Jeff Probst has heard it all when it comes to Survivor ideas, and while some of them are interesting, a "Golden" version of Survivor is not.
In the latest episode of the On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast with Probst, Jay Wolff, and Jeremy Collins, a fan asked if Survivor would ever consider doing a "Golden" season, like The Golden Bachelor or The Golden Bachelorette on ABC.
Probst didn't love the idea for Survivor, and he had some good reasons for why the newest Survivor spinoff idea wouldn't actually work.
"You know, I hear this idea from time to time. I've certainly heard it more since Bachelor did it. Here's the truth as I see it. Based on the number of people over, let's say 50, who apply and who we believe are interesting and compelling enough to be on the show, and we believe can truly handle the intense physicality. I think if you just limited to 50 or over, casting would be difficult to do two times per year, 20 play, you know, you're looking at 40 people. I just don't think it would work.”
Basically, Probst is saying there are not enough interesting old people in the world to make that idea work.
Just kidding, of course! But as usual, Probst makes a good point. You don't achieve the highs of Survivor by tweaking the formula. A spinoff like that feels like a money grab to me. Survivor already exists. Do I think there are some worthy ideas that could actually help the show be more inclusive moving forward beyond Survivor 50? Probably, but it also works because it is exclusive. You don't want to water down the main brand for no reason.
Survivor remains one of the most popular shows on TV. It's not pulling Stranger Things ratings and viewership, but it's consistently one of the biggest shows on TV every single week. That means everything in the current TV landscape for a reality show like this to get the ratings it does.
In other words, if it's not broke, don't try to fix it.
Probst also made a good point that Survivor is intersting because it forces people of many ages and from different backgrounds to work together, like we're seeing in Survivor 49.
"Personally, I would miss the layers of complexity that come with somebody like Rizo (Velovic) dealing with somebody like Nate (Moore). I think that's part of the fun, in the same way that I would miss it if one gender wasn't on the show, and we just did all women or all men. I think it's that clash and the collaboration, the unexpected partnerships and learning about each other.
"That's a big part of our format. So, Jim, this is my way of saying, don't wait on 'Golden Survivor.' Apply now to be on this Survivor.”
I don't mean to agree with Probst so much, but I do agree with him here. Survivor's current casting process is what makes Survivor so much fun. We've always had these incredible characters since the show's very first season, but to start grouping players by age or whatever, it would take away from some of the incredible moments we get with, say, Joe Hunter and Eva Erickson connecting on Day 1 of Survivor 48. Joe is not that old, obviously, but he was one of the older players in that season interacting with Eva, who was one of the younger players.
One thing Survivor could do, that I think would be very fun, is a celebrity season. I think there's enough interest among celebrities that would be really exciting, like The Traitors.
Anyway, Probst is right, and thankfully, we'll never have to watch a Golden Survivor ever.