The Survivor 49 cast is unlike any other. After meeting the cast last month, Jeff Probst opened up about a first for a new group of players in Survivor history.
Probst revealed that two players from the Survivor 49 cast were replaced by alternates just hours before the marooning challenge. Jason Treul and Michelle "MC" Chukwujekwu were the alternates thrown into the game at the last minute. Now, in a new interview with TV Insider, Probst shared more context about the huge decision he, production, and casting had to make, but in the end, it was an easy decision.
Two players broke one of the most important rules in Survivor. Don't start playing the game until you hit the beach. TV Insider revealed the players were warned once, but they continued to interact. That's when Probst stepped in.
"When I got the first phone call alerting me to a possible problem, I immediately went to our executive team and said, ‘Here’s what’s going on.’ And while we were having that conversation, I got a second phone call and that was all it took. The decision was as swift as imaginable, and it was, ‘They’re both gone. Tell the alternates they’re in.’ And I’ll be honest, I didn’t lose any sleep over it.”
That's how it goes on Survivor! We've heard about stories, even recently, with players doing things to skirt some of the grey areas of the rules. Tyson Apostol revealed that he actually saved another player's life during the pre-game part of Survivor: Tocantins, but he stayed in the game. Boston Rob also revealed a story about him convincing Tyson to break the rules and to steal a little gas from a boat to start a fire in the rainy jungle. They were told off production, but they were allowed to stay in the game.
You have to wonder what these players did that was so flagrant and showed "blatant disrespect" that Probst had no other choice but to send them home. I'm assuming that they were probably just interacting, plotting, talking strategy, and commenting on the other players, but you never know in these situations.
Unfortunately, I don't know if we'll ever know the full story about what happened. I think the current Survivor 49 players will probably share some details when they are voted out or possibly after the season ends, but I don't know if we will ever truly hear from the players who were kicked out. I mean, it's kind of embarrassing to head all the way out to Fiji only to get caught cheating before the game even starts. It's one thing to try to get a leg up on the competition, but it's incredibly reckless.
Probst revealed to TV Insider that he's hoping, by drawing awareness to this situation, that other players will avoid it in the future. Only time will tell.
While this decision is obviously a bummer for those two players who cheated and clearly exciting for the two players who replaced them, it's definitely a good thing for Survivor! There are so many shows on TV and streaming this fall. Any news or anything that makes a blip during this time of year for a show only increases the likelihood that fans will tune in. I'd be watching anyway, but I think people love drama. Anything controversial or anything that creates intrigue usually means more viewers, and at the end of the day, that's what Survivor and CBS are going for.
Survivor 49 premieres on Wednesday, Sept. 24, on Wednesday, Sept. 24.