Jeff Probst a Constant for ‘Survivor’ as It Nears 44th Game

This image released by CBS shows Jeff Probst in the premiere episode of the 44th season of the reality competition series "Survivor," airing March 1. (CBS via AP)
This image released by CBS shows Jeff Probst in the premiere episode of the 44th season of the reality competition series "Survivor," airing March 1. (CBS via AP)
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Jeff Probst a Constant for ‘Survivor’ as It Nears 44th Game

This image released by CBS shows Jeff Probst in the premiere episode of the 44th season of the reality competition series "Survivor," airing March 1. (CBS via AP)
This image released by CBS shows Jeff Probst in the premiere episode of the 44th season of the reality competition series "Survivor," airing March 1. (CBS via AP)

There was a time Jeff Probst could not imagine doing what he will on Wednesday, being on hand as host for the start of a 44th season of “Survivor.”

That’s not simply because of the transitory nature of television, where a 44th season of anything is a rarity, even a program that created a sensation when it first aired on CBS in the summer of 2000.

In those early days, there was a restlessness about Probst. He’d studied screenwriting, acted and wrote and directed a well-received indie film in 2001. He tried a short-lived talk show. He admits “I had a chip on my shoulder about being called a ‘host.’”

Yet as series creator Mark Burnett began stepping away, Probst added “producer” to his title and has since ascended to the level of “showrunner” — industry lingo that means he’s in charge of everything.

At age 61, he’s all in, an evangelist for “Survivor.”

“I have never been so excited to be part of the show,” he told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “I hope it’s apparent. I hope it’s clear that I’m really into ‘Survivor.’”

It remains a marvelously-designed game, one that tests survival skills in a forbidding — if lovely — environment along with the social and scheming skills to remain standing at the end to collect the $1 million prize. Even if one cast is a drag, “one of the show’s greatest strengths is that every season hits a reset button,” said Dalton Ross, executive editor at large at Entertainment Weekly and a veteran chronicler of the show.

So it can, um, survive a scandal like a player being kicked off in 2019 after being accused of inappropriately touching young women or tweaks that don’t work, like the “fire tokens” that were introduced and abandoned after one season.

Other new ideas, like a hidden immunity idol or the “David vs Goliath” season that Probst really loved, freshen the show as it adheres to a basic structure.

Producers were also ordered by CBS to increase diversity, which Probst said has added to the show’s richness. The 18 castaways for the new season include five Black contestants, three Latinos and an Asian American.

“People that don’t watch ‘Survivor,’ I think they may mistake it for some sort of survivalist’s show or they label it with this idea that it’s just a reality show,” Probst said. “When, really, ‘Survivor’ is one of the biggest adventures you can ever go on, either as a player or a viewer.”

As Probst became more involved in how the show was put together, there was a clear difference in how he did his job onscreen, Ross said.

“Jeff started to put more opinion and personality into his hosting,” he said. “Up to that point, it was more of a master of ceremonies role. You realized he could be the eyes and ears of the audience and can speak for the audience. It was one of the most important changes he made as a host. It made him an element in the game that the players had to contend with.”

“Survivor” has settled on Fiji as a permanent set after bouncing around for several years to different locations. The jungle is a character in itself. High-definition photography and drones makes things more visually appealing than ever, Ross said.

Probst demurs when asked his opinion of the best player ever, and admits some of the seasons start to run together. He’d lose a “Survivor” trivia contest, he said.

“I will see an early cut of an episode, and I can’t remember who was voted out, even though I was the one at Tribal Council who snuffed out their torch,” he said.

And, yes, he’s excited about the new season, calling it one of the most entertaining groups of players the show has put together in a while.

“It’s intoxicating,” he said. “I honestly believe one of the reasons we’re still on the air is that it’s compelling. If people watch the first episode of ‘Survivor’ 44,’ I don’t know how you’re not going to watch the second episode. You’re going to be hooked.”

Starting Wednesday, Probst will host a podcast with show producer Brittany Crapper and fan Jay Wolff that will air after the conclusion of each episode. “On Fire with Jeff Probst” will an insider’s look at how the show is put together, he said.

CBS doesn’t want to spoil the magic, but deepen the relationship with fans, he said.

With broadcast television struggling for viewers, “Survivor” is a dependable performer for CBS and is one of those rare family shows that people of all ages can enjoy. The show seems destined to be around for awhile and hard to imagine without the man who’s “not just the face of ‘Survivor’ but the pulse of ‘Survivor’ as well,” Ross said.

Asked if he would want to stay with the show as long as it’s on the air, Probst at first calls the question impossible.

Then he quickly answers.

“At this point, yes,” he said. “Really, yes. Because I’ve built my life around ‘Survivor’ and I’ve fashioned all of my creative ideas through ‘Survivor.’ Every single conversation, book I read, podcast I listen to, every single thing ... will get filtered through my ‘Survivor’ filter.”



So You Saw ‘Conclave’ the Movie. Here’s What It Got Right – And Wrong – About Real-Life Conclaves

This image released by Focus Features shows Ralph Fiennes, left, and Stanley Tucci in a scene from "Conclave." (Focus Features via AP)
This image released by Focus Features shows Ralph Fiennes, left, and Stanley Tucci in a scene from "Conclave." (Focus Features via AP)
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So You Saw ‘Conclave’ the Movie. Here’s What It Got Right – And Wrong – About Real-Life Conclaves

This image released by Focus Features shows Ralph Fiennes, left, and Stanley Tucci in a scene from "Conclave." (Focus Features via AP)
This image released by Focus Features shows Ralph Fiennes, left, and Stanley Tucci in a scene from "Conclave." (Focus Features via AP)

Speculation surrounding a conclave to elect a pope is a time-honored tradition. But for the impending conclave following the death of Pope Francis, the ranks of armchair Vatican experts have swelled thanks to Hollywood.

“Conclave” the film, a moody 2024 political thriller, introduced many laypeople to the ancient selection process with its arcane rules and grand ceremony, albeit with a silver screen twist packed full of palace intrigue and surprise.

Though it has its critics, the film treats the gravity of a papal election with respect and accurately portrays many rituals and contemporary problems facing today’s Catholic Church. But Vatican experts warn the movie doesn’t get everything right.

Here's a look at what “Conclave” does get right — and wrong — about conclaves. (Spoilers ahead.)

Scenery and aesthetics The movie excels at re-creating the look and feel of a conclave.

“The film gets a lot right. They tried to reproduce the mise-en-scene of the Vatican accurately,” William Cavanaugh, a Catholic studies professor at DePaul University in Chicago, said in an email. “They show that a lot of the drama is around the preconclave conversations among cardinals.”

It’s not a perfect re-creation, according to the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior analyst with the Religion News Service and a Vatican expert.

He called the movie’s production values “marvelous,” but noted slight discrepancies in the cardinals' dress.

“The red in the cardinals’ garments was a deep red, while the reality is more orange. Frankly, I like the Hollywood version better,” Reese, a Jesuit priest who wrote “Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church,” said in an email.

Papal protocols The movie aligns with real-life expectations for a quick conclave, said Massimo Faggioli, a historical theology professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

“A long conclave would send the message of a Church divided and possibly on the verge of a schism. The history of the conclaves in the last century is really a story of short conclaves,” he said via email.

Reese pointed out other discrepancies. While the voting process was depicted accurately, he said, the ballots are burned not after each vote, but after each session, which is typically two votes.

Holy plot holes There are a few particularly egregious errors that, if corrected, would lead to a very different movie.

A key character in the film, the archbishop of Kabul, Afghanistan, arrives just before the conclave with paperwork declaring the late pope had made him a cardinal "in pectore" — “in secret” — allowing him to vote for the next pope.

“The biggest mistake in the movie was the admission of a cardinal in pectore into the conclave,” said Reese. “If the name is not announced publicly by the pope in the presence of the College of Cardinals, he has no right to attend a conclave.”

Cavanaugh agreed and noted that while the movie's twist about the Kabul archbishop was far-fetched, it does point to a certain truth about conclaves.

“The cardinals do not always know who they’re getting when they elect a pope,” he said. “If the cardinals knew how (Jorge Mario) Bergoglio would be as Pope Francis, many of them wouldn’t have voted for him. Pius IX was elected as a liberal and turned into an archconservative. John XXIII was supposed to be a jolly caretaker pope, and he unleashed Vatican II,” a series of modernizing reforms.

Another of the movie's more outlandish storylines involves the dean of the College of Cardinals breaking the seal of the confessional by revealing to another cardinal what a nun confessed to him, said Reese.

“He committed a mortal sin and would be automatically excommunicated. Such an action would be egregiously wrong,” Reese said.

In addition to that, a cardinal paying for votes, as shown in the film, is unheard of in modern times, said Cavanaugh, and the politicking is exaggerated.

And so are the politics.

The movie errs in making cardinals into either liberal or conservative champions, said Kurt Martens, professor of canon law at the Catholic University of America in Washington.

“Those labels don’t help us,” he said because cardinals are very cautious in expressing their opinions and “even someone we think is a liberal cardinal is pretty conservative by secular standards.”

And he added that even in an unusually large conclave like this year’s, the rule requiring the next pope wins at least a two-thirds majority of the vote ensures that “whatever we call extreme” likely won’t get enough votes.