‘The Jeff Probst Show’ canceled … on same day as ‘Survivor’ premiere

Talk about some terrible timing here, especially when you consider the fact that the new season of “Survivor” is premiering on the same exact day.

In a bizarre decision by CBS Television Distribution, especially since you would think that the bosses at the network would want some great press right about now, it was announced Wednesday that “The Jeff Probst Show” has officially been canceled after just under a full season on the air. When you look at the ratings, this is hardly a surprise: most diehard “Survivor” fans just weren’t interested in the talk format, and it failed to bring in much of a devoted viewer base in the key female demographics.

In a statement, the distributor had the following to say:

“We believe Jeff is an incredible talent, and that he and his dedicated producing team delivered quality episodes throughout the season. Unfortunately, the audience isn’t there to support a second year. We are grateful to the entire staff, our affiliate partners and advertisers for their ongoing support of The Jeff Probst Show. Production and broadcast of original episodes will continue through the current season.”

There were initial concerns back when the show was launched that it could ultimately take Probst away from “Survivor,” but that quickly turned out to not be the case. Not only that, but it seemingly ended up drawing him closer to the franchise than he was prior to it starting last year. While there has been no official talk of a new contract, Probst has said defiantly that he will be back for at least two more seasons of the show.

This is the third major daytime talk show canceled this year, as Probst’s efforts follow the failures of “The Ricki Lake Show” and “Anderson Live,” which had underwent a change of format in its second season.

Photo: CBS