All-Star Survivor: Hawaii Jeff Probst post-game interview

As the host of Survivor for five seasons, Jeff Probst has seen it all. But what did he think about the All-Star version? Did it live up to his expectations? Would he consider it a success, or a failure? And more importantly, would he ever do it again? Survivor-Central's Ryan Crist sat down with the host of Survivor, and came out with this interview.

RC: Did the outcome of All-Star Survivor surprise you?

JP: Oh absolutely. I don't think any of us even had Vecepia on our radar at the start of the season. Most of us just sort of wrote her off as having no chance since she was a former winner. I really didn't even pay attention to what she was doing until around day 20 or 21.

RC: At what point did you realize she actually had a chance to win the game?

JP: There was one moment at Tribal Council one night, when the Ahis were there, and I realized that Tina was actually sort of leaning on Vecepia for emotional support. It wasn't something obvious, but it was clear from my perspective that Tina was a lot less powerful than she was trying to let on, and that Vecepia was a lot more entrenched in Ahi politics than she liked to let on. From that point on, I started paying more attention to Vecepia. At that point, I realized she had been snowing me.

RC: Snowing you? How?

JP: Vecepia has a way of telling you exactly what you want to hear, and saying it in a way that you actually believe it to be true. She did it to people like Boston Rob and John all the time. She made them think that her best interest was actually their best interest. She even did it to me at Tribal Council. She'll answer a question in the exact way you expect her to answer. Almost every time.

RC: Can you tell when she's doing it?

JP: I can call her on it once in a while, but she's actually pretty slick if you aren't paying attention. But like I said, once I realized she had more power than she let on, it was easy to spot.

RC: Did you think she had any chance to ever win a jury vote?

JP: At the start of the game, no way. There was no way a winner was ever going to win All-Star Survivor. The other players would have never allowed it.

RC: Do you think that made the game unfairly stacked against the former winners?

JP: Well yes and no. Yes, it made it hard for them to get past the first couple of votes, but Richard actually made a good argument on Keko when he said that a winner would make an excellent opponent against someone in the final two. He kept telling people that, and telling people that, and some of them even bought it for a while. But in the end, of course, it didn't really help him.

RC: Were you surprised that Richard got as far as he did?

JP: Nothing Richard does ever surprises me. I was stunned that he made it past the first Tribal Council though. He had first boot written all over him.

RC: Were you sad to see Teresa go first from Keko?

JP: Oh absolutely. There are some people you love in this game, and there are some people that just drive you crazy. Teresa was someone that all of us were rooting for on the production team. You always just feel a little better when she's in the game. She was one of those people I was rooting for.

RC: Was her knee injury that bad?

JP: It didn't appear to be at first, but it really swelled up in the hours before Tribal Council and the Kekos were worried about her. You didn't see this on TV, but the medics actually had to come to camp and check on her. They were worried that she might have an infection due to the open wound.

RC: Did she?

JP: No, thank God. But she hated going out first as much as anybody. It killed her, and I felt bad for her. She really didn't have any choice in the matter. But then again, she really couldn't put any weight on her leg. What more can you do?

RC: If you did an All-Stars 2, do you think Teresa should come back again?

JP: I would certainly hope so. I don't think she ever got much of a chance.

RC: Going back to Vecepia... if she never had a chance to win a jury vote at the start of the game, when did that change? When did you start to realize she actually could beat someone?

JP: Well he knows that I love him, but John sort of brought that upon himself during the last couple of days. The reason that Vecepia won the jury vote, or even had a chance to win the jury vote, is because John ended up in a pickle he couldn't get out of. He ended up with too many alliances, and too many allies. There was no way he could get to end without pissing a bunch of them off.

RC: Did you see his loss coming?

JP: Yeah. When we got to the last 3-4 days, you could totally see it coming. He was losing control. Up to that point he had had the whole game in his hands, but then it started to unravel because he had so many connections. He played a great game for about 35 days, but he never had any plan for the ending. You could tell he was frustrated.

RC: Did you feel bad for him?

JP: John has always been a stand-up guy, and a good sport. We have always gotten along during the game. So even though I knew he would probably lose, I didn't feel too bad for him because I knew he would be able to take it. There are some people you worry about taking an ego hit like that on national TV. John isn't one of them. I knew he would be fine. He was just happy to be playing again.

RC: So do you think Vecepia played the best game? Did she deserve to win?

JP: Well anybody who can win a jury vote deserves to win. That's hard to do. So yes I do think she deserved it. I think she overcame a lot of obstacles just to get to the end.

RC: Were you excited to see her win?

JP: No. Vecepia is a lot of things, but in general she's not that exciting. I was excited to see what she did, and I was excited to see how far she came. But at the end of the day, she wasn't one of the players that most of us were rooting for. She's a nice person, but she was never one of my favorites. She really doesn't make great TV.

RC: You wanted Gretchen to win, didn't you?

JP: Well, yes and no. Yes I knew that if she won, it would be a great story. I knew that her winning would make a lot of people happy. But I don't think that anyone will tell you that she was the best player out there. Even Gretchen will tell you she's a pretty lousy player when it comes to strategy.

RC: So who were you rooting for then?

JP: You know, love him or hate him, I was really sort of rooting for Boston Rob. There's just something about that guy that I find fascinating. No matter where he is, on the top of the game, or on the bottom, he always delivers the goods.

RC: Do you think he came close to winning?

JP: Oh I think he came extremely close. Most people have no idea how powerful he was out there. He really had his finger on just about every single aspect of Ahi camp life for most of the game. They did whatever he said. Even Vecepia would sort of bow down and do what he said.

RC: Did this surprise you?

JP: Of course! You have to realize, Rob is basically just a kid. He's only a few years out of college. He's just a city kid from Boston. Yet here you had him up against a bunch of players who were much older than him-- not to mention All-Stars-- and he completely controlled the game for about 25 days. I thought it was amazing. I mean, it's one thing to tell Sarah and Colleen how to vote, but it's another thing to start telling Alicia and Tina and Frank how to vote. I couldn't believe he was doing it.

RC: So what ended up costing him?

JP: One word. Tina. She made it her mission to take him down, and that's what she did. She was not going to let him win the game.

RC: What do you make of the whole Rob and Colleen relationship? Do you think they were really just friends out there?

JP: Unfortunately, yes. I would love to say there was a romance there, I would love to say we had our first-ever Survivor couple, but sadly that was just a pairing that was born out of necessity. Rob might have been hoping for something to happen, but Colleen had no interest in him whatsoever. She really didn't even want to be playing again.

RC: Is there anybody Rob isn't interested in, romantically?

JP: Not really. He probably would have even flirted with Alicia if he hadn't known she would kill him.

RC: Were you disappointed that Colleen wasn't that excited to be out there playing the game this time?

JP: Not really. I mean, I would have loved if she had given one hundred percent like last time, but she was just too mistrustful of the whole experience to really throw herself into it again. She still had a lot of scars from her last experience. She just doesn't really enjoy the concept of being a Survivor anymore.

RC: Did you know that going into it?

JP: Oh yes, we all knew it. We knew it would be like pulling teeth to get her to come back again. But again, there was no way we weren't going to cast her. I mean, come on. She's Colleen. She's America's Sweetheart.

RC: Did Mark Burnett dictate that she had to be cast?

JP: Yeah, he basically came up with a list in about five minutes of who he wanted on the show, before he came and talked to any of us. Colleen was right at the top.

RC: Who else was a "must have" castmember?

JP: Richard, Sue, Tina, Jerri, Rudy. He also wanted Elisabeth.

RC: I was going to ask about Jerri and Rudy. How come the two of them were not included in the cast? I was surprised when the cast was announced, and the two of them were missing.

JP: Jerri, unfortunately, was adamant that she did not want to do Survivor again. No way, no how. She was a lot like Colleen, only a little more stubborn. She seems to think we were unfair to her.

RC: And Rudy?

JP: Rudy was actually cast at one point, but there were concerns about his age and about getting medical clearance to come out again. It was a very gray area whether the doctors would allow him to play. In the end, he ended up as a last minute cut, as much as that hurt.

RC: If there is an All-Stars 2, do you think Rudy will be there?

JP: I sure hope so. He deserves to be an All-Star, don't you think?

RC: Do you think you could get Elisabeth for All-Stars 2?

JP: Again, it's a tough call. Some people want to come back and play, some people don't. Elisabeth had a lot of medical issues after Australia. I'm not really sure she wants to go through that again.

RC: Yet you got Lex. Didn't he have medical issues after Africa?

JP: Oh yes. Lex was on IV antibiotics for a long time afterwards. But you have to realize, Lex is a warrior. He would have been out here playing again if it had killed him. He is just more hardcore than a lot of people. There was no way that he wouldn't have been here.

RC: Speaking of hardcore, what was it like seeing Mike back in the game back on day 1? Did you get choked up a little bit?

JP: Of course. That was easily one of my favorite moments of the season. Because here you have all these All-Stars, sort of the quote-unquote "rock stars" of the Survivor world, and there's like a hush on the first day when they all see Mike standing there with a great big grin on his face. Just the sight of him getting out of that helicopter was enough to send chills down your spine. Because remember, the last time we saw him, he was being loaded into a helicopter. I thought it was a very fitting return.

RC: Did you think Mike would do well in All-Stars?

JP: I knew they wouldn't get rid of him first, but at the same time I also knew he could never win. As much as I love the guy, he has never been all that great a player. His exuberance tends to get under other players' skin. So I knew he would be gone somewhere around the merge. Which is exactly what happened.

RC: Is there anybody who did much better than you expected in All-Stars?

JP: Besides Vecepia?

RC: Well yeah.

JP: Richard Hatch, for one. I had no idea he would make it as far as he did. I mean, he lasted almost two whole weeks out there! How did that happen? He should have been first!

RC: Anyone else?

JP: Gretchen is another obvious answer. How the heck does a woman who not only doesn't care about strategy, but actively goes out of her way to avoid strategy, make it to day 38? To me, that was improbable. She was the ultimate underdog story.

RC: Did Colleen making it as far as she did surprise you?

JP: No, not really. You have to realize, Colleen is actually a pretty good player, when she wants to be. She just doesn't always put her heart into it. But I think she would make it to the final six, or final five, almost every time she plays. There's never any reason to get rid of her. She gets along with everybody. The other players like having her around.

RC: Did Alicia's success surprise you?

JP: Yes, in some ways. But no, not in others. She isn't what you would call the most gifted social player in the world, but she knows what she wants, and she is good at making it happen. In many ways, that's as important as strategy. I didn't think she would ever win, but she did really well for herself.

RC: What's your take on the whole John/Alicia blowout at the end? Did John deserve what he got?

JP: I think they both deserved what they got. John played too cute, and it ended up costing him. Alicia played too blunt, and it ended up costing her. Together, they created that whole ugly scenario.

RC: Do you think Alicia was right to try and blackmail his loyalty?

JP: Hey, it worked in the past. Why not? Alicia doesn't have the subtle persuasion skills of someone like Tina or Vecepia. She uses what she has. I thought it was incredibly creative.

RC: Were you surprised that All-Stars got sort of ugly towards the end? Were you surprised that the John/Alicia thing got so ugly?

JP: Not really. This is a game that was designed to be played by strangers. You put friends in there, and that makes it personal, not to mention incredibly ugly. Frankly, I'm a little surprised it didn't get more ugly.

RC: Is there any showdown that didn't happen that you actually thought might happen?

JP: Yeah, definitely Lex and Sue. Those two were headed for a fight from the very first minute of the game. Lex and Boston Rob, too, to a lesser extent. There were a lot of potential showdowns along the way on Ahi. Compared to Keko, they had a lot more emotional power players.

RC: Did you have any problems with the Ahis at Tribal Council? Were they the more difficult tribe to try and corral?

JP: I expected them to be the "problem children" of the game, but in truth they were a lot better behaved than I expected going in. I expected them to push me a lot, but it really didn't happen. I was a little surprised.

RC: Why? Because they were All-Stars?

JP: Yeah. What you guys don't realize at home is that dealing with returning players is hard work. Because not only have they had two years to study the game, they have also had two years to be savvy about what they think they can now get away with. A lot of times, it's like the tail trying to wag the dog. You find them trying to control you.

RC: Who was the worst at that?

JP: Almost everyone did it at some time or another, but if I had to pick one name, I would probably pick Sue. She and I had issues going way back to Borneo.

RC: Kind of makes you glad you didn't cast Greg in All-Star Survivor, doesn't it?

JP: Greg Buis will never be on All-Star Survivor. You can bet on that. I doubt he would even want to.

RC: Okay, Jeff, we're almost done with my questions. But I have one big one left before we sign off. After hosting five seasons of Survivor, what is it you look for most in a successful season? What would have to happen along the way for you to say it was "successful"?

JP: I think the most important aspect for me is that you want to have rootable people left at the end. You want to have players that the audience will cheer for.

RC: Like Gretchen?

JP: Exactly. You don't want to have four Richard Hatches in the final four. Because then no one will care.

RC: But you need villains too, right?

JP: Oh absolutely. I know as well as anybody that conflict is central to this type of storytelling. I love it most when we have two or three people who are positive stories at the end. People you just look at and say, "Gee, I hope they win." And then of course you always need one or two villains too. If you can get a good mix of heroes and villains, then it will be a successful season. That, to me, is when it's fulfilling. That is a season I want to watch.

RC: Does it happen most seasons?

JP: Sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't.

RC: Do you think Vecepia made a good hero?

JP: I'll tell you this. I didn't think so at the time, but the more fan response I got towards the end of the season, the more I realized that people had started to root for her. I think the aspect that she was a former winner, and had been told repeatedly that she had no chance, really got to people. Along the way, she sort of turned into an unlikely fan favorite.

RC: Would you be up for doing All-Stars again? I know that in the past, you would said you didn't want to.

JP: I have to tell you, I expected the worst, but I was pleased with the results. So I would probably be up for it if we did it again. Provided I was happy with the cast, of course.

RC: Would you have any suggestions for All-Stars 2?

JP: Yeah, let's go somewhere mild for a change. Maybe somewhere like Iceland. Or Alaska. I think that would be interesting.

RC: Where are you guys going next? Did I hear that the next season is supposed to be in Thailand?

JP: Yep. We're headed off to Thailand in a couple of days. We're just finishing up our final casting calls this week. We have an amazing cast lined up for this one. You guys are going to like them.

RC: Do you have any spoilers for us die-hard fans?

JP: Yeah, expect the game to start in an entirely different manner this time around. It is something the players won't be prepared for. I think this will be our best season ever.

RC: Thanks Jeff. And thanks for the great job hosting All-Stars! It was a great season!

JP: Thanks a lot!







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