Getty Jeff Probst and his wife Lisa Ann Russell at CW, CBS, And Showtime 2012 Summer TCA Party.
Jeff Probst has hosted 40 seasons of Survivor, so he has obviously seen a lot of different strategies over the years. He has also given some thought to how he would play the game. Read on to find out just how cutthroat he is and the clever system he and his wife have worked out for if they played together.
Probst Said He’d Absolutely Vote His Wife Off the Island
In an interview with People ahead of the premiere for Survivor: San Juan Del Sur, which was the second “Blood vs. Water” format for the show, Probst was asked about his strategy if he were to play the show — specifically, if he were to play with his wife Lisa Ann Russell in a “Blood vs. Water” format. He was pretty blunt about how he wouldn’t hesitate to vote her off, but he also said that they would go into the show with a code so they could indicate to each other how they were doing — because remember, on “Blood vs. Water,” the pairs are split up in the beginning.
“Lisa and I would have a simple code. Whenever we’d see each other, we’d hold up our fingers. One finger would mean, ‘I love this. Everything’s going great.’ Five fingers would mean ‘I’m in trouble and I’m ready to go.’ If she held up one, I’d do what I could to keep her in the game. If she gave me four or five, I’d gut her – and then I’d use that move to my advantage,” said Probst, adding, “Of course, I say that now, but if I saw someone messing with my wife, I’d go crazy.”
He also admitted that Russell “has what it takes to win” for sure, so “maybe she’d be protecting [him].”
We have to say, we would give anything to watch Probst have to play the game after all of these years watching it. If they could ever get a celebrity edition together, it’d be cool if Probst was a contestant and someone else hosted that one.
Probst Also Said the ‘Blood vs Water’ Format Is an Emotional One
When asked why they chose to re-use the “Blood vs. Water” twist, Probst said that it’s because “Blood vs. Water” “delivers emotionally.”
“It’s hard for a mom to decide whether to vote out her daughter. This time, everyone is brand new; no one knows each other. There’s a contingent that says, ‘Let’s keep pairs as long as possible.’ But at some point, having a loved one in the game is a liability. It’s tricky maneuvering,” said Probst.
He said they also worked really hard to make sure both sides in each pair were solid competitors.
“Whenever you cast two people from the same family, it’s a bigger challenge to find good contestants,” said Probst. “You have to look a lot harder to find good pairs. Last [‘Blood vs. Water’] season, there were some contestants who were brought on because their loved one was so interesting, and they might not have normally made the show. We worked hard to keep that from happening this season.”
Survivor will most likely not return until fall 2021 with season 41, which should begin filming in April.
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