"Interesting wrinkle" — Survivor 47 host Jeff Probst discusses players' strategies

The CBS original Survivor will return with a brand-new season on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. It will feature contestants from various walks of life, competing against one another in some of the roughest terrains of Fiji, vying to walk away with the winner's title and the $1 million grand prize.

To reach the finish line, one must employ whatever means available. To strategize and forge alliances, false or true, becomes the true essence of the game. As a result, showmances have been an integral part of the series, a connection that benefitted some while marking others as visible targets.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, published on September 9, 2024, host Jeff Probst hinted at the contestants' gameplays ahead of the season premiere. When asked if viewers should prepare themselves to see a showmance, he said:

"No, but, oddly, it's an interesting question to ask because you don't have to be in a showmance in order for other people to suspect that you might be in a showmance. That's a really interesting wrinkle this season."

Viewers might recall Amber Brkich and Boston Rob Mariano, who pursued their connection to the final two on Survivor: All-Stars. At the same time, Dee Valladares and Austin Li Coon rode their romantic connection to the final three on Survivor 45. However, for others, like Frannie Marin and Matt Blankinship, a showmance failed to take them beyond the initial stages of Survivor 44.

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Survivor 47 showrunner Jeff Probst says the new era players have "agency"

While tackling challenges and overcoming interpersonal friction within a tribe, contestants often found themselves amid disputes and arguments. Violent verbal outbursts were not unknown to the viewers of the show.

Therefore, when asked if fans should expect to witness friction between the tribemates, Jeff Probst said to some degree. However, there was a key difference between the old and new school contestants.

"I think one of the biggest differences throughout the new era is the agency," Jeff said.

He explained that each player had "their own story." Since they had a clear vision of who they were and what they wanted to be, they did not "let anyone else get in their way." While prioritizing themselves, they created "obstacles within a tribe." As much as the game demanded individualistic gameplay, it also depended on how a tribe performed as a collective unit.

Although Jeff enjoyed the drama the friction provided, he enjoyed watching the contestants overcome it even more. He added that the players could use the disagreements to their advantage, flipping the game with an unexpected turnaround. Jeff noted, "Those are the layers that add to a great season of Survivor."

"You can't just look at it on the surface. If you have a situation where you can have another player and you don't get along with each other well, you can obviously become each other's targets," Jeff added.

However, he stated that "becoming each other's targets" was the "easiest and obvious thing" since that would be the usual expectation. Jeff would rather see them use the feud to their "mutual advantage."

"So what's happening on the surface is: You're at a challenge, and you lose, and one player's complaining about something that might be their truth and they might be on their way home. Or, this might be some sort of deception going on," Jeff explained.

The showrunner hinted that the cast members would continue to learn to use the new era to their advantage and "dig a little deeper than first blush."

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Survivor 47 premieres Wednesday, September 18, 2024, only on CBS.