It must be the start of a new Survivor season on television, as Jeff Probst emerged from his hedgehog hole to engage with players and fans alike.
It’s been a long time since Jeff Probst has entrenched himself in the online Survivor space. It’s been years since he posted his own overviews and recap blogs on behalf of the show, as the executive producer, showrunner and host has far too much going on for him to need to be that involved online anymore.
Still, he is a consummate professional who does promote his content whenever it goes live for a television viewing audience. That’s why, for the first time since the finale of Edge of Extinction, Jeff Probst opened himself up to the online Survivor audience on Twitter, hyping up the premiere episode of Island of the Idols.
It first started out with your basic pleasantries, marketing the biggest winners ever making their first appearances as coaches on the Island of the Idols.
So pumped for premiere! @BostonRob @SandraDTwine are fantastic as Survivor's first ever mentors! And this new group came to play! Going to be a really fun season! Thanks for the loyalty! #Survivor
— Jeff Probst (@JeffProbst) September 25, 2019
However, unlike other times he’s on Twitter where he starts incorporating ideas such as idol counts into the show, he acknowledged former Survivor players, engaging with some of the show’s more recent players like Donathan Hurley from Ghost Island.
What up!!! Hope you're doing well bud!!
— Jeff Probst (@JeffProbst) September 25, 2019
He even called Hannah Shapiro a nut while proclaiming love for Millennials vs. Gen X which, like us, he thinks is one of the show’s greatest seasons to air. That tweet wasn’t even a reply from his original return, but from her own re-watch of the season.
what up ya nut! Hope you're doing well! Your season was one of our best!
— Jeff Probst (@JeffProbst) September 25, 2019
However, it wasn’t all positive tweets sent from Blackberries, as Shane Powers from Panama promoted The Shane Show by talking about “the complete destruction of Survivor.” Shane has a reason to feel jerked around by the show, but Probst was willing to engage in slightly barbed banter with one of the show’s most outspoken player-turned-critics.
Dude, you are so weird! Love that you're talking smack about Survivor. We hear you Mr. Powers, we are listening. We understand we have destroyed the show. I blame @mattvanwagenen
— Jeff Probst (@JeffProbst) September 25, 2019
As for one of the show’s recent lack of cast introductions, a fan pleaded to Jeff for the possibility of bringing them back. However, Jeff explained that “the expense just can’t be justified anymore,” which makes sense since CBS’ profit margins haven’t been healthy lately.
Wait, I just linked to a statement that says the most recent quarter’s net earnings is up 10% to $440M. For the most recent three months, not a full year. That’s odd.
sorry my man... the expense just can't be justified anymore. Glad it inspired you and just try to remember everything evolves. Main Titles -- for the most part -- just can't hold up to the attention span of today's viewer!
— Jeff Probst (@JeffProbst) September 25, 2019
Jeff Probst being back on Survivor Twitter always brings something spicy to the table, and we’re glad to see him be earnest in an open way.