Jeff Probst says he makes Survivor for kids

Dalton Ross
·3 min read
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Jeff Probst says he makes Survivor for kids
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Survivor is truly a show for all ages. Viewers from any demographic can easily get sucked into the strategy, the scenery, and the cutthroat competition. But when host and showrunner Jeff Probst is coming up with creative ideas for the program, he's got one age group in mind: kids.

The topic came up at the very end of the latest episode of the On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast during the "This Is Why You Suck" segment, in which the host responds to (often pretty harsh) email complaints about him. This week's entry was a doozy.

"Over the last several years the target audience of Survivor has shifted from being for the fans to being for yourself, Jeff Probst," began the email that was read to the host. "You are too focused on forcing a satisfying ending that you want that comes at the expense of drama and entertainment. Let me go ahead say that the shift from final two to final three is the absolute worst thing that has ever happened to the show. And I'm not the only fan who feels that way. And no, I haven't forgotten about Edge of Extinction, nor the Hourglass. I get that you think it leads to better winners and more unpredictable finishes, but in practice it doesn't really work that way."

Hilariously, the missive — which came from someone named Anthony — actually ended with "the podcast is super insightful and the most I've liked you in years."

Jeff Probst on 'Survivor'
Jeff Probst on 'Survivor'

Robert Voets/CBS Jeff Probst on 'Survivor'

Probst began by saying, "People don't think I listen to their criticisms. I do. I have to digest it. It's sometimes personal." He went on to address Anthony's complaint that he only makes the show for himself and… agreed with him!

"I don't think he's wrong in that yes, on some level, I am making Survivor for me," Probst said. "But I will say that my version of the show, for me, is seen through the eyes of kids. So that is my point of view."

It's not uncommon for producers and studio executives to imagine their target audience as they map out stories to make sure they'll satisfy expectations of the people they're trying to reach, but it is unique for a network primetime show of over two decades to have that target audience be so young.

Probst continued, "Everybody knows that works with me, I say, 'Imagine a 7-year-old at home imagining they're the one making fire, they're the one who found an idol.' So when I meet a Survivor family on the street and they say, 'Our kids love the show,' the first thing I say is, "So how do you think you would do in the jungle? Do you think you could sleep with rats crawling all over you when the rain is coming down?' And they always say, 'Yes! I know I could.' That's the adventure that we're putting into their head."

While Probst agreed with the first part of his critic's complaint, he had more trouble understanding other aspects of the email. "I am a bit confused by him saying I am forcing a satisfying result at the expense of entertainment. To me that feels like the same thing — a satisfying ending is entertaining, but maybe he means that I'm forcing new ideas and they're getting in the way of the entertainment."

That's a subject Probst promised to delve into even deeper on next week's episode of the podcast, which will find the host unpacking some of the franchise's most controversial twists. Feel free to count down the seconds until then — if you happen to have an hourglass handy, that is.

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