‘Blindsides Are at an All-Time High’ in ‘Survivor’ 48, Says Jeff Probst

The Tribe Has Spoken

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Reality TV’s most ubiquitous show returns on Wednesday, February 26, and Jeff Probst tells TV Insider that “blindsides are at an all-time high” in Survivor 48 because of its many paired alliances. This group of 18 castaways, split into three teams, were more inclined to pair up with just one other player this season, as opposed to making larger alliances. But there’s one duo that didn’t intend to be partnered up and in fact try to break up on multiple occasions, but they’re “like magnets,” Probst says, making for some comedic friction. We’ve got a Survivor odd couple on our hands.

“Season 48 had an unusual number of pairs that formed kind of quickly,” Probst tells TV Insider. “But what was really interesting was some of them you’ll look at and go, ‘That makes sense. I could see them pairing up in life, you know, becoming friends.’ Some of them you would never see coming. Some of them are very public, everybody knows they’re a pair. Other are very hidden and therefore very powerful.”

“The other interesting thing about the pairs is their value system,” he continues. “There are pairs that say, ‘Honor and integrity. I’m taking it old school. If I give you my word, you got it.’ And then there are other pairs going, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re really going to give me your word and keep it because I will destroy you.; It’s fun to watch these pairs play out. And there’s also pairs that don’t want to be pairs at all, but they can’t help it. They’re just like magnets. They just ebb and flow together in a very fun and funny way.”

While he doesn’t reveal who they are, this duo might be big contributors to what the four-time Emmy-winning host calls “a really fun season.” “They’re like a sitcom,” he teases, saying that they “just sort of can’t resist each other,” no matter how hard one of them tries.

Robert Voets / CBS

“They’re on the same tribe, and something about their energies reluctantly pulls them together even though they want not to be together,” Probst shares. “Wherever one goes, the other goes.” He adds that these two players “would not say they’re a pair. They’re a pair. When one person goes to the jungle, the other person follows them. And even if the first person says, ‘Would you please stop following,’ the second person won’t. I just found myself laughing every time I saw them together because all I had to say was, ‘How you two doing?’ And [the answer] would be, ‘Not well.'”

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Thanks to that duo and other lively players, Probst says that “Survivor 48 has a really fun sense of humor about it. It also has a lot of emotion and it has really great gameplay.” The higher volume of alliances means more room for betrayals. “Blindsides are at an all-time high, and I don’t see them going away,” he says. “The Shot in the Dark alone changed everything because if you tell me or I sense that I’m going home and I really think I have no options, I’m going to play my Shot in the Dark. Low odds, but if I get it, you’re the one I’m voting for. So just know I’m taking no prisoners.”

That doesn’t mean that there’s an uptick in castaways using that advantage in 48. “It’s the threat that I will play it that makes every other player” squirm, Probst says. Another thing making these players squirm: The possibility of wasting an idol.

Survivor 46 set a record for the most people voted out with immunity idols in their pockets (five players could’ve saved themselves, but got voted out instead). Probst says the fear of repeating that history was felt in Season 47 and the “concern” continues in Season 48. “It’s really interesting how the game ebbs and flows based on previous seasons,” he reflects. “Right now we’re sort of in a if you got an idol, play the idol [mode].” Thank goodness.

Survivor, Season 48 Premiere, Wednesday, February 26, 8/7c, CBS

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