Jeff Probst reveals how Mike White helped shape Survivor 41

Entertainment Weekly

Survivor alum White, creator of HBO's buzzworthy The White Lotus, already takes credit for killing Redemption Island. So when Probst wanted to make a major change for Season 41, he ran it by White. Besides reducing the season from 39 to 26 days, "the other change for Survivor 41 was on the creative side," Probst tells EW. "And that started with a phone call with former player Mike White. Survivor fans know him as the guy who almost won David vs. Goliath, but he's also one of the most successful writer-producer-directors in Hollywood. In other words, he is a master storyteller." As Probst and his team were coming up with new ideas for Survivor 41, he decided to call up White. "I was in my garage with several white boards, working on creative for Survivor 41," says Probst. "I called Mike for his insight into a story-related element. He listened politely as I laid out the idea. It was an elaborate and very complicated Survivor capitalist society that would be driven by players earning money (Fire Tokens) and spending them on shelter, rewards, and advantages. When I finished the pitch, I asked him what he thought. He paused for a moment and said, 'Well… it sounds… in-ter-est-ing. But is it fun?'" Probst says those four words "changed everything" about Survivor 41. "I couldn't erase the white boards fast enough," he says. "I had spent well over a year working on this idea, and yet it still felt so good to throw it out because it was so clear that it sucked! I called (executive producer) Matt Van Wagenen and said, 'Forget everything we've been working on! Throw it out! From now on, fun is the only thing that matters!'"