Jeff Probst isn’t looking for any more self-proclaimed villains for future seasons of Survivor.
“The first person to win was one of the biggest villains, still, of all time, Richard Hatch. Mark [Burnett] understood something [about casting],” Probst, 62, said on the Sunday, February 25, episode of “Rob Has a Podcast” while chatting with Survivor alum Rob Cesternino. “In the hands of somebody else, I can tell you, Rob, for sure, there would be more villains, more negativity, more yelling at each other.”
Probst shared that when Burnett, 63, was in charge of the casting process, he loved to watch other players point fingers at one another. While Probst confessed that Burnett’s approach “worked,” that’s not something he plans on doing in new seasons.
“It’s not going to happen when I’m part of the show,” he said. “I’m just not interested in it.”
The longstanding host explained that instead of focusing on selecting players who want to be the bad guys on TV, the Survivor crew wants to focus on more fun elements of the series. For Probst, storytelling and implementing additional game obstacles are more “fun” ways to keep the season flowing.
“By merely changing the type of twists we put into the game, we can create negativity,” Probst explained. “It’s a manipulation.”
Probst shared that he believed Survivor “needed to evolve” following Winners at War. The star-studded season brought back 20 winners for another chance to take home the title of Sole Survivor. Probst shared that he and the team were “reimagining” the show behind the scenes with more “positivity” so parents could watch the reality show with their little ones.
“We wanted the show to bring positivity in a way that families could sit down and say, ‘This will be fun, let’s watch it!’” he said. “That doesn’t mean you can’t still talk about sensitive topics, clearly we do … it also doesn’t mean you can’t root for and against people.
While Probst wants Survivor to enter a new positive era, he is aware of the fact that some viewers think he might have gone a little too soft. However, Probst teased earlier this month that for season 46, he’s not afraid to go back-and-forth with the new players.
“I did find a different part of my personality coming out at Tribal,” Probst teased to Entertainment Weekly on Thursday, February 22, about how he handles tribal council in the new season. “And I think you’re going to see it and feel it.”
Survivor 46 premieres on CBS Wednesday, February 28, at 8 p.m. ET and is available to stream on Paramount+.
