Jeff Probst Almost Brought a Popcorn Machine to Tribal Council on 'Survivor 46'

Jeff Probst on the set of 'Survivor 46'

WARNING! The following article contains spoilers for Survivor 46 Episode 9. Please do not scroll any further if you do not want to learn the events of this week's episode.

In Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X (the first season of the show to take place in its now-permanent location of the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji), Tribal Council was compared to theatre. And Jeff Probst has amped up the metaphor by bringing props to the latest episode of season 46. And, if you'd believe it, at one point, it even involved a new piece of scenery.

Episode 9 of Survivor 46 began its Tribal Council with discussion of the previous evening. It was certainly one to remember, as Q Burdette shocked players, viewers, and Probst alike when he suddenly hijacked the proceedings. Feeling upset that his last-minute strategic planning had caused heaps of scrambling across the beach, he asked everyone vote him out that night. Tribal Council then erupted into a series of confused reactions and hushed whispers, as everyone tried to figure out if they should grant Q's wish, or go along with the plan.

"I did some thinking after you left," Probst explained to the castaways, looking back on the night, "and I realized…it could have been better. I just wasn't fully prepared. I never anticipated it could go like that." Now, he said, he was ready for whatever came his way.

With that, the Emmy winner pulled out a cushion to place on his stool (which he sits on while addressing the castaways before they get up to vote). But while that prompted an amused reaction from the contestants, their laughs promptly turned to whimpers as he pulled out his second prop: A small bowl of popcorn. Though he could now sit back and enjoy the proceedings, treat in hand, all that was on the minds of the castaways was seeing if they could get some of the host's snack.

"It came to me about 45 minutes before I left for Tribal that night," Probst explained when asked about the moment on "On Fire: The Official Survivor Podcast." "I was just thinking about the last couple of Tribals. And I was wondering what to expect. And then I realized I'm actually really looking forward to this in the same way I would a new episode of my favorite TV show. So why not treat it that way?"

Once the idea sprung up, Probst texted Executive Producer Matt Van Wagenen and Supervising Producer Jimmy Quigley. Both approved of the use of the props. But of course, in true Survivor fashion, they immediately began to think bigger. 

"Quigley says, 'Hey, you remember we have that really large popcorn maker machine?' I mean, it's one of those ones you see it a movie theater with the big metal thing and pops hundreds of bags of popcorn. He said, 'We could bring that.' I was like, 'Yeah, and then we could just let them walk back and forth during Tribal. They could just refill themselves with as much popcorn as they want."

Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 46

That's right. The Survivor 46 castaways nearly had a full popcorn machine wheeled into Tribal Council for their enjoyment. It would certain come as a relief to the players, who have gone the longest without rice in the new era after not biting on the seasonal negotiation last episode. Just imagine Q filling his "Q Skirt" pouch full of popcorn, as Venus Vafa and Hunter McKnight hurled kernals at each other out of anger. Alas, the producers realized they would go too far in breaking the immersion of Tribal Council. And so, Probst settled for a small bowl.

Probst himself, though, got his own surprise when he showed up to Tribal Council. Supervising Producer Zachariah Jensen hands him a cushion, craftfully sewn over the course of 45 minutes by Rohit Prasad, an art department member who was also behind the massive 500-pound geckos in the season 46 premiere. "'He just took a little material and he made one for you,'" Probst said in Jensen's voice. "'You know we have your butt imprint.' So there you go."

Luckily for the Survivor 46 contestants, they were able to catch Probst in the right mood, as he passed out the popcorn to everyone. "I thought Spicy Jeff was back in season," Ben Katzman remarked. But clearly the musician forgot about earlier that day, when Jeff addressed the team of Q, Venus, and Liz Wilcox before that day's challenge with an incredibly blunt statement.

"I'm gonna put my Survivor fan hat on again and go out on a limb, Q," Probst said, "and say that you, Liz, and Venus are first out and have no shot. That's what everybody watching right now is thinking." 

Related: Jeff Probst Reveals the Secret Theme of Survivor 46

"I think I'm always evolving," he explained when asked about bringing in audience opinion. "But I wish I could tell you I had a specific approach to how I host Survivor, but I don't. The only two things I've stayed true to over 23 years is being myself and asking the questions that I think the audience is asking at home. So when you take the audience point of view as your point of view, it gives you a lot of room to roam, because there was so much human behavior on display and so many decisions being made at any given moment. Then you merge that with just my own personality, which is endlessly curious, especially about why we behave the way we do. Then you see why this is the perfect job for me. I can't imagine being stimulated like I am on Survivor on another show."

And for what it's worth, Probst was made to eat his words like popcorn just a few minutes later. The underdog trio was able to defy his words and squeak through to the next round. Though they were soon eliminated after, Probst admitted both in the moment and on the podcast how wrong his prediction was.

"I loved it. I have no problem being wrong. I'm wrong all the time. I just like being a part of the game. So when the players engage with me and laugh and banter, or they tell me a lie about something that's happening that isn't happening, I like all that. I have no problem being wrong. That happens all the time. I just want to be involved. And in this case, I do think the audience was thinking what I was thinking, which is, 'They're gonna have a tough go of it.' They didn't win, but they certainly did a lot better than I thought they were going to do."

Probst has indeed had a lot to react to throughout Survivor 46, especially as the gameplay and chaos have ramped up. This cast has truly shown itself to be one of the most competitive in the show's history, taking every opportunity to execute the various plans they cook up. Most recently that came out when another tense Tribal Council, as former allies Q and Tiffany Nicole Ervin showed their newfound rivalry with a war of words. Meanwhile, Hunter hurriedly caused a whisper chain in the background, panickedly checking in to make sure the plan was to still get rid of Q. And he had every reason to do so, as he was blindsided and sent out with an idol in his pocket. It's another tally in one Probst is calling the best season of gameplay in the new era. Looks like there's more popcorn where that came from.

Listen above for the full episode of "On Fire: The Official Survivor Podcast." Survivor 46 airs Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Episodes of "On Fire" release shortly after, and are available on any podcatcher of choice.

Next, check out the photos, bios, and interviews with the cast of Survivor 46.