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As Survivor continues to air on the 2025 TV schedule , it's hard not to take notice of the success that the long-running CBS competition reality series has found. It's now in its 48 th season and is inching closer to its milestone 50 th . Some may not think that surprises can happen in the way of contestants, at this point.
However, one Survivor 48 competitor didn’t know who longtime host Jeff Probst was when signing on, and I appreciate that. Season 48 star David Kinne grew up watching the first season of Survivor and some of the other earlier ones with his family but never really watched it again until after he applied. He noted that he told himself he should probably watch the show after showing interest in the application.
He then recalled to Parade what went down when he got a call from casting and was admittedly clueless: It's really a funny story. I got a call from one of the casting producers. She's like, ‘Oh, hey, great.
Love your resume. You can have a one-on-one with Jeff.’ And I was like, ‘Great.
What's his last name?’ I swear to God. And she's like, ‘..
.Probst.’ And I'm on my computer, talking, like, 'Okay, how do you spell that?' 'P-R-O-B-S-T.
' And I can hear her hesitation on the phone. Since Survivor has been on the air for so long and is arguably one of the best reality shows , its not uncommon for prospective contestants to already be fans are at least somewhat familiar with the game. I can’t say I blame them, given my fandom.
So it's definitely something of a novelty when someone with little-to-no prior knowledge of the proceedings is added to a cast. I appreciate when a fan makes it on the show, but I find it refreshing when someone who's not too close to the game joins. Paramount Plus: from $7.
99 a month/$79.99 a year Survivor and a host of other reality TV shows are at your finger tips with Paramount Plus. Grab the Essential plan or go ad-free to receive double the catalog with Showtime through the Premium plan, which starts from $12.
99 a month. Also, you can get 12 months for the price of 10 by way of the annual plan. I’m not sure what’s better: the fact that Kinne thought it was completely normal to ask for Probst’s last name or the casting producer being hesitant on the other line.
She may not be used to clarifying herself to contestants when she mentions the name “Jeff” or just rarely has to do so. Still, I just love what came next when the realization finally hit Kinne: So she hesitates and says something else. So I type into Google ‘Jeff Probst,’ and I'm like, ‘Oh, that's the host!’ His face pops up, and I obviously recognize him.
She's like, ‘Yes, that's the host, you f--king idiot! What do you mean?! What are you doing applying on Survivor?!; And so next thing you know, love/hate relationship she wanted me on the show. Survivor Fans Aren’t Happy About Season 48’s Most Fascinating Player Not Making The Jury, And I Have Some Thoughts About It Too Luckily, his lack of Survivor knowledge did not hurt his chances of being on the show, despite the producer's blunt responses. David Kinne did do a little bit of prep, though.
He eventually watched some of the older seasons and some of the newer installments as well. Kinne also says that he doesn’t have “a whole lot of Survivor under his belt," but that might be a good thing. I'd argue that when you have a reality TV show that's been on as long as Survivor , it’s hard to find contestants who genuinely want to be on the show because of what it’s about, not because of what it is.
Obviously, Jeff Probst 's show is still as entertaining, and each season brings on great castaways. Nevertheless, it appears rare that any of them genuinely aren't all that familiar with the show. As of right now, David Kinne is still staying strong and proving that he deserves to be on Survivor despite his lack of knowledge.
I'm excited how long he’s able to last, and I'm also glad he's familiar with Jeff Probst now. Check out new episodes on Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
ET on CBS, and stream them the next day with a Paramount+ subscription . CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News.
