The One Time Jeff Probst Tried To Quit Survivor
When you think of Jeff Probst, there's a very good chance that you also think of "Survivor." That's because the star has been with the popular reality TV show acting as its host since its premiere way back in 2000. Nowadays, he's also an executive producer, and it doesn't look like he'll be leaving the gig behind anytime soon.
In fact, in September, he opened up to Entertainment Weekly about returning to lead the show and seemed just as pumped as ever if not more so. "To give some context, Survivor 41 is the start of my third decade, and I cannot recall a time when I have felt this level of excitement to launch a new season," he said. He then explained why, saying that the pandemic-related pause in filming did something for him. "The year away really reminded me how much I love everything about 'Survivor,'" he noted. "I love the casting process and the game design. I love shooting the show with our crew. I love interacting with the players as they take on this giant adventure. I love the editing process and then ultimately delivering the show to the fans to see their reaction."
While it's certainly nice to hear that Jeff is still super-jazzed about what he does, he once tried to quit "Survivor." Keep reading to find out why!
Jeff Probst had more than one reason for trying to quit Survivor
Fans love "Survivor;" however, some people stopped watching around Season 14. Partially because of that, by 2008 and Season 17, Jeff Probst wanted to be done with the show.
Explaining that he was burned out and wasn't keen on only being famous for "Survivor," the star told then-CBS president Les Moonves that he wanted to quit, Jeff told The New York Times (via Heavy). "My Achilles' heel for a lot of my life was that nobody saw me as a storyteller, that they saw me as a white guy with dark hair who was just a game show host," he said. "And that in terms of my own self-image was the thing that could gut me."
Fortunately for Jeff, Les advised the host to take some time away (though not permanently) and told him to forget about the ratings and instead think about the fans who had stuck with them. Jeff decided to stay around, and while the show's ratings have continued to experience highs and lows, he's focused on something else. "I feel like I've been given the greatest gift and no one really realizes it," he admitted. "[Producer Mark Burnett] and CBS have given us this great franchise, and they let us go make it. And then we bring them back episodes and they say, 'Great, go make it again.'" And that's just what Jeff has done — while seeing a lot of success along the way.
Survivor has made Jeff Probst a rich and successful man
Jeff Probst's decision not to quit "Survivor" and to stick with the show for the long run definitely seems like it was a wise decision. At least, if you're considering how successful he's been because of the show and how much money he's made over the years.
While he changes people's lives on "Survivor" by granting the winner of each season a $1 million prize, his personal fortune is much bigger. We're talking in the range of $50 million, which continues to grow thanks to his $8 million annual salary, according to Celebrity Net Worth. That surely makes sticking with the show easier.
On top of remaining the popular host of "Survivor" and taking on a role as an executive producer, Jeff has also taken home multiple Primetime Emmy Awards for both Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program and Outstanding Non-Fiction Program as well as nominations for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, per IMDb.