Whether 26 or 39 days, there's one constant in Survivor that never fails: no hygiene products. And in this week's On Fire with Jeff Probst, the host shares all the stinky details.
One of my favorite parts of the podcast is that listeners have the ability to submit their burning questions via email (survivorshoutout@cbs.com) and this week, fan Nicole wanted to know if Jeff ever holds his breath while giving players hugs or removing the immunity necklace.
We all know it's bound to get smelly on the island, and past players have shared how bad people start to smell almost immediately. But smell registers differently when it's a collective malodorous experience. Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X finalist Hannah Shapiro explained this in an Instagram post last year (below) after doing some research.
So while players might not be able to give us an honest answer about how bad their stench actually gets, the man in charge, Mr. Jeff Probst, sure can!
"They smell! It's part of the world." Jeff began to explain during the latest installment of the podcast, "We describe it as a combination of camp fire...and then an old gym locker that hasn't been opened in months. It becomes a kind of pungent, but very recognizable, ode of Survivor."
As someone who has attended over a decade of Girl Scout camp outs, both as a camper and a leader, this makes perfect sense.
"I think you should make a candle and put that in the CBS shop," co-host and Survivor 47 winner Rachel LaMont joked. But April 1st is right around the corner and how hilarious would that be to gift the fellow Survivor fans in your life? She might be onto something...
With this new information, we can be thankful that CBS and Parmount+ don't air in 4D—smell included. And if you have dreams of one day working on Survivor, it might be a good idea to pad your resume with, "a strong ability to ignore odors."
Watch the new episode of Survivor 48 on Wednesday, March 26, on CBS and Paramount+, and then tune in for the new episode of On Fire with Jeff Probst following the episode.