A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Outwit, outplay, outlast - those are the iconic words behind one of the most successful reality shows in television history, "Survivor." Tonight begins at the 50th season on CBS. And if you're doing the math, I'll do it for you. They usually knock out two seasons of the show per year. But no matter what changes about the game, there's been one constant through it all - the host.
JEFF PROBST: Every idea I have goes into "Survivor." I Think of "Survivor" 24/7.
MARTÍNEZ: That is Jeff Probst. And I got to ask some questions that I've always had about the show.
It's almost as if the winners take on, like, a very mythic quality. Like, they're operating on a different level mentally than everyone else who competed and maybe everyone else in the world. I mean, how do you see the people that win "Survivor"?
PROBST: I love that you used the word myth because that's how I see it. They are creating their own mythology. It's disguised as a game, and the game is deliciously fun to play because the rules are not only can you, you really must lie, cheat, deceive, all that stuff. But the game is the lure, and the experience you get from playing the game is the prize. So the thing you're talking about is really that carving-yourself-in-granite sort of approach to your life.
MARTÍNEZ: You said you must lie, cheat and deceive. Is it possible to win this game without lying, without cheating, without deceiving?
PROBST: Very tough. The way the game is designed now is we try to make it more difficult. The more likable you are, and the more colors you have that are attractive to people, the more difficult it's going to be for you.
MARTÍNEZ: You can't be too likable. You can't show your cards too early. It's just - yeah.
PROBST: But that's the same in the work world. If you look at "Survivor," the ability to persuade one or two or three people that your idea is the right idea requires a lot of finesse and a...
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
PROBST: ...Lot of emotional intelligence. And I got to read the room and all these people at once and be individual but be part of a group but not be the leader but be the leader when I need to be. Those are great human skills. It's why when people say, oh, you host a reality show, I go, you know, technically, but that's like saying, oh, I host a podcast. You got to dig a little deeper into what kind of show, and what is it about? And there's no show like "Survivor."
MARTÍNEZ: Tell us, Jeff, the relationship you had with the contestants at first and how maybe it's evolved and changed over 50 seasons.
PROBST: I love that question because in the beginning, we were making this show together. That first season, there was a moment where I remember Richard and this woman, Sue Hawk, talking about voting together. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. They're going to vote to - they're telling each other how they're going to vote. We didn't know an alliance would ever happen on "Survivor." We had no idea. But they were forming the game. And so over those first few seasons, there was a - sort of a community. So we had friendships. But now, 50 seasons later, we've had 751 people play.
MARTÍNEZ: Wow.
PROBST: I was unable to keep that community going, and it would have become unhealthy. So now I have a different role. When I snuff a torch, I am feeling for them.
MARTÍNEZ: Really?
PROBST: Yeah. No, I do because I - empathetically, I understand the sadness, but I always remind the players, look, when I'm snuffing your torch, just know this - I'm thinking about you. Unfortunately, it's time for you to go. So, you know, moonwalk out of here, but good on you for being here.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. So I'm wondering, when you first got this job, starting off as the host of "Survivor," how long did it take you to kind of understand who you were going to be, like, get into a groove? How long did that take?
PROBST: Well, it started the minute I got the job, and when I got it, I went to a therapist, Sanda (ph), who I'd been seeing for a while personally and said, can you teach me about group dynamics? Because I'm going to be on a show where I'm going to have a group of people at the end of every episode, and we're going to have a conversation about your actions. And the idea in my head was tribal council is where actions will be held accountable. They'll either help you or they'll hurt you. And I was prepping every day for a couple of weeks about how to deal with a group. So I was kind of informing myself before I got out there, and the last and most significant part of my mentorship throughout my career was Mark Burnett. And he said, look, everybody tells me I can put this thing in your ear and it'll allow me to talk to you, but I'm not going to do that. I'm just going to trust you. This is a live, unscripted improv for 39 days. So just follow your instincts. And, A, I'm sure he second-guessed me at times - right? - like you would. But to his credit, he never told me that. So he let me believe in those early days that I was doing a great job. I'm sure I was making tons of mistakes, but my confidence kept growing. And I try to lead that way on "Survivor."
MARTÍNEZ: I don't know when "Survivor" will end or if it'll ever end, but do you think the show has a natural ending? I mean, how long do you see this show lasting?
PROBST: Well, I think the format really is indestructible. Traditionally, it's a group of strangers, and you leave them to fend for themselves. So you have to talk to that guy who's from a state or from a country or with a different color skin or talks with a different accent that you might never meet. What really makes it complicated is you're also conspiring against each other. That's the format. And you can do anything you want in that box - conspire and rely on each other. So in that sense, that could go as long as you want it to go because wherever the culture is, that's where the game is. In terms of my involvement, there will be a time, for sure, when I'm either too old or people say to me lovingly, you've done a great job, and we appreciate you, and we just need some new blood. You know, we need some new ideas. And I will hopefully gracefully take my exit and say, thank you. But I hope that day is not today because I love "Survivor" as much now as the time I first heard the pitch from Mark Burnett in a hotel room 25 years ago.
MARTÍNEZ: That's Jeff Probst, host of "Survivor." Season 50 begins tonight on CBS, then streaming on Paramount+. Jeff, thanks.
PROBST: Thank you. I wish I had a lie detector on right now. Here's why. 'Cause I think you're going to think I'm putting you on. That was one of the best interviews for me, where I felt myself. That's who I am. So thank you. I really appreciate it.
MARTÍNEZ: Oh, keep showering it on, Jeff. I'm getting - I'm settling into this shower of praise.
PROBST: I'm being serious.
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).
PROBST: Thank you.
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