Jeff Probst Stays with ‘Survivor’

A couple months ago, Survivor host Jeff Probst sparked numerous rumors when he stated publicly that he was considering whether or not to stick with the show. Some called it merely a stunt designed to get more money while others proclaimed it the end of the Survivor world, saying nobody could do as good a job as Probst, a Reality TV Hall of Fame inductee.

All the wailing and gnashing of teeth has ended on a happy note – Probst issued a statement Thursday indicating he would indeed return after signing a deal for multiple years. The trademark Probst humor came through even in this, as he said, “I was thinking about retiring and spending my time traveling to exotic locations around the world, meeting new and interesting people. Then I realized, uh, wait a second, I'm already doing that with 'Survivor' and getting paid for it, as well."

CBS has already committed to at least two more versions of Survivor in addition to the one that likely just wrapped filming and will air early in 2006. Many fans feared what would happen to the series if Probst did not return, fully expecting it to turn into just another show without him – another show that might have ended up in the trash bin if audiences didn’t like the new host as much as Probst.

Executive producer Mark Burnett may have had similar concerns. While he had previously indicated the show would go on without Probst, after the announcement he complimented Probst’s contributions to the series and said he considers Probst a friend and looks “forward to continuing to keep 'Survivor' fresh with Jeff for many more seasons.”

So all the speculation and worrying can end regarding who might take Probst’s position. Probst will continue to probe Survivor contestants for years to come, always managing to drag out of them the very things they don’t really want to become public. It’s good for Mark Burnett, CBS, Probst, and all of us viewers.

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David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

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