CBS premiered 'Survivor' way back in May of 2000. The show was an instant hit, though fans can all agree, they probably didn't expect the show to last 40 seasons and a near 600 episodes! Making matters that much greater, Jeff Probst has been the host since the show started.
Although we can't picture anyone else in the position nowadays, that wasn't exactly the case early on. CBS had their doubts and the same can be said for Jeff, who thought 'The Amazing Race' host Phil Keoghan was going to get the role. Probst audition tape wasn't exactly what the show was looking for and in fact, looking back, it looks like something to come out of an SNL skit. In order to entice the network, Jeff did a little bit of lying and it all worked out as he got the gig and never looked back.
Let's take a look at what Jeff said to get the role on the show, along with his journey and what he learned along the way.
Jeff Wouldn't Last On The Show
Probst has been on the show for more than two decades, which is absolutely remarkable. The host has learned several lessons along the way - one was a rude awakening. According to Jeff, he wouldn't last as a competitor on the show, "I had a really big life lesson, doing the show. A bunch of friends came to visit me in the Philippines. We left a challenge after filming, and were driving home in a van. For some reason we decided to play ‘When will you be voted out’ if we were on the show. It went around the horn, and it got to me. I was thinking in my head: ‘They are going to say that I’ll go pretty deep, maybe not win but deep. I know the show, and I’m good with words.’ This is what my ego was telling me. And my closest friend said, ‘Probst, you’d be out so fast.’ I was shocked. But I knew – I know from Survivor — that when a group of people tell you what they think of you, they’re right. Their perception is accurate for them."
According to his peers, he talks a bit too much which would be his undoing, "My friends said, ‘Your mouth, you’re too lippy. You think it’s funny but other people find it annoying, and they would vote you out.’ The thing that I thought was my asset — words, being verbal — is not nearly as charming as I think it is. They said, ‘You would piss somebody off pretty quick, and they’d vote you out.’ . . . I now know that to be true. And as I know it to be true, I’m thinking to myself that I’ve probably said three annoying things in this room already.”
Turns out, we know exactly what they're talking about given Jeff's demo tape, which was handed to 'Survivor'. Let's just say the reel wasn't all that convincing and if anything, might've furthered his chance to host the show had it not been for a lie.
Probst Labelled Himself As An Outdoor Type
Imagine starting off a demo tape with a doll of yourself... that's exactly what the 'Survivor' host did. The second frame was Jeff in a disco outfit... It truly felt like a blooper reel more than anything else. Of course, the 'Survivor' team wasn't all that convinced, and it would lead to further questioning. It was at that point when Probst decided to lie.
While on the 'Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon', Probst admitted that the demo didn't get him that job and that he was forced into telling a lie. Probst tried to stress the fact that he was an outdoors type of guy, which apparently wasn't true. The lie was a big part of Jeff getting the job as he understood what the gig was all about. On the contrary, that hurt Phil Keoghan's audition, who showed up in a suit. According to Jeff, it wasn't a suit type of hosting gig and he got that from the start, "Phil was wearing a suit and I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans and I thought a suit is not survivor."
It all worked as both TV hosts enjoyed successful careers. We can safely say that although he lied back then, Probst has evolved into the outdoor type, given his history on the show. As for that demo tape, it'll live on forever.
Sources: TV Worth Watching, I Heart Radio & YouTube
