Jeff Probst: Survivor's long pandemic hiatus renewed my appreciation for the show

Entertainment Weekly

Probst was asked by EW if he was as "insanely happy" as he looked in the Survivor 41 premiere. "Ah, yes. I can take myself back to that 'day one' moment right now," he says. "I can still vividly connect to the excitement I felt as the players started boarding the barge to begin Survivor 41. It was so good to be back that I was giddy with joy. It may sound corny, but it's the truth. Ah, yes. I can take myself back to that "day one" moment right now. I can still vividly connect to the excitement I felt as the players started boarding the barge to begin Survivor 41. It was so good to be back that I was giddy with joy. It may sound corny, but it's the truth. To give some context, Survivor 41 is the start of my third decade, and I cannot recall a time when I have felt this level of excitement to launch a new season. Here's why: The year away really reminded me how much I love everything about Survivor. I love the casting process and the game design. I love shooting the show with our crew. I love interacting with the players as they take on this giant adventure. I love the editing process and then ultimately delivering the show to the fans to see their reaction. I could also feel the same energy from our crew. Everywhere I looked, I saw smiles of gratitude and appreciation. We were all so happy to be back together. And then there were the players, many of whom had been scheduled to play over a year ago and then were told we couldn't shoot. They were so pumped to get started that they were nearly levitating. It's obviously been a very difficult 18 months for everyone in the world, so to be standing together on a giant barge in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, knowing we had all been tested and quarantined and thus were safe to play Survivor, was a truly electric moment. ALSO: Probst stops saying "come on in, guys" to be more inclusive -- he's saying "come on in" instead.