‘Survivor 41’: Jeff Probst Dishes on Alter Ego, ‘Survivor Guy’
Survivor 41 is already off to a wild start. The game is harder than ever before, with even Survivor basics like flint and food staples scarce. Plus, it seems as if every possible advantage is going to be a double-edged sword if the “secret phrase” immunity idol is any indication. So where does Jeff Probst come up with these ideas? Well, it’s all thanks to his alter ego — Survivor Guy.
Meet Jeff Probst’s alter ego, ‘Survivor’ Guy
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jeff Probst dished on why he looks at his feet every time he welcomes players to “come on in.” Probst claims that in such moments, he is channeling his alter ego, Survivor Guy.
Probst claims he first “met” Survivor Guy while doing some “method” preparation as a host sitting out during a rainstorm on the Marquesas. When a rat ran by, he looked up and saw his alter ego and “guide.”
“Weirdly, he looked a lot like me, only significantly cooler. He wore animal skins, had much longer hair, a lot of odd tattoos and a feather necklace. I’ll never forget his first words to me: ‘Jeff, I am Survivor Guy… I am your alter ego, and if you embrace what I have to offer I can make your life on Survivor better than ever,’” Probst said.
Probst says Survivor Guy regaled him with tales of his jungle lifestyle before finally leaving with the sunrise.
“Then as the sun began to rise, he said, ‘I must go. I’m needed somewhere else.’ He started to walk away, then began a slow run, and finally leaped up as though he were going to fly away, kinda like a bird,” said Probst.
“But instead, he only got about six inches of air, stumbled a bit, and then kept walking, finally disappearing into the jungle. To this day, Survivor Guy remains my Survivor spirit animal,” he joked.
‘Survivor’ Guy has all the answers
According to Jeff Probst, every perfect Probst moment during Survivor is thanks to the wise counsel of Survivor Guy. Without his influence on Probst, the show would be a shadow of its current self.
“Survivor Guy guides me. Survivor Guy informs me. Survivor Guy literally gives me the questions at Tribal Council,” Probst said.
What’s more, his alter ego has prepared a new phrase especially for this season of the show.
“Survivor Guy also comes up with those incredibly memorable lines, like ‘got nothin’ for you’ or ‘worth playing for?’ He even gave me a couple of new quips for this season, including ‘sorry for you.’ I’m still working on the delivery, but I’m confident it’s a keeper,” Probst teased.
Jeff Probst asks fans what they’d do
Survivor 41 includes several ways for audience members to play along at home, including “what would you do” style questions from Jeff Probst each week. Probst will introduce players to a gameplay circumstance each week and ask them to sound off on Instagram about their answers to the scenario.
This week, Jeff asks if fans would sneak out of their camp at night to try and procure an advantage.
“Alright, here’s a ‘what would you do’ from tonight’s episode of Survivor. If given the opportunity would you attempt to sneak out of camp at night, knowing it’s Survivor 41 and players are aware these things happen and they’re constantly on the lookout?” Probst asks.
“If the answer is yes would you enlist the aid of somebody in your alliance to maybe cover your tracks or create some sort of decoy? Or would you go it alone to try and secure what would really be a secret advantage that nobody else knows about?”
“It’s a big risk to leave camp because if you’re wrong and you come back and everyone’s awake, you’re in trouble. If you pull it off, it could change the game,” Probst concludes, before telling players to see what happens tonight during similar circumstances.
