For the last two decades, Jeff Probst ’s name has been synonymous with one thing: “ Survivor .” And he is A-OK with that. When he landed an Emmy nom for outstanding reality competition host — his first nod (and win) in the category since 2011 — I was eager to tell a story about who Probst is outside of the two seasons a year he films in Fiji.
“It’s interesting because most people think I shoot ‘Survivor’ and then I’m done until I shoot again,” he says from his Los Angeles home. “It’s kind of like plate juggling.” We discussed Seasons 45 and 46 at length for our recent Emmys story .
Then he headed to Fiji to film seasons 47 and 48 — the former will premiere next month — and within three days of returning home, he began watching cuts from 47. “Here’s how it works. I’m in post-production on 47, in pre-production on 49; I’m starting casting on 49, and then we have 50 coming up this year, so that’s a bigger thing,” he explains.
“Then we also have the podcast that we’re doing. It’s a year-round job. I know that surprises people.
How could it possibly be? But almost every day I’m touching ‘Survivor’ in some way.” On the day of our Zoom, he has many meetings planned — but his day starts hours before. At 6:30 a.
m., he wakes up with no alarm clock. He begins his day with Kaya, the Doberman Shepherd he and wife Lisa Ann Russell rescued a year ago and is “the most loving, beautiful little bean.
” “We go downstairs together..