhaps 12 toes lengthy and eight toes excessive, and also you had a mattress, and that was principally it.

Now that we have filmed in Fiji for 10 years, now we have a routine. It does not change the calls for of the particular present, but it surely does assist the prep, and it eliminates a number of unexpected issues.

Working on “Survivor” is a 26-day occasion from the morning of day one. Though your day may technically begin at 6 a.m. while you get up and finish at 10:30 p.m. when Tribal Council is over, the work does not actually cease till the top of day 26.

Particularly while you’re one of many government producers, there’s at all times a radio subsequent to your mattress, and there is a radio in your boat, and there is a radio in every single place you go as a result of the present is a dwelling, respiration organism.

The excellent news is there aren’t many distractions as a result of there’s nowhere to go. We dwell on somewhat island, and there aren’t any eating places; there is not a movie show. Pals do not actually come and go to, and you do not exit to dinner — there’s nowhere to go to dinner. So your life may be very small, and that makes it very simple to focus.

This is a typical day in my life whereas filming “Survivor 50.”

I get up with out an alarm to the sounds of the ocean

I’ve a house that’s on the water in Fiji, so I get up to the sounds of the ocean each morning.

Once you’re in the course of the ocean, there isn’t any ambient gentle, so it’s totally simple to go to mattress early as a result of it is pitch black, and it is a lot simpler to stand up within the morning with the solar.

Nearly each morning, I work out, principally for my psychological well being. I’ve a small gymnasium — I’ve just a few items of drugs that I’ve collected over time, and we ship them to this little home. We actually construct a false ground for them in order that we do not harm the home in any respect. I do very simple workout routines with weights; nothing fancy. It will get the job carried out.

I solely do perhaps 20 minutes, however I attempt to do it most days as a result of I really feel higher once I do it. I really feel like I let my physique know, “We’re going again into conflict, let’s go.”

I normally eat wholesome, however I get cravings just like the castaways do whereas filming ‘Survivor’

We now have a catering workforce, they usually make about 100,000 meals a yr for our crew. So that they’re on set early within the morning, making breakfast. In addition they make lunch and dinner, and are sending crew meals out to all our groups on varied seashores.

I am not a giant eater in my regular life — I would eat one meal, or two meals a day on the most — however on location, I discover my starvation will increase. So I at all times have breakfast, after which round 1 p.m. I am normally ravenous, and I am usually craving one thing. It is not at all times wholesome. Generally it is a burger with fries and a number of ketchup.

No matter I am craving, I give in to it. I do not decide in any respect as a result of the atmosphere is so totally different. I feel in a number of methods I do emulate or replicate the identical cravings the castaways have. Possibly that’s since you’re sweating rather a lot, and your physique’s being disadvantaged of sure issues, such as you’re shedding salt.

So I do not eat burgers that usually, however on location, I’ve one not less than as soon as per week. Then, once I get house, I am again to a reasonably wholesome manner of consuming.

Nothing on ‘Survivor’ is staged, so we rehearse the challenges with stand-in contestants

Generally, you begin your day with a problem rehearsal. Meaning now we have all people who’s going to be capturing the problem on that day, besides the contestants.

We’ll shoot the rehearsal with our Dream Team, who test the challenges. As a result of we do not get a second take. So our solely likelihood to actually have a look at how we’ll movie the challenges is getting the Dream Group of individuals collectively and rehearsing it.

We’ll rehearse the entire challenge full-on. Then, when the gamers present up, and also you shoot it, you are doing that with no retakes. We have by no means requested a participant to return and shoot a ball once more. We dwell and die by our protection.

Generally, I will shoot a problem with the gamers within the morning, have a fast break for lunch, after which 90 minutes later, I will be out to rehearse the subsequent problem with the Dream Group.

In between that, I would drop by the artwork division to approve a brand new idol, or have a look at the wording on a notice, or have a look at how we’ll hide an advantage, and see images of the place it may be hidden.

Even whereas filming one season, I am already engaged on the subsequent one

The present by no means stops, and we’re at all times trying forward. We could be on shoot day three, however we’re already taking a look at shoot day 9 and planning what twists are going to occur and once they’re going to enter the sport.

The one hardest a part of “Survivor” for me is being away from house. That has by no means modified.

Whereas “Survivor 50” is airing, we might be out capturing “Survivor 51,” however “Survivor 50” remains to be being edited. So I will be giving my ideas on the episode, and ensuring it is able to be delivered to the community, after which I would very effectively finish the day filming a Tribal Council that ends round 10:30 p.m.

You may have some actually lengthy days, however they’re extremely exhilarating as a result of it is the one factor you are doing. You are not in Los Angeles, the place you go to your favourite restaurant, and you are still capable of catch your child’s soccer recreation. None of that exists. It is just you, your workforce, and the present you are making.

Filming ‘Survivor’ will be all-consuming, so I be sure that to speak to the crew about issues outdoors work

One factor we do on “Survivor,” and this isn’t a proper rule, it is simply our neighborhood, is that if we present up for a problem rehearsal or one thing, we’ll spend 10 minutes speaking concerning the newest episode of “Recreation of Thrones” or no matter present we’re watching.

I used to marvel, is that this an environment friendly use of time? As a result of we appear to be bonding, however we’re not engaged on the undertaking at hand. After which my spouse and I met Laszlo Bock, who fashioned the individuals tradition at Google and wrote a ebook about it referred to as “Work Guidelines.”

One of many issues he talks about in his ebook is that point spent speaking about your favourite TV episode or going bowling together with your coworkers on a Tuesday night time is prime to the concord and cohesion that you will then take into battle, take into the office.

So I am at all times conscious now that that’s one thing in our nature, to bond somewhat bit. It is not simply work. It is a neighborhood dwelling collectively, working collectively, however with the emphasis that we’re additionally dwelling collectively and we’re buddies.

Earlier than Tribal Council, I’ve to middle myself and get into ‘the zone’

You’ll suppose I’d have a ritual for being on digital camera by now, however I actually do not. However my coworkers have stated they’ll inform once I’m stepping into what they name “the zone.” That is once I cease listening, and I am simply pondering. All I am actually fascinated by is simply reminding myself, “These 13 individuals are nonetheless within the recreation. They voted out seven individuals; they’re drained, they’re hungry.”

It is simply fundamental repetition of reminding myself that though I’ve a life outdoors this recreation, and I could be taking a look at a lower from final episode, and I could be taking a look at an thought for subsequent season, these gamers are on this season, they usually demand and deserve my whole focus.

I actively select to be within the second: I see that you just’re unhappy. I might inform while you walked in, your physique language, you are hunched over.

The query is, am I going to convey it up? Are you going to convey it up? Is someone else going to convey it up? Are we going to speak about it or not? I do not know. Let’s discover out!

I wind down with a superb crime drama, a real-life police interrogation video, or listening to philosophical books

The one hardest part of “Survivor” for me is being away from house. That has by no means modified.

My spouse and I’ll try and have date nights the place we agree to look at an episode of no matter present we’re watching from the world over. I will put it on my iPad, she’ll put it on her iPad, after which we’ll say 3, 2, 1, and hit play. In order that’s sort of a enjoyable manner for us to bond.

We like a superb crime drama — somewhat bit of affection and lust and blood and guts and “Who did it?” and “Oh, I am unable to consider it was him!” We simply completed “The Beast Inside,” and now we’re going again to look at “The Evening Supervisor.”

If I’ve quarter-hour to myself, my go-to is sort of at all times watching a police interrogation on YouTube. They’re fascinating should you like that sort of factor. You’re watching a human stroll right into a room, questioning, “How a lot do these detectives know?” Usually, the detective is aware of much more than you suppose, however they wish to see what you are prepared to share.

Then you definately watch a terrific detective or a workforce of detectives slowly construct this field, and the field will get smaller and smaller, and the responsible individual begins to understand, “I am by no means going house. They know what I did.” I like these refined shifts in energy dynamics, watching how individuals reply and what tells they’ve.

With regards to studying books, I are likely to take heed to them extra proper now. My spouse simply turned me on to a ebook by Ram Dass, which is de facto attention-grabbing. It might be Ram Dass, Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts — I like that philosophical facet of listening to philosophers speak about being human.

I am additionally actually into longevity, and the position expertise is enjoying in the place our lives could be heading. I am actually desirous about Ray Kurzweil, who predicted the singularity 30 years in the past, and he was proper on the cash. That sort of stuff fascinates me as a result of clearly I am too dumb to speak about it. But it surely’s a paradigm shift in our tradition, and it is occurring in actual time.

So if I actually have free time, I am distracting myself with one thing not associated to “Survivor. ” After which I will go to sleep fairly early and get again up with the solar.

“Survivor 50” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET, beginning February 25 on CBS and Paramount+.