ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Such fascinating talk this week at both Tribal Councils about the need to make big moves to pad your résumé, but then also how those big moves then make you an immediate target. So how, as a player moving forward in future seasons, do you avoid that deadly catch-22?
JEFF PROBST: You don’t. You wanna win? You have to stand up and play. If you look at a list of the most recent winners: Jeremy Collins, Mike Holloway, Natalie Anderson, Tony Vlachos, Tyson Apostol, John Cochran, Denise Stapley, Kim Spradlin — all of them were game changers. They were willing to make risky moves to further their game. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t. Your question is the one that messes everybody up — you can’t be the best player if you’re not playing.
Yes, it’s a bit of a catch-22 but that’s the game. I sometimes hear from Survivor bloggers that I “say things like this so that people will make big moves.” To those critics I say, “When you’re ready to get off your ass and actually play, call me.” The format of Survivor is the star of the show. It works. The game has evolved because of the gameplay and that comes from the players. I’m not saying you can’t win by playing a somewhat quiet game — Michelle did that last season — but the overwhelming majority of recent winners have earned their votes by playing hard. Next question.
