Survivor host Jeff Probst is weighing in on the possibility of the long-running reality competition series casting an all-senior season– a suggestion he says he’s heard a lot more in the wake of The Bachelor franchise launching The Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelorette.
On the latest episode of his On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast, Jeff received the senior-season suggestion once again, this time from a 65-year-old fan who claimed to be in “excellent shape.” While Jeff seemed to acknowledge the Golden Survivor appeal, he revealed to listeners that he doesn’t believe the concept would ultimately work.
“Here’s the truth as I see it,” he explained. “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 believe can truly handle the intense physicality– I think if you just limit it to 50-and-over casting, it would be difficult to do two times per year. You’re looking at 40 people. I just don’t think it would work, personally.”
Jeff went on to note that casting an all-senior season could also take away “the layers of complexity” that many ‘Survivor’ fans appreciate about the show.
“I think that’s part of the fun,” he said. “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 collaboration, the unexpected partnerships and learning about each other, that’s a big part of our format.”
While an all-senior cast isn’t likely to arrive on the ‘Survivor’ island anytime soon, the show has featured more older players in recent seasons that it once did.
According to Entertainment Weekly, 14 of the 20 contestants on 2018’s Survivor: Ghost Island were under the age of 30 (one of whom was a teenager), while Season 48 only featured three contestants under the age of 30.
That trend seems to have (somewhat) carried into the current season of ‘Survivor,’ with 52-year-old cast member Matt Williams, as well as Nate Moore and Annie Davis who are 47 and 49, respectively. (However, it’s worth noting that the Season 49 cast also includes seven players under the age of 30– a more than 50 percent increase from the previous season.)
While Jeff doesn’t foresee a ‘Golden Survivor’ season happening, he encourages any older fans of the show to apply if they’re up for the challenge.
“ … this is my way of saying don’t wait on ‘Golden Survivor,’” he said. “Apply now to be on this ‘Survivor.’”
New episodes of ‘Survivor’ air Wednesdays on CBS and Paramount+.
Listen to the full episode of Jeff’s podcast below.
(Photos: CBS; Instagram; YouTube)
One Response
Survivor is so bad these days. We don’t need stupid gimmick like a ‘Golden season” It needs to go back to a proper 40 day minimum, proper physical challenges and less bullshit twists, pointless ‘journeys ‘ and too many idols. A new host and change of location would help a lot too! American survivor is awful compared to the Australian version, makes the yanks look like a bunch of pussies