Summary

• Burnett recognized Probst's talent early on and fought to have him as host, leading to Survivor's success.
• Probst met his wife at one of Burnett's eccentric parties filled with A-list celebrities like Streisand and Hilton.
• Probst and Burnett had differing views on casting villains, with Probst now focusing on positive elements in the show.

Survivor creator, Mark Burnett has always credited the show's success to its longtime host and showrunner, Jeff Probst. But did you know that Burnett had to fight to cast the TV presenter? "I always try to hire people better than me," the British producer said of his collaborator. Burnett convinced CBS – which had a silent lawsuit of fixing Survivor eliminations – that Probst was "the right move for the health of the show." True enough, they've made the show more interesting since.

Burnett and Probst are also close friends outside of work. In fact, the host met his wife of 13 years, Lisa Ann Russell because of The Apprentice creator. It was almost your ideal love-at-first-sight story, but at that time, Probst witnessed "weird" happenings between Burnett's "eclectic" A-lister friends, like Barbra Streisand and Paris Hilton. Here's a closer look at the Survivor masters' friendship – from "crazy" parties to opposing views on casting.

Jeff Probst Met His Wife While Partying With Mark Burnett's "Weird Circle" Of Celebrity Friends

In a 2012 interview with Larry King Now, Probst revealed that he met his wife at one of Burnett's annual Christmas parties. The TV star told King that his collaborator was "eclectic and hangs in weird circles." He then detailed how "crazy" the party was. "You have Gary Busey doing pressure points on your arm," he shared.

"Meanwhile, there's Barbra Streisand talking to Paris Hilton on the other couch," Probst said of Burnett's party.

He then saw his future wife in the crowd, watching the "the spectacle" that also included Arsenio Hall and David Foster. Russell was previously married to actor, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, from 1996 to 2010. They met on Saved By The Bell: The College Years where she had a minor role. The former couple have two children together: Michael (b. 2004) and Ava (b. 2006).

Probst and Russell tied the knot on December 5, 2011 after making their first public appearance as a couple in August 2010 during the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. They had a private ceremony in Probst's backyard in Los Angeles. The Emmy winner also had his first marriage in 1996, to therapist, Shelly Wright. They divorced in 2001.

Jeff Probst dated Survivor contestant Julie Berry from 2004 to 2008.

Mark Burnett Credits Jeff Probst For Having "Full Control" Of Improving 'Survivor'

Over the years, Probst slowly took over the creative direction of Survivor, which Burnett credits for its longevity. When EW asked how much they argued about running the show in 2018, the latter said, "Zero, because Jeff has full control." He went on to say that he didn't need to "veto power" over the showrunner's decisions. "I think what makes me pretty good at my job is, I don't find brilliant people and then micromanage them," said Burnett. "Find brilliant people and recognize why they're brilliant and let them continue to be brilliant."

"Like, do you think someone's trying to tell LeBron James how to dunk? I don't think so. I'm not trying to tell Jeff how to do his job — that'd be ridiculous," he said of Probst.

A year before that, Burnett told The Hollywood Reporter that Survivor "took off" because of Probst. "And look what happened when Jeff took over as showrunner," he said of persuading CBS to cast the host. "The show took off even more. Here we are at the 33rd live finale, at the 34th season finale, and numbers are up. And as other shows have tapered off, this show is on par with every single show unscripted — and I don't think there's one scripted network show beating Survivor."

Speaking to EW, Probst also raved about Burnett's trust in him since the beginning. "Mark gave me a voice from day one," he shared. "And then he said, 'I'm never gonna be in your ear, I'm never gonna tell you what to say, I'm just gonna trust that you get the story that I'm trying to tell and you'll do your part in telling it.'" He went on to say that it's rare to have such a trusting producer.

"And he stayed true to his word, which may not sound like much to somebody who's not in this industry," Probst added, "but to anybody who's in this industry, you know a producer actually giving you the reigns in an unscripted, live show — the fact that we're taped and broadcast later does not take away from the fact that we are live in the moment."

Here's a list of Survivor's Primetime Emmy Awards throughout its 46-and-counting seasons:

Mark Burnett And Jeff Probst Had Opposing Views About Casting Villains On 'Survivor'

In 2011, Burnett and Probst expressed different views on casting Survivor villains. For the latter, "villains are who you want to watch on TV. … All the main characters [on certain dramas] are evil people who are often breaking the law and certainly are immoral. They're certainly the most fun to watch. I'm not interested in watching, I don't know, The Cosby Show. That's not fun." However, the creator felt that "there has been a shift, I'm sure of it. People are genuinely hurting. The last thing the audience wants to see is people ripped apart."

Probst eventually changed his stance on the matter just this February 2024. Speaking to Rob Has a Podcast, he acknowledged that season 1's winner, Richard Hatch, remains "the biggest villains, still, of all time." Reflecting on such casting decisions, he said: "In the hands of somebody else, I can tell you, Rob, for sure, there would be more villains, more negativity, more yelling at each other."

He then said that it was initially Burnett that thought of getting self-proclaimed villains in the early seasons. But from now, "it's not going to happen when I'm part of the show," Probst swore. "I'm just not interested in it." He then spilled that they're now focusing on "fun" elements in the show instead of casting bad guys. "By merely changing the type of twists we put into the game, we can create negativity," he explained. "It's a manipulation."

Probst added: "We wanted the show to bring positivity in a way that families could sit down and say, 'This will be fun, let's watch it!'"

Don't get him wrong, the longtime showrunner doesn't want to completely get rid of the drama. "That doesn't mean you can't still talk about sensitive topics, clearly we do … it also doesn't mean you can't root for and against people," he said. Days before the podcast episode, Probst also teased fans about his "different" vibe on the show. "I did find a different part of my personality coming out at Tribal," he told EW back then. "And I think you're going to see it and feel it."

Jeff Probst has a net worth $50 million while Mark Burnett has $450 million.