Jeff Probst is defending “Survivor’s” decision to include celebrities like MrBeast and Billie Eilish for its upcoming 50th season.
The stars of “Survivor 50” will have to outwit, outplay and outlast not only their tribe but Hollywood celebrities as well.
During the show’s 49th season finale, we got a first look at “Survivor 50,” which teased cameos from Billie Eilish, Zac Brown, Jimmy Fallon and MrBeast, and the longtime host shared how the idea of bringing Hollywood to Fiji came to be.
“We knew some of ‘Survivor’s’ biggest fans happen to be celebrities,” he told Variety in an interview published on Jan. 5, “so we thought sprinkling a few of them in with their own unique twists felt like a fun way to make the game even more unpredictable!”
Probst also addressed fans’ concerns that this Hollywood move might distract from the primary objective of the show: seeing how far people will go to win $1 million.
“I think it’s a legitimate concern when you start adding layers like celebrities, that they can overshadow the game and take it off course,” the 64-year-old continued. “Our job was to make sure that we stayed true to what we’re doing on ‘Survivor,’ which is exploring this continuous social experiment. And now we’re adding another layer.”
The Emmy-winning host argued that introducing this new aspect to the game actually adds to the excitement of the game.
“When you bring in a celebrity like Zac Brown or MrBeast or Jimmy Fallon, you now add idolatry, and you add different perceptions and reputations,” he explained. “The twist is designed to see if you can stay on course with the thought process you should—or how is it going to shift your thought process, and will it do you in?”
“Survivor 50” is stacked with star power just from within its own franchise, which includes notable former players like Cirie Fields, Ozzy Lusth and “The White Lotus” creator Mike White.
You can see the full cast for “Survivor: 50” here.
“Survivor 50” premieres Feb. 25 on CBS.
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