Who is Barb? Survivor 47 airs title card to ‘biggest fan’

At the end of tonight’s Survivor 47 episode, we saw a surprising dedication to someone named Barb, dubbed the biggest fan “of all time.” Also, there was a quote in “see you on our next adventure.”

So, what was this? If you come into this with that question, we certainly understand — just as we also do those who wanted to take this at face value. It was was easy to say that Barb likely a huge fan of the show who passed away, and this message was eventually passed along to production, who created this dedication.

Of course, immediately after the episode the fan community was nonetheless hyper-curious about who Barb was, given that Survivor is about as tight-knit a fandom as you are going to find. However, not every single person in it shares their fandom online constantly, and that makes it all the more complicated.

Here is the truth – Barb was a huge fan, but she was also extremely close to one person in particular: Jeff Probst. Barbara Probst was his mother, who sadly passed away recently. We imagine that the specific wording on the title card tonight was Jeff’s way to honor her that was in line with her spirit, who she was, and what she meant to him.

In general, these title card tributes air on in subsequent episodes, and this means that everyone who watches this Survivor 47 in the weeks ahead will have a chance to learn a little more about Barb. Without her guidance and the love she had for her son, it is hard to imagine that this show would be what it is today. While we all playfully skewer Jeff at times, his empathy and love of the game is one of the reasons why this show remains an international phenomenon.

You can actually learn a lot more about Barb by visiting this page at the Delta Gamma sorority, where she was active for many years.

Our thoughts do go out to everyone who loved and cared about Barb, along with the entire Probst family, during what must be a difficult time.