Summary
- Survivor fans have seen a kinder version of Jeff Probst in recent years, but he has been harsh and shown his dark side in the past.
- Probst is married to Lisa Ann Russell and has a close relationship with her children from a previous marriage.
- Probst has stated that he would be willing to betray his wife on Survivor, even describing it as "gutting" her, which is harsher than just voting her out.
This article was updated on October 21, 2023.
Over the last several years, Survivor fans have seen a mostly kind and sweet version of Jeff Probst who cares more about how people feel. A perfect example of that is the fact that Probst changed one of his most famous sayings to be more sensitive to how his words affect people.
However, the truth of the matter is that longtime Survivor fans know that Probst has been pretty harsh in the past. In fact, Probst didn't make it a secret when he hated Survivor locations or when he was mad at contestants.
When fans think about the current version of Probst that hosts Survivor now, it is hard to imagine him doing anything dastardly. However, since there have been so many memorable Survivor villains, it shouldn't surprise anyone that the show can bring out the dark side in people.
Even though there have been some pretty harsh Survivor betrayals in the past, there are some lines you never expect to be crossed. With that in mind, it is pretty shocking to learn that Probst has said that he would betray his wife.
Who Is Jeff Probst's Wife, Lisa Ann Russell?
After previously dating the journalist Katie Couric and a Survivor contestant named Julie Berry in the past, Jeff Probst got involved with Lisa Ann Russell in 2010. Once the couple were together for almost a year and a half, Probst and Russell tied the knot in 2011.
Before she became Probst's wife, Russell walked down the aisle with one of the biggest teen TV stars of the '90s, Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Married for roughly fifteen years, Russell and Gosselaar had two children together, Michael and Ava.
In 2012, Probst talked about his wife's previous marriage, her ex-husband, and his relationship with his stepchildren and he bristled at that label. "Well, they were together almost 20 years. They had a long marriage and they raised these two young kids."
"They raised them with the kind of love that the kids they see me, and he's now remarried, his wife, they just see us as two more parents," he continued. "They're not stepkids."
"They call me dad, and you know when it locked in? When we were together before we got married, they were playing with it," the television host added.
"Sometimes it'd be dad, sometimes it'd be Jeff, dad two, sometimes it'd be D-2. But when we got married, when this ring went on my finger, Michael looked up and said, 'dad,' and I could tell that he knew now that this big thing was official and it was real."
When Would Jeff Probst Betray His Wife, Lisa Ann Russell?
Throughout Survivor history, most of the show's first-time competitors have shared the island with people they'd never met before. Even though they'd only recently met, some Survivor betrayals were still really hard to watch. Then, Survivor's producers introduced a new concept to the show called Blood vs. Water. During the two Blood vs. Water seasons to date, each contestant had a loved one who was competing for the million dollars as well.
During the 27th season of Survivor which featured the Blood vs. Water concept, a contestant named Ciera Eastin did something incredible. When the time came, Eastin cast a vote to take her mom Laura Morett out of the running for the million dollars.
While there is no doubt that people labeled Eastin's move harsh, there was something that mitigated it. Eastin warned her mom before the vote and her mother even told Ciera she was proud of her. According to what Jeff Probst once told People, however, he was willing to vote out his wife and he would do it harshly too.
First off, Probst told People that he would create a way to signal his wife Lisa Ann Russell and he'd protect her if anyone else was going after her.
Jeff explained, “Lisa and I would have a simple code. Whenever we’d see each other, we’d hold up our fingers. One finger would mean, ‘I love this. Everything’s going great.’ Five fingers would mean ‘I’m in trouble and I’m ready to go.’ If she held up one, I’d do what I could to keep her in the game."
“If I saw someone messing with my wife, I’d go crazy," he added.
On the other hand, Probst said that if his wife indicated to him that was ready to go, he not only would take her out, he'd seemingly be harsh while doing it. "If she gave me four or five, I’d gut her – and then I’d use that move to my advantage," he continued.
Considering that Probst says he'd wait for his wife to indicate that she was ready to go, some people may think that wouldn't be a betrayal. However, when he described what he'd do as "gut[ting]" his wife, that sounds a lot worse than just voting her out.
