Survivor Host Jeff Probst Defends Seemingly Sexist Format

Survivor history shows that when the tribe has spoken, women tend to lose. And now host Jeff Probst feels ready to tackle allegations that the Survivor show’s structure favors men.

Find out what Probst revealed. And keep reading to see if Survivor’s voting history indicates the need for changes. 

Survivor Spoilers – A Sexist ‘New Era’?

In 2000, the so-called “old era” ended. And viewers noticed a trend in terms of whether men and women won. For instance, in the 15 seasons from Caramoan to Winners at War, 12 men won. And just three women took home the ultimate prize, noted EW.

But the seemingly unfair Survivor structure didn’t improve. For example, six male champions scored in 35 through 40. And that same era saw male contestants getting 62 final Tribal Council votes for the million dollars. But in contrast, the women received a total of six.

And then came the “new era” in season 41. In the four seasons completed thus far, two women and two men have become champions. And the final Tribal Council has seen votes evenly divided.

However, in the first episodes, Survivor allegedly reveals its sexist format. In season 42 through 44, 11 of the 12 contestants voted out first each season has been a woman. Those statistics do not account for Jackson Fox and Bruce Perreault, who required medical evacuation.

Survivor Spoilers – Can You Play Game ‘From Fear’?

And when the Lulu tribe voted out Hannah Rose on the season 45 premiere of Survivor, the tradition continued. Some Survivor fans believe that the three-tribe format values physical strength. As a result, players vote to keep the strongest players, typically men. And Survivor host Jeff Probst admitted he “heard the discussion and read people’s thoughts about it.”

However, Probst noted that though his answer might frustrate viewers, “you can’t design the game out of fear, in the same way that you can’t play the game from fear. And so that is factually a reality. The question is: What’s the conclusion to draw from it? And I don’t feel like four seasons is really enough data for me to make a conclusive decision.”

And digging in to defend the current Survivor format, Jeff offered a tip to upcoming contestants. “My advice to anyone who applies to be on the show is figure out how that’s an opportunity,” suggested the Survivor host. “Because it’s a crazy assumption to say that it’s always going to be a woman who is the weakest player in a game which has so many layers to it like Survivor.” And Probst also explained why he favors the current format.

https://twitter.com/JeffProbst/status/1699499181285728620

Survivor Spoilers – Players Find ‘Nowhere To Hide’

Producers prefer “tribes of six because there’s nowhere to hide,” he pointed out. “So you have to start playing immediately. Three tribes make tribe switches and the merge much more complex,” admitted Jeff. “But also offers more opportunity for the smart player. And three tribes gives you more contrast between tribes in terms of watching how they live together and how they work as a unit while conspiring against each other.”

As a result, Probst doubts that Survivor will change even if a clear trend favoring men occurs. And he insisted that producers see “a lot about three tribes that we really like.” But he did note that they will “still keep paying attention to who’s voted out first and if there are any real patterns that we need to pay attention to.” However, “it doesn’t necessarily mean that we would change our approach,” he concluded.

Tell us what you think. Do you feel that Survivor gives men more of an opportunity to win? And after you share your views, check back on our site for more TV news.