There's no question that Jeff Probst's name is synonymous with Survivor and vice versa. Fans have seen the show evolve over the last 25 years and with that, Probst's role has as well. Adding executive producer on top of his hosting duties beginning in 2009, the Survivor frontman has heavily influenced the trajectory of the game in so many ways that we truly can't imagine the show without him.
But in a recent interview with TV Line, Probst shared that he doesn't expect Survivor to end any time soon—whether or not he's a part of it.
"I hope that if my time comes to an end and I’ve run out of ideas, that it’ll be obvious to me, so that I don’t have to get voted out of the game."
Obviously in a perfect world we'd never have to say goodbye to the four-time Emmy Award-Winning original reality competition show host, but if we're talking about "forever," then there's only so much of that we can reasonably expect someone to be a part of.
But Probst isn't worried at all about the longevity of the show, regardless of his involvement. “I feel the format is perfect, and could, in theory, run forever with a big budget or with a small budget."
He goes on to explain that at its core, Survivor will always be the social experiment it was originally set up as regardless of how grand the challenges are or how much money goes into the production. The players are what make the game, not the other way around. And that's exactly what he's been saying for years.
And it's absolutely true. The most memorable moments in Survivor's history are always connected to the person that executed them, not the action that initiated them. Whether blindsides, advantage plays, epic challenge comebacks, or even villainous feats, we remember the player over all else.
Probst goes on to note that moving forward, producers are taking Survivor about 10 seasons at a time. After Survivor: Winners at War, when they refreshed the format with the new era, the next major milestone planned was Survivor 50. Now that that's not only in the books, but we're also confirmed for two more seasons beyond that, the next big moment of reflection will be season 60. Survivor 60.
If the show stays consistent with their two season, back-to-back filming schedule, the 60th season will premiere in tandem with the show's 30th anniversary. Could be a good opportunity to celebrate a whole lot of Survivor and a grand finale and official hand-off of hosting duties for Probst.
But that's far enough in the future that's it might be on his radar, but he won't be making any major announcements any time soon.