Jeff Probst Walks Through a Day on Survivor 50 in Fiji
Jeff Probst walked through a typical day of filming survivor 50 on the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji, saying the show runs as a 26-day event with 6 a. m. starts and 10: 30 p. m. Tribal Councils and describing how routine, radios and a short workout keep him focused.
Survivor 50: Life on the Mamanuca Islands
For the premiere of the show's all-star fiftieth season, the Emmy-winning host and showrunner of CBS's "Survivor" described life on the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji. He said he has a home on the water there and wakes to the sounds of the ocean every morning, and that filming in Fiji for 10 years has given the production a routine that eases preparation and cuts down on unforeseen problems.
A 26-day schedule with long hours
Working on "Survivor" is a 26-day event that begins the morning of day one. Probst said a day might technically start at 6 a. m. when you wake up and end at 10: 30 p. m. when Tribal Council is over, yet the work does not really stop until the end of day 26.
From tents and tiny trailers to a decade in Fiji
Probst recalled how the way the show is run has changed a lot in 26 years. In the early seasons, the crew moved to a new country or island every season, building what he described as a city on an island, packing everything on big shipping crates across the ocean, unloading and rebuilding again. For many seasons the crew lived in little single-person tents or modular housing; once they lived in very tiny trailers that were maybe 12 feet long and eight feet high, with just a bed.
A host's routine: radios, no distractions and a short workout
Especially when you are one of the executive producers, Probst said, there is always a radio next to your bed and a radio in your boat; the radio is everywhere because the show is "a living, breathing organism. " He noted the location provides few distractions: the crew lives on a little island with no restaurants and no movie theater, friends do not come to visit and there is nowhere to go to dinner, which makes it easier to focus.
How Probst prepares each morning
Probst outlined "a typical day in my life while filming \"Survivor 50\". " He said there is no ambient light in the middle of the ocean, so nights are pitch black and it is easier to go to bed early and get up with the sun. Almost every morning he works out for his mental health with a small gym of gear shipped to his house; production builds a false floor for the equipment so it does not damage the house. He described his exercise as straightforward weight work that takes maybe 20 minutes most days. He said doing that routine makes him feel ready: "We're going back into war, let's go. "
How the piece was gathered and reader options
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jeff Probst; the conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. The piece appears as part of Business Insider's Power Hours series, which gives readers an inside look at how powerful business leaders structure their workday. Readers can sign up to get an alert every time Samantha publishes a story; by clicking "Sign up" they agree to receive emails and accept Insider's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. For more on daily routines, the series invites readers to reach out to editor Lauryn Haas.
The write-up was prepared ahead of the premiere of the show's all-star fiftieth season.
