Survivor season 50: Jeff Probst on now-competitive casting pool

Survivor 47
Photo: CBS

We know that Survivor season 50 is set to come to CBS in a year and a half and while it may seem to early to talk casting, remember this. The all-star season will actually film at some point next year, and we imagine that behind the scenes, Jeff Probst and the other producers are already looking to identify contenders.

With all of this in mind, we do think it is the right time to pose what we tend to think is a pretty interesting question: Does appearing on other reality shows help or hurt some of your chances? Remember that series like The Traitors, Deal or No Deal Island, or even the Australian version of Survivor are now out there taking contestants from the CBS hit in some capacity. It obviously makes sense to do this since these players come with their own followings; also, if you are one of these people (take Boston Rob or Parvati Shallow), why would you say no to a possibility to earn more money? Some of these shows also come with their own appearance fees that make the gig worth the players’ while.

So as for whether or not these gigs could hurt someone’s chances at coming back to the flagship show again, it’s complicated. While Jeff Probst hardly says to Entertainment Weekly it throws players out of the running, he does seem to infer that loyalty is taken, at least to some extent, into consideration:

“I wish all the players the best in what they do after Survivor … And some players don’t want to do anything. We’ve had many players call us and say, ‘I only want to do Survivor again.’ That also makes an impression on us. We take note of that loyalty, and we appreciate it. But we definitely don’t demand it. We wish them all well.”

This is the best way for the show to handle it. Survivor obviously wants to have their pick of the litter when it comes to great contestants, and where shows like The Traitors can make it hard for them is in the event there is a talent hold agreement that comes with the gig. That could make it hard for someone to do a rival show for a certain period of time after the fact.

Related See another sneak preview for the next Survivor episode

Who do you want to see moving into Survivor 50 on CBS?

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