'Survivor': 3 Q's for Jeff Probst

Each week, host Jeff Probst will answer a few questions about the latest episode of ‘Survivor: Cagayan.’

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Oh my God! That rain! That wind! Those waterlogged hands and feet! I love it! As a producer, what is that sweet spot of just the right amount of misery you shoot for? On one hand, it’s amazing to see people struggling out in the elements against the force of Mother Nature. But I’m sure you also worry about your players just huddling up under shelter and not doing anything all day because you want them out there doing stuff. 
JEFF PROBST: Good question! When it comes to Mother Nature, there is definitely a point of diminishing returns.  We were close to that point in Samoa when it rained for something like twenty one straight days.  When it gets that bad it not only impacts the Survivors’ health, but also their morale. It also impacts the show, making it hard for us to get from point A to point B and hard to build our challenges. So the sweet spot is probably a good rain storm every few episodes. It’s really quite a balancing act because you want them under constant stress and crisis because that is part of the adventure, but you never want it to crush their spirit.

EW: You make your initial impressions of the contestants as you go through the casting process. Now that they have been playing out there, which contestants at this point totally surprised you in either a positive or negative way?  Whom did you have pegged wrong? 
PROBST: Well, let me start by saying that I am usually wrong, about a lot of things, but almost always wrong when assessing a Survivor cast. Spencer is probably my biggest turnaround so far. We went at it pretty good during the casting process because he is fun to antagonize and I did tell him that he had “zero point zero” chance of winning this game because he lacked absolutely any social awareness. He grew on me pretty quickly, and I now think he could win this game if he can just find a way out of the massive hole he’s already in with the brain tribe. Kass is another one that I was concerned about. I wasn’t sure she was going to “show up” ready to play. I was wrong. She’s definitely playing.  We haven’t gotten to know enough of the other players yet so I’ll withhold my opinion for now. But overall I REALLY like this group. I did from day one. I knew we had a good cast and they are delivering. And let’s not forget I’m playing a game with them too, so sometimes my comments are just that — game play.

EW: So the Beauty alliance of 4 splits their vote to protect against a possible idol (even though LJ had it) and then votes out Brice on the revote. Not to nerd out on voting theory too much, but what would make you more nervous if you were one of those voting in the alliance of four: splitting the vote and therefore making yourself vulnerable if one of your four flips, or not splitting the vote and making yourself vulnerable if an opponent pulls an idol? These are the things that keep me up at night, Jeffrey!  
PROBST: Hmm… given that specific scenario I’d be more concerned about not splitting the vote. Idols are just such a crazy wild card and there is no way to predict if someone will play it or not. We’ve seen people hold them to the end to keep as a souvenir — which is super risky — and we’ve seen people play them the moment they think they’re in trouble, and we’ve seen people voted out of of the game with one or even two idols in their possession.

EW: ACK! Nothing causes me to lose it more than a tribe throwing a challenge, and the preview teases we may possibly see that coming up. Tease us up for next week’s episode, sir. 
PROBST: Ah, there is so much to tease as it’s another stellar episode. I’m gonna tease not just one but two great challenges! One will make you laugh and then your jaw will drop. One will make you laugh and then scream at your TV. Edge of your seat drama and fun!

Click on the video player below for an exclusive deleted scene from last night’s episode, and make sure to read Dalton’s recap. Also, for ‘Survivor’ scoop sent directly to you, follow Dalton on Twitter @DaltonRoss.

Buy apparel and accessories from Amazon here

'Survivor': Jeff Probst on nail-biter cast change

Something was fishy when I arrived in the Philippines the day before the filming began to interview the 10 pairs set to compete in Survivor: Blood vs. Water. Namely, the fact that one of them was missing. RC Saint-Amour (from Survivor: Philippines) and her father Craig, who were supposed to be one of the dynamic duos, were nowhere to be found. And the other contestants were just as confused as I was. RC and her dad had indeed traveled over to the Philippines with the other cast members, and were staying at the same pre-game location with them. Then, all of a sudden, they were gone.

Nobody was sure where they had gone or why. Were they coming back? Were they alternates that had been sent home? Had they violated some sort of rule? All the other players knew is that they were now down to only nine couples competing in the game. But not for long. At the end of the day, just 24 hours before the show would start filming with its new Day Zero twist, a new couple arrived on the scene — Candice Cody (formerly Candice Woodcock from Cook Islands and Heroes vs. Villains) and her husband John.

The other shocked contestants — who got their first look at the new couple when they were brought in for the group cast photo — had just encountered their very first twist in the most twist-heavy season in Survivor history. In the video interview below, host Jeff Probst reveals exactly what happened, and why RC and her father were pulled from the game right before filming began. “We had our 10 pairs out here and we were good to go,” says Probst. “We got out here and RC and her father Craig — who we loved and wanted back on the show, RC for obvious reasons. Her dad is just as good. But when our doctors were checking them, medically his blood pressure was very high. And it was so high that we had to pull him from the game.”

Then it was a race to get Candice and John all the way from Washington, D.C. to a remote corner of the Philippines in time. “I emailed immediately to [casting director Lynne Spillman] and said ‘they’re out, we need them’. Within, I don’t know, an hour later, we knew what flight they were on, what time they were gonna arrive, we had the chopper over there to pick them up, It’s a whirlwind, but that’s Survivor.”

It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before in all the times I’ve been on location covering the show. How will the last minute deletion of RC and her father, and the addition of Candice and her husband affect the other teams? And does coming in late after all the other teams had arrived put the newcomers at a disadvantage? We’ll find out when Survivor: Blood vs. Water premieres with a special 90 minute episode on Sept. 18. But to hear more from Jeff Probst on the big last minute switch, click on the video player below.

Handbags reviews and advice for best reference

'Survivor': 4 Q's for Jeff Probst

Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of ‘Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites’.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Jeff, you have to explain it to me because it drives me batty every single time. I know they are all starving. I get that. But why do people at the food auction not wait and spend every single dollar of their money on the items that can help them in the game? Malcolm and Cochran both got their idol clue and challenge advantage for less than $500! How can that happen?
JEFF PROBST: The beauty of Survivor is that there are always, I repeat, always people who are certain they are safe. For those people the auction is free food! There is also a strategy that says even though I am not certain I’m safe, if I show my alliance that I am concerned by going for an advantage at the auction they make think I am planning a move of my own and it may backfire, so better to stay with the crowd and go with the flow. As for how Cochran and Malcolm stole the clue and advantage – that is a good observation. I’m guessing people were so focused on the food in front of them they just stopped paying attention. Those who pay attention are often rewarded. Onward now, grasshopper.

EW: You have forced contestants to make certain choices at the auction before, but definitely seemed to kick up the Let’s Make a Deal aspect this time around. When you give Reynold three covered options — one bad, one okay, and one good — which item are you hoping he picks? Be honest!
PROBST: Honestly – I don’t care. I am mainly focused on remembering which order to reveal them based on which one he chooses. But if you gave me an option — I always want them to get food. I like auctions to be fun and for morale to be restored. Despite what you might believe, they are not overfed!

EW: BONUS QUESTION! What happens to the money they hand over to you at the auction? Is it used to purchase new Survivor baseball caps?
PROBST: That money goes right back into our show. It’s not real money in that sense. We just take it out of petty cash and whatever we get back goes right back into the next challenge, or reward. I am proud to say I have never pocketed even one twenty dollar bill.

EW: This group of Favorites made a lot of big time blunders their first time playing. Which player has stepped up his or her game the most the second time out? I’m thinking self-proclaimed challenge dominator John Cochran must be near the top of the list.
PROBST: I think a case can be made for a few folks. Cochran is definitely playing a major game. He has put all of his knowledge of the game together with a much bigger sense of confidence. It’s deadly. Andrea had a great teacher in Boston Rob and she is performing exactly as I knew she would. She is using her smarts of the game along with a very refined charm to put her smack dab in the middle of this whole thing. I wanted her back the moment she lost her final duel on RI the first time she played. Dawn has stepped up her game in a big way as well. She’s still crying but she’s doing it while making big moves! I think Brenda is playing a good game as well. It’s a quiet game but it’s cagey. Everybody knows that Brenda is a threat to win — it’s not sliding past anybody. Erik is playing the same kind of game and I think Malcolm played pretty close to the way he played last time. The only thing that hurt him last time was losing a challenge. He had the social game from day one. Here’s something that will make you think I’m crazy — I believe any of the remaining Favorites could still win this game. I really do. How often does that happen? Even Dawn thru the tears — if she is with the right two people could make a very good case of strategy. Erik, though quiet, is very likable. The others — it would be a dogfight and I wouldn’t want to go up against any of them. They are all super deserving.

EW: Tease us up for next week, sir!
PROBST: Oh where do I begin? This season is on such a roll. Well let’s see — we tempt them down with food and once again I am BLOWN away by decisions made during an immunity challenge.  Cochran continues to flex his muscles and Tribal? Holy cow. Awesome. Enjoy!

To watch an exclusive deleted scene from last night’s episode, simply click on the video player below. To read Dalton’s recap, click right here. And for more ‘Survivor’ scoop, follow Dalton on Twitter @DaltonRoss.

Handbags reviews and advice for best reference

'Survivor': Q's for Jeff Probst

Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

Each week, host Jeff Probst answers a few questions about the most recent episode of ‘Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites’.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I asked you before the season started if Brandon was really emotionally stable enough to come back and play this game again, especially after we saw what happened to him last time. Now that we’ve all seen the result, I wonder if you can speak more on the decision to bring him back and how you all determine where the appropriate line is in terms of who is psychologically fit enough to handle this experience and who isn’t.
JEFF PROBST: Regardless whether you are a new player or a returning player, every contestant on Survivor undergoes an evaluation from our show psychologist each time they play. We never let anybody on the show who can’t pass the psych test. Brandon passed. He was also great in our interviews before the show began. We were actually very excited because he had a new approach to the game. He said he wasn’t going to be as emotionally reactive and felt that after playing once he was better prepared for the 39 day adventure. We felt Brandon had the potential for a true underdog story of a young man who was overwhelmed the first time he played and was seeking redemption.

EW: How worried were you about things turning physical at that confrontation at the challenge? And what is the show’s policy on how to intervene? Meaning, had Brandon charged Phillip, would it have just been up to you and the contestants to break it up, or would members of the off-screen crew had jumped in to separate them? Did you all have any plan in place or were you just ready to tackle him if he bolted?
PROBST: There were a couple of moments when I was concerned. I was concerned early on when he first separated from his tribe and addressed the fans. It was clear that he was very upset. That’s why I asked him to come to me, so I could separate him from the rest of the contestants. Then later when I saw him getting more agitated I put my hands on his shoulders in an attempt to help him relax. It was probably also a bit of a head start on controlling him if a physical confrontation were to ensue. Because something like this had never happened before there was no plan in place. I was assessing moment to moment, making decisions based on what was playing out in front of me. I can share with you that I was whispering instructions into my microphone (which is fed to our audio department) for our safety and security guys to be ready to assist if necessary. I was also asking for our show psychologist to be put on a boat and brought over immediately so she could counsel Brandon after the incident was over.

I had decided pretty early on that we were going to have an impromptu Tribal Council. It was clear that Brandon wanted out of the game, it had been stated that the Favorites were going to forfeit the challenge and there was nothing good to be had from letting Brandon go back to camp. It was important to me that Brandon felt heard and knew that I was not taking sides, I was just asking questions and trying to calm the water. I was very proud of Brandon for making the choice to stay next to me and not turn this into a physical altercation. I was equally proud of Philip and the other contestants for their restraint. It was obviously a historic moment from a show point of view, but the overriding concern was the mental and physical health of the contestants. 

EW: What’s the responsibility of the show in terms of post-Survivor psychological care? I know all the contestants have access to a psychologist after they are voted off, but this is somewhat new territory since you’ve never had a meltdown of this magnitude before.
PROBST: The key is as you said — all contestants have access to psychological counseling after the show.  That starts the moment they are voted out. Our psychologist is the first person they see after leaving tribal council. Brandon is no different. Our psychologist is there for any contestant who needs care whenever they need it. If necessary we find a psychologist or therapist for a contestant in their home town. I can’t speak about Brandon specifically due to confidentiality, but we are in constant communication with him and will be for as long as he needs it.

EW: The preview for next week has me thinking a tribe shake-up could be in the works. What can you tease us about the next episode?
PROBST: The fall out from Brandon’s departure is felt and yes there might be a tribe shake up in the works! I said at the beginning of the season I felt this was a good season and I still feel that way. Much more to come. 

To watch an exclusive deleted scene from last night’s episode of Phillip comparing Brandon to a “mad dog”, simply click on the video player below. To read Dalton’s recap, click right here. And for more ‘Survivor’ scoop, follow Dalton on Twitter @DaltonRoss.

Buy apparel and accessories from Amazon here