Did Jeff Probst just vote himself off Survivor?
That's the question many Survivor fans are asking after Survivor 51's live cast announcement on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Before introducing fans to the Survivor 51 cast, Probst took some time to show fans the tribal council set up for Survivor 51. Then, Probst wrote his own name on the voting parchment and said something super ominous.
"I'm going to vote myself out," Probst said. "It's definitely time for me to go, but first, I gotta show you the snuffer. Let's go."
This is a technicality, and I know Probst isn't playing the game, but he, of all people, knows that you can't vote yourself out of Survivor. That's not allowed, unless you're Christian Hubicki and you get stung by the Jimmy Fallon Disadvantage.
The phrasing definitely caught me off guard! If you've been following Survivor from the beginning, you know that Probst is frequently criticized. At some point every season, fans or people in media declare that it's time for Probst, the only host of Survivor for the last 26 years and 50 seasons, to leave the series.
Heading into Survivor 50, those voices got a lot louder. There were a lot of people predicting that Probst would hang up the hat and shirt with all the pockets and buttons and ride off into the Fijian sunset.
Well, that didn't happen, but Probst did have to answer a lot of questions about his future with the series. In multiple interviews, he reiterated that he's not ready to go yet, but he knows that the show will outlive is run as the host.
Honestly, it sounds like Probst is just twisting the knife and teasing fans who have called for him to retire as the host of Survivor. I can't imagine this is actually how he would announce he's leaving the show.
Probst probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but it's definitely worth noting. He just discussed the prospect of him leaving with Mike Bloom and Parade just a few days before the Survivor 51 cast was announced. Here's what he told that outlet:
"This is not on my agenda, but when the time comes to hand over the stewardship of the show, I will be very excited to do it."
At this point, Probst is like the great quarterback of his generation. He's the Tom Brady of reality show hosts. Every year, there's going to be speculation that Probst is going to leave the show, and it'll be a sad day when it happens. There's no doubt Probst has made a lot of mistakes as host, showrunner, and executive producer of Survivor, but he's still a legend. There's no way this show is as popular as it is without the charisma of a great host.
We'll keep you posted about Probst's future on Survivor! Survivor 51 premieres on CBS and Paramount+ on Wednesday, Sept. 23!
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