Jeff Probst Has 'No Idea' What the Future Holds for “Survivor” Beyond Season 50: 'That Is the Fun' (Exclusive)
- - Jeff Probst Has 'No Idea' What the Future Holds for “Survivor” Beyond Season 50: 'That Is the Fun' (Exclusive)
Stephanie PetitFebruary 8, 2026 at 1:30 AM
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Jeff Probst on Survivor
Robert Voets/CBS via Getty
Although season 50 of Survivor has yet to air, PEOPLE asked Jeff Probst about what's next for the groundbreaking reality TV show
The host and showrunner admitted to having "some loose ideas in a folder somewhere," but he said he has "no idea" what's next
"We’re early into a new era," Probst teased
What does the future hold for Survivor? Not even Jeff Probst is sure.
Back in June, as the groundbreaking reality TV show was just days into filming its 50th season, PEOPLE sat down with the host and showrunner on location in Fiji. In addition to looking back at the show's 26-year history and how it got to this milestone, Probst also answered PEOPLE's question about what's next.
"I can’t even...even you asking me that, oh my God," Probst answers, admitting, "I have no idea for 51."
"I just want to get through 50 with this incredible group of people," he adds. "But yes, it will be breathing down our neck. That is the fun that comes with the job: the pressure."
Jeff Probst and Mike White on 'Survivor: David vs. Goliath'
CBS via Getty
Probst confesses to having "some loose ideas in a folder somewhere" about season 51 and beyond, but he's open to seeing how things shake out.
"I will say, I don’t think you have to wholesale change the show. I don’t see that happening," he says. "We’re early into a new era. We’re only nine, 10 seasons in. There’s still a lot of game to be played there."
Probst, 64, credits that to Survivor's simple format: take a group of people and make them vote each other out and then turn around to pick a winner.
Although he's been hosting the show since its debut in 2000, it wasn't until Probst became showrunner and executive producer in 2010 that he fully recognized Survivor's staying power.
"I realize, 'Oh, this show could run until all humans die,'" he says.
Jeff Probst on Survivor
Robert Voets/CBS via Getty
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While Probst says Survivor will "absolutely" continue after his own torch has been metaphorically snuffed, some season 50 contestants can't imagine the show without him.
"That will be the end of Survivor when Jeff decides to hang it up," five-time returnee Cirie Fields tells PEOPLE. "Not just because he's so nice to me. From a fan standpoint, Jeff knows what we're looking for…Jeff is the ultimate Survivor fan, in my opinion. And that's what makes him so good at what he does."
Jeff Probst and Dee Valladares on Survivor
Robert Voets/CBS via Getty
Survivor 45 winner Dee Valladares adds, "You can tell he loves this so much. He would give his life for Survivor. He would give his life up."
"There is no Survivor without Jeff, and I'll always be his biggest fan," she continues.
Survivor season 50 premieres Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”