Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans’ Benjamin ‘Coach’ Wade Revealed How Jeff Probst Reacted After The Last Time He Played [Exclusive]

Throughout the history of Survivor, fans of Jeff Probst's beloved reality show have learned how incredible it can be. After fans are no longer at the point when they have to figure out which seasons to watch first, they will have seen the staggering reasons some players have been medically evacuated. On top of that, fans have also witnessed Survivor's best players competed during fantastic seasons as a part of their efforts to become one of the greatest winners.

Even though some former players have refused to return, fans have also watched some of Survivor's unique stars play more than once. Currently set to return for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, it is fascinating to learn what Coach revealed about what Jeff Probst said to him after the third time he played.

Benjamin "Coach" Wade Revealed That Jeff Probst Respected His Survivor Legacy

In September 2024, TheThings journalist Matthew Thomas exclusively interviewed Benjamin "Coach" Wade. During that interview, Coach told several fascinating stories about his Survivor experience up until that point and its aftermath.

On May 28th, 2025, Survivor's Instagram account published a video of Jeff Probst announcing the cast for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans. During that video, Jeff revealed that Coach would be returning to play during the landmark season. Based on what Coach told TheThings about Jeff during the aforementioned interview, his inclusion in Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans makes a lot of sense.

During Survivor: South Pacific, Coach made it to the final tribal council and became the runner-up. While talking to TheThings, Coach stated that Jeff asked to meet with him after the final tribal council. During the interview, Coach revealed that Jeff thanked him for how he'd played Survivor.

"I'm sitting there in the truck ready to go to Ponderosa, and the and the handlers are like, 'Oh s***. Probst is coming over here. He never does this. What's he doing? I think he wants to speak to you. So they take off my blindfold. Probst opened up the door, and he's like, 'Dude. Wow, man. You know, you did so awesome.'"

Unfortunately for Coach, it seems like he was grappling with regrets after he lost Survivor: South Pacific. While talking to TheThings, Coach stated that he responded by apologizing to Jeff for failing to change Survivor.

"I was like, 'Well, I didn't win it. I wanted to win it for you, and I wanted to change the game, make it survival of the fittest.'"

Coach finished that story by explaining that Jeff clearly rejected his apology. Instead, Coach told TheThings that Jeff asked him a question that implied the Survivor legend had done something groundbreaking.

"He's like, 'You have no idea what you've done. And I was like, 'Well, I don't know.'"

Survivor Fans Also Praised How Benjamin "Coach" Wade After The Last Time He Played

Unfortunately for reality show stars, there is no doubt that fans can be absolutely brutal. After Coach played for the first time, during Survivor: Tocantins, he faced an incredibly fierce backlash that was evidence of how harsh people can be. However, after he played the third time, Coach was given an accolade from fans that very few Survivor players have ever received.

Between 2010 and 2016, twenty Survivor legends were inducted into the Survivor Hall of Fame based on a fan vote. Since hundreds of people have played Survivor, being inducted was a huge honor.

Several years after he played for the third time, Coach was inducted in 2015. It is hard to think of how Survivor fans could have given Coach more of a seal of approval than that.