If you are a fan of reality TV, you might recognize players from different shows as they pop up across networks and programs. Quite often we see players from CBS shows like Big Brother and Survivor showing up on The Amazing Race. And that's not all, as we see them on other networks as well, including MTV, Peacock, and more.
Recently, news broke that some iconic Survivor players would be heading down under to play Survivor: Australia v The World. And two of those players have already popped up on other reality shows, specifically Big Brother and The Traitors. So it likely comes as no surprise that people want to know what Jeff Probst thinks about former Survivor players heading out to do other versions of the show.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Probst seemed to answer this question in a much more general way than one might expect, touching on players who have participated in non-Survivor shows. He answered the question, but he did it in a way that really touches on players choosing different reality shows to compete on. But what does the longtime Survivor host think about players showing up on other competitions?
"I have two thoughts on it. We obviously take a tremendous amount of pride in the people we find to play Survivor. And regardless of what the Emmys might think, there is no better casting team in our genre than ours. And that is proven out by how many other shows want Survivor players.Jeff Probst
So I've been really happy to see this proliferation of shows that don't have a casting department. They just rely on other shows. It's a smart way to produce, but it also shows how difficult it is to do. It's very hard to find great people — very hard. And that's why I take a lot of pride in being a part of a show that finds the very best people. I'll say it again, no show touches ours in terms of casting — none."
Obviously, Probst is proud of the Survivor casting and production team and the work they put into casting, so it makes sense that he would really lean into the fact that other shows are using their cast to fill in their own shows. At the same time, he also made it clear that he wishes the former players well on whatever show they are taking part in.
As Probst points out, these people are being cast because they draw people in. They have fans that tune in just to watch them. And even the haters tune in to see what happens with these players.
"Some of the people that are on these shows are incredibly compelling. They're fantastic storytellers. They are fun to watch, and they're just as entertaining as any scripted show."Jeff Probst
And we have to say that he is not wrong. Just take a look at Cirie Fields, who not only held her own on Big Brother (even if she did get eliminated pretty early on), but she actually won The Traitors, as a traitor, because of how compelling she can be. She was able to develop strong relationships that helped to shore up her game for the long haul. And now we get to see how she does as part of the Australian edition of Survivor. It just proves that some players have what it takes to not only make a name for themselves but also come back and win other shows.
It is interesting to have Jeff Probst talking about former Survivor players going to other reality shows. And, we love the way he spoke about the casting for the series, as he basically lays all the flowers at the feet of their casting crew over any other show.
Are you at all surprised by what Probst had to say about Survivor players going to other shows, including other versions of Survivor? What do you think about what he had to say about the way casting works on some of the other shows?