Survivor’s Jeff Probst: ‘I hear you. We’re not gonna do Edge (of Extinction) for a while’
After hearing constructive (and non-constructive) feedback from the Survivor community, showrunner Jeff Probst confirms Edge of Extinction will be shelved.
A few weeks ago, a former member of the Survivor press lit a fire under the fandom to get their voices out there in opposition to the Edge of Extinction twist. With The Hollywood Reporter’s Josh Wigler knowing Jeff Probst’s personal feelings about the format and how much he loved to see its storytelling capabilities played out, there was legitimate concern it would be a semi-permanent staple.
If you’ve been tweeting out #EndEdgeofExtinction the past few weeks, it’s finally time to retire the practice and shift to something else (like #BringBackGhandia). Capping off a series of interviews from last night’s Los Angeles premiere of Survivor: Winners at War, Rob Cesternino interviewed Jeff Probst, where the latter confirmed, unprompted, that Edge of Extinction would be put on pause.
“When people get so invested that they don’t like (twists), that tells me, ‘Okay, we’re in this together. You don’t like it; I get it,'” Probst explained. ” ‘I liked it, but I hear you. We’re not going to do Edge (of Extinction) for a while.’ I’ve heard people; I got it. I’m not saying we won’t do it again; we might get a wild hair and we want to do it again. I like the back and forth, but I just wish people understood I’m truly coming from love. This whole show changed my life.”
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Clearly, Jeff Probst has weathered a storm of online feedback, including those who have not been as informative or as non-insulting towards him. However, those who have been able to be civil and respectful in hopes of maintaining the integrity of a reality competition that has been increasingly losing its way over the past few years have been successful in their journey.
With the Edge of Extinction officially paused for the time being (I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes back in specific cases like another all-returnee season for “Legends” or elsewhere), it gives a glimmer of hope for the future of a show heading towards the quarter-century mark. That’s right, we’re just five years, three months, and a few weeks away from the 25-year anniversary while Winners at War brings us ever closer to the 20-year mark on May 31st.
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Maybe we can bring back the intro and make the Final Five idol-free between now and then?