Survivor 50 began this week with a packed cast, a surprising first boot, an unexpected medevacuation, and a non-stop thrill ride. However, fans were confused after noticing a key element was missing after the premiere episode finished airing.
Since Survivor 43 premiered in 2023, Survivor host and executive producer Jeff Probst announced he would lead the official Survivor podcast called On Fire with Jeff Probst, where he would discuss, analyse, review, and give behind-the-scenes details to fans regarding their favourite show.
Alongside producer Jay Wolff, Probst led the podcast for six seasons, during which he and Wolff were joined by a revolving third host. This third host has always been a former Survivor player, including Rick Devens, Dee Valladares, Charlie Davis, Rachel LaMont, and Jeremy Collins. Devens, Valladares, and Davis are currently competing on Survivor 50.
Everyone was excited to wonder who would be this season’s third host, and guesses ranged from a former winner to a player from this season to a celebrity. Possibilities were endless, but no one was expecting the podcast not to return. Well, now, it seems that the latter scenario was exactly what happened.
Jeff Probsto's podcast won't return for Survivor 50
On Feb. 27, 2026, Entertainment Weekly finally revealed what happenedned to the podcast. CBS had not released any official commentary regarding the subject until now. According to EW, CBS has decided to take a different route to promote Survivor 50, rather than the podcast, and further details will be released at a later time.
According to another report from Entertainment Weekly, Probst said Survivor 50 was designed as a celebration, featuring one of the most ingenious game designs the Survivor production has ever created. Due to this creative decision, they chose not to immediately pull back the curtain while it was happening.
Probst went on to add, “We wanted fans to discover it on their own and experience it in real time. Then at the live finale, we'll have the opportunity to reflect on all parts of the season together.”
In other words, that sounded like a load of waffle to me. Obviously, there’s a bigger plan at bay here, as nothing was going to be kept up in the air for the fiftieth season of the show. However, Probst basically gave us nothing with these crumbs.
I’ve personally listened to every single episode of the podcast, and it is quite entertaining, particularly what former players share from their perspectives and how they can relate to what they see on the screen. Some fan questions sent to Probst have been quite revealing over the years, as he has disclosed some exciting tidbits about the show. There was also a short-lived segment in the podcast's first season called “Why Jeff sucks,” where Probst was basically roasted every episode, which unfortunately got dismissed as the podcast went on.
It seems only time will tell what will actually happen to the podcast and whether it will ever return. We’ll also have to see how this current milestone season will continue to surprise us, as we can bet the Survivor production will have more than a few unexpected turns up its sleeves.