Jeff Probst Wanted ‘100% Unity’ On Survivor Game Changers Cast

Jeff Probst reveals who he and the Survivor Game Changers execs wanted to bring to Season 34, as well as who CBS wanted to bring.

When it comes to casting a reality show, usually it’s up to the showrunners and executive producers to find the proper fit. Returnee seasons of Survivor, however, are a bit different, as they often involve the perspective of CBS, as well. Such is the case for Survivor Game Changers, as Jeff Probst reveals in an interview segment for Entertainment Weekly the interesting back-and-forth for casting decisions.

As Jeff points out, most of the cast of Survivor Game Changers is a bit older than they usually skew “because the older players in more seasoned in life.” The argument seems to boil down to youth versus skills and entertainment as a player, with CBS wanting to go with the more youthful, energetic players and Jeff Probst plus the production team wanting to go with experienced players.

“We wanted 100% unity on our cast,” Probst declares. “That was the agreement we made. So that meant there were people battling for their person. ‘I want this person on!’ Well, then you better convince everybody.”

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Then comes the most perplexing statement to come out of this interview. Jeff Probst was fighting CBS to cast Jeff Varner, while CBS was fighting Jeff and the production crew to bring Ozzy Lusth onto the cast of Survivor Game Changers.

I’m not going to argue that neither of these sides make a compelling case; I’m in 100% unity on these cast choices and hope to see Varner finally make the jury. Who knows; this may be the first time that Ozzy plays the game for anything beyond a straightforward allegiance and challenge-beasting.

However, to me, I am surprised that CBS had to hear what Jeff Probst had to say for Varner to get on the Season 34 cast. He was a compelling early narrator for Survivor Cambodia and was getting plenty of positive feedback from the community. On the opposite, I’m surprised CBS had to tell Jeff Probst that Ozzy needed to get on the season. He’s such a fundamental game changer in the way he approached Redemption Island, opting to sacrifice himself to knock out a trial challenge beast in Christine.

Next: Survivor Game Changers Cast Assessment: Aubry Bracco

Either way, it’s safe to say that both parties made the right choices for the Survivor Game Changers cast. We will see how either party fares when Episode 1, “The Stakes Have Been Raised,” opens up the season on March 8 at 8 PM ET.