Jeff Probst Talks About The ‘Survivor’ 42 Challenge That Broke A Major Rule
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SPOILERS FOR SURVIVOR SEASON 42 EPISODE 3:
Survivor has had more than its fair share of physically-demanding challenges throughout the years. Fans sometimes complain about the state of challenges in the more recent seasons. Saying they’re too easy or too repetitive. In earlier years, Probst and crew would often attempt different things and press players in strange ways. The immunity and reward challenge in Episode 3 might put some of those complaints to rest. Maybe.
For the first time in the show’s history, production had to step in and assist the tribes with a section of the challenge. In 42 seasons they have never had to do this. So why now? Amidst all the discussion around this decision, longtime host and executive producer Jeff Probst did an interview with EW explaining the situation more.
Jeff Probst Explains
“If you’ve never been in those conditions in the ocean, it’s hard to adequately describe the feeling. But it can quickly become a panic situation because you are struggling to get a breath that doesn’t include a mouthful of saltwater. You’re trying to keep your head above water, but the swells consume you. Your fight or flight reflex kicks in and it can feel overwhelming. In other words, for the players struggling, there was nothing fun about it. That was real effort, real exhaustion, real fear,” said Jeff Probst.
The challenge is simple enough at a glance. The tribes were swimming in the ocean to retrieve a ladder. They then would hold the ladder steady in the water while one member climbs up and retrieves a key. After they get the key, the remainder of the challenge takes place on the sand. The issue was the ocean. The waves were far more turbulent than normal for a Survivor challenge. It’s clear when watching the episode that everyone competing was struggling just to keep their heads above water. So for the first time, production stepped in.
There was only interference for 2 tribes, however. Johnathan single-handedly brought the Taku tribe to victory. Holding the ladder himself as Lindsay retrieves the key, and then even assisting his tribemates to the shore. That astonishing physical feat by Johnathan is making some viewers wonder why the rest of the cast seems so non-physical this season. Physicality isn’t necessarily a requirement for Survivor. Plenty of players have won with little-to-no physical game. But for 2 entire tribes to be weak to the point where production has to step in while Taku soars past them with no assistance raises eyebrows.
The Waves Of ‘Survivor’ 42
Survivor 42 is full to the brim with firsts for the show. At the moment, Episode 3 holds the record for most firsts of any episode thus far. But there are still so many episodes left! Let’s hope there are still many more coming down the pipeline. Hopefully no more that require explanations from Jeff Probst, though. Those usually aren’t fun.
New episodes of Season 42 are going live every Wednesday.