Hidden advantages, tear-inducing challenges, a returning contestant and an encore of Sweat vs. Savvy — the “Survivor” Season 45 premiere really had it all.
But Wednesday’s 90-minute CBS presentation had one thing that even its beloved, longtime host Jeff Probst didn’t see coming: a self-elimination. Lulu Tribe competitor Hannah Rose shockingly became the earliest contestant ever to quit the reality series after only three days in.
“I was definitely surprised by Hannah’s quit. I didn’t see that coming,” Probst told TheWrap in an interview completed after the premiere.
“What’s going through my head is a series of questions, most of them centered around the other players and whether or not they are going to agree to let Hannah quit or if they are going to want to hold a vote and possibly vote out a different player,” Probst recalled of the moment.
Rose, a therapist, had a visibly trying and emotional adjustment to the demands of “Survivor.” She entered the first tribal council intending to convince her tribemates that it was her time to go, their strategy be damned.
“Everything in my body is like, ‘I’m not going back to that camp. Please don’t make me go back to that camp,’” Rose said. “I don’t need to be voted out to go home… I’m not bringing heart to this. I’m not! I’m not mentally here.”
Still, Rose never said the words “I quit” and instead left the decision, optically anyway, in the hands of her cohort.
“They could have easily said that they still wanted to vote and then Hannah would have another decision to make: Go back to camp or just quit right there at tribal,” Probst said.
As far as Rose’s concerns that the world is going to “hate” her for quitting, as expressed in the brief mid-credits interview of the weekly castaway, Probst admitted that, well, he gets fans’ frustration.
“I get it. I understand the frustration. I share it,” Probst said. “We obviously work very hard to find people who want to be on Survivor more than they want air, but no matter how many interviews you do or psychological tests you take, until you are actually out on the island, living in a real jungle, there simply is no way to know how any player will react.”
As far as providing comfort to viewers at home who feel they’ve been slighted in their own aspirations of joining the “Survivor” cast, Probst admitted, “We have to own the fact that we got it wrong” by casting Rose.
Read TheWrap’s full interview with Probst — where he also dug into the emotional roller coaster of Lulu Tribe’s Brandon Donlon — below.
During the reward challenge, what was it like while filming and witnessing Lulu lose their lead while Brandon gets held up at the bottom of that ladder? Was it clear that there was something wrong?
“Survivor” challenges are designed to test players in a variety of different ways, but you can never predict which player will be tested in which way. In the case of Brandon, I will say that those rope ladders are not easy to navigate, but he was clearly struggling and it was as much mental as it was physical.
Initially it was just a player struggling and the panic that comes with hearing me describing their failure and their tribe yelling at them to hurry! But it did become clear that Brandon was feeling overwhelmed emotionally. In a situation like that, it’s always a case by case basis, and I’m certainly paying attention.
I checked in with Brandon during [the] challenge and when it was over, our medical team spent quite a bit of time with Brandon helping him calm down and get his breath back under control. In addition to being concerned about his well-being, I am also thinking, “Well, this is exactly the kind of test you wanted when you applied.”
“Survivor” doesn’t always give you what you want, but it quite often gives you what you need. Brandon needs this adventure to see what he’s capable of achieving. And that one experience has already changed him. Hopefully his journey is just beginning.
That brings us to Hannah, who has a bit of a meltdown of her own early on, which Brandon helps her through. Was it heartening to see the way that they were able to be there for each other?
Well this relates to what happened with Brandon on the marooning challenge. In just the first 20 minutes of Day 1, he had already panicked, failed in front of his tribe, had to be held back to talk to medical, arrived late to his tribe camp, missed out on valuable bonding time and is seen as a challenge liability. But, equally important, he didn’t give up.
And now here he is in the jungle just a few hours later giving encouragement to a fellow tribe member who is also struggling with similar issues of feeling overwhelmed. That’s what this experience is about. Brandon took what could have been a completely devastating situation and instead of giving up, he grew from it.
Between the two challenges, it seems at least for now that Lulu is physically the weakest tribe of the three. Do those initial impressions usually pan out to be true in your experience, or do the “weakest” tribes often surprise you?
We do our best to divide the tribes as evenly as possible, but you simply can’t predict what will happen with a group of strangers until you actually see them in action. I would agree that from the first episode, Lulu does appear to be the weaker tribe. So now the question will become: Can they figure out a way to win, or is this the first of many trips to tribal council?
And then, of course, Hannah quits (essentially) by forcing her tribemates’ vote. You’ve witnessed contestants quitting in the past. What goes through your head as it becomes apparent that they’re making that decision? Did Hannah’s surprise you?
I was definitely surprised by Hannah’s quit. I didn’t see that coming. What’s going through my head is a series of questions, most of them centered around the other players and whether or not they are going to agree to let Hannah quit, or if they are going to want to hold a vote and possibly vote out a different player. The players are in control. They could have easily said that they still wanted to vote, and then Hannah would have another decision to make. Go back to camp or just quit right there at tribal.
She expresses concern that the world is going to hate her. Of course, the chance to be on Survivor is so coveted. What do you say to viewers who themselves may have been trying to get on the show and feel frustrated or angry that Hannah squandered her opportunity?
I get it. I understand the frustration. I share it. We obviously work very hard to find people who want to be on Survivor more than they want air. But no matter how many interviews you do or psychological tests you take, until you are actually out on the island, living in a real jungle, there simply is no way to know how any player will react. Hannah decided she didn’t want to do it. It was really that simple. She’d had enough, so she quit. I’m not picking on Hannah, it’s her choice, but we have to own the fact that we got it wrong.
“Survivor” Season 45 airs Wednesday on CBS and Paramount+.
