Heading into Survivor 49, one of the biggest stories was about the two players who were kicked out right before filming started and replaced with alternates. Jeff Probst talked a lot about what those players did to break the rules, and he advised other future players not do what they did.
It's the first time in Survivor history that this happened, so it makes sense why everyone is talking about.
In the season premiere, Jason Treul, one of the alternates, talked about the whirlwind experience about learning the night before the game that he was in. The other alternate, Michelle "MC" Chukwujekwu, didn't talk about her experience, but it was revealed that she was also informed that she would be playing at the same time Jason was told.
Jeff Probst revealed the Survivor 49 players thanked producers for kicking out the other players
But, what about the other Survivor 49 players? What did they know of the situation? Well, Probst revealed that they were actually happy the players who broke the rules were kicked out of the game.
He talked about it on the new episode of the On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast.
"The players, once they were able to talk, they thanked our producers," Probst said. "They said we were all aware that this was happening, and it felt like cheating, like there was an advantage being had. Now, they're in a situation, 'Should I do that, as well, because I want to keep up with this?'"
Jeremy Collins, who is the new co-host for the season alongside Probst and Jay Wolff, also had some interesting thoughts about the players getting kicked out.
"As a player, we just want a fair game," Jeremy said. "We all want a fair chance to win this $1 million, and the integrity of the game is important to not only the showrunners, but to the players. We just want a fair shake."
Honestly, it's good to know that this is how the players reacted. I tend to believe Jeremy when he says the players just want a fair game. We've seen players get bitter about losing. Competitive nature takes over, of course, but at the end of the day, if the result feels fair, I don't think anyone feels cheated.
Had those players been allowed to remain in the game would not have been fair to the other players. That much is so obvious, but you also have to wonder if those interactions, which were reportedly on display for all to see, would have tanked those other players' games. We've seen so many times in Survivor that even the appearance of a partnership be the reason players get voted out. I have to imagine, if the behavior was as flagrant as everyone is saying, that those players wouldn't be picked off first. But, hey, Survivor is a weird game.
Nicole Mazullo shared that the players saw the rule-breaking behavior, too
Nicole Mazullo was the first player voted out of Survivor 49. Nicole is the only player we've seen talk about this season yet, but in an interview with TV Insider, Nicole shared some small details about the rule-breaking.
"I don’t know if I can talk about that, but yeah, you just see people, you’ve got a set list of rules, and there are rules you have to follow. I just saw people not following the rules, and that was that."
When pressed, Nicole shared how the other players interacting made her feel.
"Yeah, I think I respect the integrity of the game, and that is this concept that there’s a shipwreck and you’ve got to come onto shore and play a game and survive. And when people aren’t following the rules prior to game, it ruins the integrity of the game. So yeah, I was like, 'What the hell are you guys doing? That’s not allowed.' I was literally like, 'That’s not allowed.'"
Nicole's take on the situation definitely backs up Probst's summary of the events. Clearly, this was some of the most egregious rule-breaking we've ever had on Survivor before the game started. It reminds of Tyson Apostol's story that he shared recently when he took the rules so seriously about interacting with other players that there was a moment when another cast member was struggling in the river before the show started and Tyson covertly pulled him out of the water. Like, Tyson, a known rule-breaker on Survivor, even considered not helping a fellow castaway because he was afraid that interaction would be enough of a violation to remove him from the game.
Fast-forward to Survivor 49, and we have players fully conspiring before the game starts? That's a no from me.
We'll probably continue to hear about this situation as the season continues, especially if Jason or MC are voted out. Stay tuned for more news about Survivor 49!