Why Jeff Probst admitted to his gender bias in Survivor: Winners at War finale

Entertainment Weekly

Survivor: Winners at War marks the sixth straight time a male has won. Men have also won 12 out of the past 15 seasons. During the Winners at War finale, Sarah Lacina brought up how tough it is to be a woman competing on Survivor. “It made me realize that if a woman in this game lies or cheats or steals, she’s fake and phony and a bitch,” Sarah said at Tribal Council, tearing up. “If a guy does it, it’s good gameplay. It’s a gender bias, it holds me back. It holds other women back from playing the game the way we should be playing the game." Her comments prompted Probst to admit to his own gender bias. “Let me own my part," he said. "I am certain if I look back at all of the comments I have made over 20 years, I would find the exact same bias in me — who I call by last names. Guys have different relationships with each other, and I might not know how to have that relationship with a woman. So, I’ll definitely own that I don’t think I saw it when Survivor started, and I don’t think I even knew I was supposed to look for it. But I’m very much aware of it now, and I’m grateful that we can open up and investigate, even though it comes with crisis or hardship or it comes with some tears. Whatever it is, it’s out there and it’s being talked about." EW asked Probst what made him decide to make the stunning admission. "I’ve been with Survivor for 20 years and I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way," he said. "I also hope that I’ve changed, grown, and matured throughout the years. I’m not the same person I was when I started with the show in 2000. I’ve learned so much from these players. These kinds of personal moments with the players come up from time to time where I feel it’s appropriate for me to inject my own story into the game. Gender bias is something that has become such an important topic that this one felt it was timely and relevant for many reasons. I’m grateful to Sarah for bringing up the topic. It gave me the opportunity to address my own life lessons!"

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