‘Survivor’ Season 42: Jeff Probst Explains Dangerous Immunity Challenge in Episode 3

The Tribe Has Spoken

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The third episode of Survivor Season 42, “Go with the Gusto,” had a boatload of series firsts. For the first time in Survivor history, Jeff Probst had to stop an Immunity Challenge halfway through because the circumstances became too dangerous for the contestants.

The March 23 episode’s challenge required each tribe to retrieve a ladder from the bottom of the ocean floor. The ladder helped reach a key, and that key unlocked a set of sandbags. The tribes then had to land those sandbags on a series of small targets. But the challenge proved exceedingly difficult and risky due to the ocean’s strong current that day.

Jonathan from the Taku tribe was able to pull the ladder through the water and bring each of his struggling team members to shore, but tribes Ika and Vati were so overpowered by the current, Probst paused the game and had them come to shore. The crew then retrieved the keys for those teams, and the challenge continued from there.

Probst opened up about the intense turn of events and what drove the decision to stop the game in a new interview. And he explained how this moment differed from past challenges thwarted by the elements.

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Survivor tests all of its challenges with the help of a group they call the Dream Team. The Dream Team usually consists of 16 to 20 people who perform the challenges while production rehearses filming. Probst said the “Go with the Gusto” Immunity Challenge was safety approved by the Dream Team, but the day the tribes arrived on the beach, it felt like a tornado was brewing.

“On our end, there was definitely a sense of excitement, because these are the kinds of unexpected surprises you want in a Survivor challenge,” Probst told Entertainment Weekly. “But there was also a sense of urgency, especially from our challenge team and our marine department. They wanted to start the challenge as soon as possible because they wanted to make sure it could finish.”

Circumstances did not let up for the rest of the challenge, and the safety teams were nearby as the players powered through. According to Probst, the contestants were struggling in the water for 22 minutes, being pushed and pulled “so far off the course they were running into our camera platforms.”

“I’m not exaggerating when I say that every five minutes it was gaining in intensity,” he said, adding, “It didn’t ever back off, there was never a calm moment, never a chance for players to catch their breath. It just kept pounding, wave after wave.”

Jonathan had won the challenge for Taku before Vati and Ika even got their ladders to the keys. A slow-motion montage of the rough conditions showed each of the tribe members struggling to catch their breath. At one point, Rocksroy from Tribe Ika’s head got stuck between rungs of the ladder, prompting him to cry out for help. But he was only briefly stuck, as a wave came and gave him momentum to move. He continued playing without injury, but anyone watching the montage would have been concerned for the safety of everyone involved.

Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment

“It’s important for our viewers to know that the players are always safe,” Probst noted. “We have safety swimmers at every challenge. Their only job is to watch the players, and if anyone is ever in real danger, they can get to them immediately. So from a safety point of view, the players aren’t ever in real danger. But — and this is a big but — when you are feeling overwhelmed in the ocean, it is an absolutely terrifying feeling and there is no part of your brain saying ‘Oh, I’m fine. I’m sure a safety swimmer will be here any second.’ I’ve been in a similar situation, and I can still remember the feeling. You are working as hard as you can to withstand the push and pull of the ocean, which leads to exhaustion which only amplifies the panic.”

“To their credit, not a single player ever called for help,” the host added. “Nobody asked us to stop the challenge and rescue them.”

Probst made the call to stop the challenge when it was clear the conditions were only getting worse and the players “had exhausted themselves to the point of simply not having enough strength left to finish.”

“In 42 seasons of Survivor, we have never had to stop a challenge,” he said. “This. Was. A. First. There wasn’t time for us to huddle and discuss the decision, it was obvious that they were never going to be able to hold the ladder while someone climbed up it. Absolutely no chance. And because both tribes were equally helpless, we knew it would be fair to bring them both in and restart the challenge.”

Jonathan was the only contestant able to complete the challenge, and he literally carried his team to both safety and a win. Probst was hesitant to compliment his performance because “nobody really wants that kind of attention,” but it was a “hall of fame moment, and every single player knew it. So we had to honor it.”

Survivor, Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS