Jeff Probst can envision a Survivor season where a former cast member serves as a crew member.
“That’s not completely out of the question,” Probst, 62, said on the September 25 episode of the “On Fire With Jeff Probst” podcast.
In fact, one former finalist quickly came to Probst’s mind. Back in 2018, The White Lotus creator Mike White appeared on Season 37 of Survivor: David vs. Goliath.
While White, 54, got back to work on his HBO series after placing second on his season, Probst wouldn’t rule out hiring the former contestant.
“If after Mike White completes what we all hope will be a decades-long run of The White Lotus and he said, ‘Hey, Probst, I’d be interested in being a producer on the show,’ and we happened to have a producing slot that we were looking to fill and there wasn’t anybody already in our producing ranks who was in line — which is also very unlikely that that would happen — then in that specific situation, who knows?” Probst shared. “Mike White could join the producing ranks of Survivor.”
For now, White is likely too busy working on The White Lotus to put on a buff and work behind the scenes of Survivor. After all, fans continue eagerly waiting for HBO to announce a premiere date for season 3. The third installment of the anthology series will take place in Thailand and star Natasha Rothwell and newcomers including Leslie Bibb, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
During his latest episode, Probst also responded to a fan who asked if a crew member could possibly become a cast member for a future season.
Without hesitation, Probst said he “can’t imagine any scenario” where someone behind the scenes would become a player.
“It’s not related to knowing anything,” he explained. “There really isn’t that much of an advantage to knowing how we build a challenge or how we make an idol. The issue would be perception. It just wouldn’t even be worth considering it.”
Survivor first premiered in 2000 and follows a group of individuals fighting to outwit, outplay and outlast and ultimately be crowned Sole Survivor.
With 47 seasons under his belt — and a 50th season expected to feature returning players — Probst may hold the secret as to how production and the staff behind the cameras continue making a hit show.
“We care a lot about our storytelling, we take a lot of pride in it,” he shared. “But it’s secondary to the integrity of the game. That matters above all else.”
Survivor 47 airs on CBS Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET. It is also available to stream next day on Paramount+.
